Licensing guide · Saskatchewan

How to Become an Optometrist in Saskatchewan

Last checked 2 sources checkedNOC 31111

Do you need a licence?

Licence required

You must be registered with the Saskatchewan Association of Optometrists to work as an optometrist in Saskatchewan or to use a protected title.

Protected titles
Not listed in the sources checked
Show the source
“The Saskatchewan Association of Optometrists (SAO) regulates optometrists in Saskatchewan and membership in the Association is mandatory to practice optometry in Saskatchewan.”

From optometrists.sk.ca/regulatory/licensing-requirements, checked October 10, 2026.

At a glance

Licence status
Licence required See the source
Routes
Annual fees

Your roadmap

Every route is listed. Follow the one that matches where you trained.

Trained in Canada

  • 1 fee depends on your situation and is not in the total
  • 4 steps without a listed fee
  • Annual fees: $3,195 (payable to the SAO for the 2026 license year), $100 (if you have a registered professional corporation)

  1. Complete the new applicant application form to apply for a licence with the SAO.

    Source
    “New members must complete the application (here) or found on the top right corner of our website to apply for a license with the SAO.”
    optometrists.sk.ca/regulatory/licensing-requirements

  2. Successfully complete the Optometry Examining Board of Canada entry-to-practice exam, which consists of a written exam and a practical exam known as the OSCE.

    Source
    “Successfully complete the Optometry Examining Board of Canada entry-to-practice exam to be licensed. This consists of two components: (a) a written exam, and (b) a practical exam known as the “OSCE” an objective structured clinical evaluation.”
    optometrists.sk.ca/regulatory/licensing-requirements

  3. Successfully complete the SAO Jurisprudence Exam.

    Source
    “Successfully complete the SAO Jurisprudence Exam”
    optometrists.sk.ca/regulatory/licensing-requirements

  4. Pay the licensing fee in effect at the time of licensure.

    Source
    “Pay the licensing fee in effect at the time of licensure”
    optometrists.sk.ca/regulatory/licensing-requirements

  5. Attend an Orientation session with the SAO.

    Source
    “Attend an Orientation session with the SAO”
    optometrists.sk.ca/regulatory/licensing-requirements

Listed fees for this route

1 fee depends on your situation and is not in the total.

4 steps without a listed fee, so the total may not be the full cost.

Annual fees Paid every year, so not part of the one-time total.

Official page for this route

Licensed in another province

  • 1 fee depends on your situation and is not in the total
  • 5 steps without a listed fee
  • Annual fees: $3,195 (payable to the SAO for the 2026 license year), $100 (if you have a registered professional corporation)

  1. Complete the labour mobility application to apply for a licence with the SAO.

    Source
    “New members must complete the application (here) or found on the top right corner of our website to apply for a license with the SAO.”
    optometrists.sk.ca/regulatory/licensing-requirements

  2. Submit the required documents, with the exceptions that letters of support are not required and entry to practice exam results are not required, and include certificates or letters of good standing from all licensing bodies and jurisdictions where the applicant is or has been licensed.

    Source
    “For labour mobility applicants the process is much the same as above with the following exceptions: Letters of support are not required, Entry to practice exams may vary and results are not required, Certificates/letters of good standing from ALL licensing bodies and jurisdictions in which the applicant is currently or has previously been licensed.”
    optometrists.sk.ca/regulatory/licensing-requirements

  3. Applicants who graduated prior to 2015 may be required to provide proof of completion of a Therapeutic Pharmaceutical Agent Certification and an Advanced Scope of Practice Certification course, or equivalent.

    Source
    “For applicants who graduated prior to 2015 proof of completion of a Therapeutic Pharmaceutical Agent Certification and an Advanced Scope of Practice Certification course, or equivalent may be required.”
    optometrists.sk.ca/regulatory/licensing-requirements

  4. Successfully complete the SAO Jurisprudence Exam.

    Source
    “Successfully complete the SAO Jurisprudence Exam”
    optometrists.sk.ca/regulatory/licensing-requirements

  5. Pay the licensing fee in effect at the time of licensure.

    Source
    “Pay the licensing fee in effect at the time of licensure”
    optometrists.sk.ca/regulatory/licensing-requirements

  6. Attend an Orientation session with the SAO.

    Source
    “Attend an Orientation session with the SAO”
    optometrists.sk.ca/regulatory/licensing-requirements

Listed fees for this route

1 fee depends on your situation and is not in the total.

5 steps without a listed fee, so the total may not be the full cost.

Annual fees Paid every year, so not part of the one-time total.

Official page for this route

Trained outside Canada

  • 1 step without a listed fee
  • Annual fees: $3,195 (payable to the SAO for the 2026 license year), $100 (if you have a registered professional corporation)

  1. Visit the Federation of Optometric Regulatory Authorities of Canada website for information on the credential assessment process.

    Source
    “Please visit the Federation of Optometric Regulatory Authorities of Canada (FORAC) website https://www.forac-faroc.ca/international-applicants/ for information on the credential assessment process.”
    optometrists.sk.ca/regulatory/licensing-requirements

Listed fees for this route

No one-time fees listed by the regulator for these steps Check with Saskatchewan Association of Optometrists

1 step without a listed fee, so the total may not be the full cost.

Annual fees Paid every year, so not part of the one-time total.

Official page for this route

Other listed fees

The regulator lists these without tying them to one step, so they are not in the route totals above. Check which apply to you.

Requirements

Conditions the regulator sets on top of the roadmap steps.

Education

  • Applicants must have graduated from an ACOE Accredited Program and completed the Optometry Examining Board of Canada entry-to-practice exam to be eligible to apply directly to the SAO.

