COBC Newsletter March 2021

COVID-19 immunization update | It's time to renew your licence 

BC COVID-19 immunization plan

COBC recognizes that many of you will have important questions about when you will be eligible for a vaccination, or how you can help with BC’s COVID-19 Immunization Plan.

We have put together some information that we hope will answer any questions you may have, you can review it here. 
 

Top Five Tips for Renewal

  1. Fees have increased
    COBC is increasing some of the registration fees for 2021-2022. Information about the increase can be found on our FAQ page and the full fee schedule can be found here. 
     
  2. Your Continuing Competency Program must be complete
    If your Continuing Competency Program (CCP) deadline was December 31, 2020 you must complete all steps or have an official extension granted before you can renew your license. If you know your CCP is incomplete, please contact Christopher Dodge, our Manager of Quality Assurance,  before you attempt to renew. If you have any questions or need some guidance on completing your program, please visit our Guides and Tools page or watch our CCP Walkthrough Video.
     
  3. Complete your Criminal Record Check
    It is important that registrants of COBC have a current and valid Criminal Record Check (CRC). We send monthly reminders to those whose CRC is about to expire or is overdue so if you have recently received one of these reminders, please follow the instructions in the email to complete the check. CRCs need to be completed every five years and if you are unsure if yours has expired, please contact COBC.
     
  4. Update your information
    Completing your renewal online is a perfect opportunity to ensure the information we have on file for you is up to date. Your email address is particularly important as it is the primary channel of communication we use to get in touch with you. When you complete your renewal, please check all your contact details are correct.
     
  5. Paying for your license
    We accept two types of payment – credit card (Visa and MasterCard) and e-transfer. You can select your payment method at the time of renewal. We have improved our system for accepting e-transfers and detailed instructions can be found in our FAQ. Please ensure you read this step carefully before sending the transfer. Once you have completed the online renewal, you will receive an automated notice and your receipt will be available to download within five working days.

AND FINALLY! Please be patient during the renewal period, it is a busy time and we will likely be slower to respond to enquiries than usual. We thank you for your understanding and continued belief in the value of licensure. Don't forget to renew before March 31 to avoid late fees.

Renew here
 

Indigenous Cultural Safety and Humility survey

As part of our ongoing commitment to Indigenous Cultural Safety and Humility (ICSH), we would like to better understand the level of awareness and understanding of Indigenous Cultural Safety and Humility across our own registrant base.

We have created a survey that is now available to all registrants at renewal. Your responses are essential in helping us create future initiatives and find the most effective ways to make positive change. You will be able to respond to the survey as part of the renewal application. 
 

Changing your status or adding a designation

If you are changing your status between Practicing and Non-Practicing or adding an extra designation to your licence, you can do this at the same time as renewing. Simply navigate to the change status tab instead of the renewal tab and select the appropriate option. Your status change will be processed at the same time as the renewal.

 

Employer payment made simple

Is your employer paying for your licence this year? You can now directly select credit card or e-transfer at the time of submitting the renewal application to make the payment. This removes the need for your employer to complete a payment form, cuts down the amount of processing time and improves credit card-related security.

As with all payment options, your receipt will be available to download from your profile within 5 working days of receiving the payment.
 

E-transfer deadlines

If you are selecting e-transfer as your method of payment, please ensure that you follow up with the transfer within 48 hours. If payment is not received within 48 hours, the application will be discarded and you will need to resubmit. This speeds up our processing time, ensuring quick and smooth completion of renewal applications. Unpaid applications will incur a late fee after March 31.
 

Renew here
 

Forgot your login?

Click the Forgot User ID and/or Password link on the Opticians Login page. You will be emailed a password reset link. Just remember to use the email address that we have on file.

 

Question about renewal?

All your renewal questions are answered in our FAQ and our handy How to Renew Guide will take you through the process step-by-step. You can also review the Continuing Competency program materials if you have any question about the CCP requirements. You can contact COBC anytime if you have specific questions not answered in the FAQ.
 

Renew here

College of Opticians of BC operates on the traditional, ancestral and unceded Coast Salish territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations.

Unsubscribing from this email will revoke your consent to receive email correspondance from us as outlined in Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL). We will no longer be able to send you important reminders pertaining to your license which may affect your registration with the College of Opticians of BC. Please contact us if you have any questions.