Employment Agency Licensing

The Employment Standards Act requires that a person must not operate an employment agency unless the person is licensed under the Act. An employment agency is defined as “a person who, for a fee, recruits or offers to recruit employees for employers”. If a person is operating an employment agency for the sole purpose of hiring employees exclusively for one employer, a licence is not required.

• Employment Agencies Factsheet

For more information, see the following links to the Interpretation Guidelines Manual:

• Definition of an employment agency 
• Employment agencies must be licensed 
• Licensing of employment agencies 
• Cancellation or suspension of employment agency licence 
• Rules about licenses 
• If a licence is refused, cancelled or suspended 
• Surrender of licenses 
• Appeals from the refusal, cancellation and suspension of a licence 

Applying for an Employment Agency Licence

Download an employment agency licence application and renewal form.

Submitting Application Form

The form cannot be submitted online. It must be mailed to PO Box 9570 Stn Prov Govt, Victoria, BC, V8W 9K1, faxed to 250 356-1886 or delivered in person to an Employment Standards Branch Office near you.

Your application is not complete until the Branch receives a non-refundable application fee of $100.00 payable to the Director of Employment Standards. You may enclose a cheque with your application, or you may pay by Visa, Mastercard or American Express. The instructions appear on the application form.

The Branch does not send out renewal notices. You must ensure that the Branch receives your licence renewal application before your current licence expires to avoid a penalty for operating without a licence.

List of licensed Employment Agencies

• List of licensed employment agencies (PDF)

Education Seminars for Employment Agencies

This Education Seminar provides a general overview of Employment Standards and how it relates to the obligations and liabilities of Employment Agencies. When signing-up for this seminar, you will be given the opportunity to submit any questions you may have, and these will be addressed during the session. The Moderator will also be able to answer questions throughout the session. Topics will include:

• Who needs to be licenced?
• How much does a licence cost?
• Do I need to renew my licence?
• Do I need to keep records?
• When can I charge someone?
• Can I provide immigration assistance?

Register to attend an Employment Agency Education Seminar