    Source
    “International Applicants – for applicants that did not graduate from an ACOE Accredited Program (link to list) and have not completed the Optometry Examining Board of Canada entry-to-practice exam (https://oebc.ca/) you are not eligible to apply directly to the SAO.”
    optometrists.sk.ca/regulatory/licensing-requirements

  • Applicants must submit an unofficial copy of undergraduate transcripts and an official copy of final optometry school transcripts sent directly from the school.

    Source
    “An unofficial copy of your undergraduate transcripts, Official copy of final optometry school transcripts (sent directly from the school by mail or verified electronic format)”
    optometrists.sk.ca/regulatory/licensing-requirements

Police check

  • Applicants must provide an original vulnerable sector and criminal record check sent by mail, hand delivered or sent from source in a secure electronic format.

    Source
    “An original vulnerable sector and criminal record check – to be sent by mail, hand delivered or sent from source in a secure electronic format”
    optometrists.sk.ca/regulatory/licensing-requirements

Insurance

  • Applicants must provide proof of liability insurance and a liability insurance authorization letter.

    Source
    “Proof of liability insurance, A liability insurance authorization letter (the form can be downloaded within the applicant portal)”
    optometrists.sk.ca/regulatory/licensing-requirements

Other

  • Applicants must hold a valid CPR certificate for a course that includes Infant, Child and Adult CPR and use of an AED.

    Source
    “A valid CPR certificate for a course that includes Infant, Child and Adult CPR and use of an AED.”
    optometrists.sk.ca/regulatory/licensing-requirements

  • Applicants must provide two letters of reference from individuals who can speak to the candidate’s suitability as an optometrist.

    Source
    “Two letters of reference from individuals who can speak to the candidate’s suitability as an optometrist (clerkship supervisors, professors, etc.).”
    optometrists.sk.ca/regulatory/licensing-requirements

  • Practicing applicants must provide satisfactory evidence of participation in continuing education courses or lectures and of the hours of attendance during the year.

    Source
    “Practicing applicants must also provide satisfactory evidence of participation in continuing education courses or lectures and of the hours of attendance in such courses or lectures during the year.”
    optometrists.sk.ca/regulatory/licensing-requirements

  • Labour mobility applicants must provide certificates or letters of good standing from all licensing bodies and jurisdictions in which they are currently or have previously been licensed.

    Source
    “Certificates/letters of good standing from ALL licensing bodies and jurisdictions in which the applicant is currently or has previously been licensed.”
    optometrists.sk.ca/regulatory/licensing-requirements

Already licensed in another province?

Direct transfer

Applicants licensed in another Canadian jurisdiction apply through the Labour Mobility process, which is much the same as the new applicant process except that letters of support are not required and entry to practice exam results are not required.

Source
“For labour mobility applicants the process is much the same as above with the following exceptions: Letters of support are not required, Entry to practice exams may vary and results are not required”
optometrists.sk.ca/regulatory/licensing-requirements

  1. Complete the application

    Source
    “New members must complete the application (here) or found on the top right corner of our website to apply for a license with the SAO.”
    optometrists.sk.ca/regulatory/licensing-requirements

  2. Provide good standing certificates

    Source
    “Certificates/letters of good standing from ALL licensing bodies and jurisdictions in which the applicant is currently or has previously been licensed.”
    optometrists.sk.ca/regulatory/licensing-requirements

Processing time: Not stated by the regulator Check with Saskatchewan Association of Optometrists

Check a move between two provinces

Credential assessment

  • Credential assessment process

    For international applicants who did not graduate from an ACOE Accredited Program and have not completed the OEBC entry-to-practice exam

    Source
    “Please visit the Federation of Optometric Regulatory Authorities of Canada (FORAC) website https://www.forac-faroc.ca/international-applicants/ for information on the credential assessment process.”
    optometrists.sk.ca/regulatory/licensing-requirements

Exams

Language tests

Not stated by the regulator Check with Saskatchewan Association of Optometrists

Compare scores across provinces and professions

Canadian experience

Not stated by the regulator Check with Saskatchewan Association of Optometrists

Supervised practice

Not stated by the regulator Check with Saskatchewan Association of Optometrists

Demand and pay

Job Bank figures for NOC 31111, Optometrists. Wages for 2021 in Canadian dollars a year; outlook for 2025-2027.

Job Bank wages and outlook in Saskatchewan and Canada
WhereLowMedianHighOutlook
Saskatchewan — $68,500 — Very good (5 of 5)
Canada $32,867 $81,000 $162,000 —

Wages by region and job outlook in Saskatchewan

Wages in every province and territory

Optometrists in other provinces and territories

Regulated in 8 of the other 12 jurisdictions checked so far. The rules differ from one place to the next.

Compare optometrist licensing across Canada

Sources checked

Pages read on October 10, 2026.

  1. Licensing Requirements - Saskatchewan Association of Optometrists optometrists.sk.ca/regulatory/licensing-requirements · fetched October 10, 2026
  2. 2026 License & Prof Corp Renewals - Saskatchewan Association of Optometrists optometrists.sk.ca/2025-license-prof-corp-renewals · fetched October 10, 2026

Frequently asked questions

2

Do you need a licence to work as an optometrist in Saskatchewan?

Yes. Registration with the Saskatchewan Association of Optometrists is required to practise in Saskatchewan.

Which exams are required?

Optometry Examining Board of Canada entry-to-practice exam, SAO Jurisprudence Exam.

Getting Licensed? Get Your Resume Ready Too

Nainly pairs expert resume assessment with a done-for-you career marketing campaign, so your profile keeps reaching decision-makers while you work through the licensing steps.

Schedule a Call

Free consultation. No commitment.