Changes to general and adjuster licence upgrades coming soon

Published February 6, 2024

The Insurance Council is introducing changes to general and adjuster licensure requirements that will make it easier for qualified insurance professionals to get their Level 3 licence. To support these changes, we’re also updating how upgrades to licence level are handled.  

Recognizing that taking on a higher level of licensure represents increased professional responsibility and autonomy, these changes are intended to enhance regulatory mechanisms that support public protection.
 

About the changes

Qualification for Level 3 licences 

Effective April 1, 2024, Rules 2(5)(a) and 2(8)(a) will be repealed, removing the requirement for a management or ownership role to qualify for a Level 3 adjuster or general insurance licence. This means that the qualification for a level 3 licence will be based entirely on education and experience. Licensees who currently qualify for a Level 3 licence, but are not in a management or ownership role will be eligible to apply for a level 3 licence. 

Further to this, an individual’s level of licensure will be associated with their licence, and not based on their authorization to represent (ATR). Currently, some licensees with multiple ATRs have both Level 2 and Level 3 ATRs depending on whether they have a management or ownership role with the employer they are representing. This will no longer be the case in future; qualified individuals will simply apply for a Level 3 licence. For current licensees with both Level 2 and Level 3 ATRs, there will be no change to their ability to practice or their licence requirements—the impact of the rule repeal will be solely administrative, and these licensees will be contacted prior to April 1 with more information.

This is one of a number of modernizing changes approved in Fall 2022, and which has resulted from the ongoing initiative to review and update the Insurance Council’s rules.  

Licence Upgrades 

Policy and process updates will also occur on April 1, 2024, improving the consistency and thoroughness for how licence upgrade applications are received and reviewed. 

Rather than a solely manual process, Licensees will be able to apply for licence upgrades through the Insurance Council website portal. The online workflow will guide licensees through a streamlined and more robust application submission and includes the ability for licensees to monitor the status of their application in their portal account. A fee will apply to all licence upgrade requests .

These updates to the upgrade process will bring BC closer into alignment with practices in several other Canadian jurisdictions, such as Alberta, Manitoba, Quebec and New Brunswick, supporting our harmonization strategy. 
 

What’s next

An updated version of the Insurance Council Rules has been published and the repeal of Rules 2(5)(a) and 2(8)(a) will be effective April 1, 2024.

In March, Licensees who currently have both Level 2 and Level 3 ATRs  will be provided with more detailed information regarding administrative changes that will be made to streamline ATR information associated with their licences via email. There is no change to these licensees’ current ability to practice or their licence requirements.
 

More information

For more information about licence level upgrades for general insurance and adjusters, please contact our Licensing Team at licensing@insurancecouncilofbc.com.