Membership Transfers & Status Changes

As a benefit of being affiliated with the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP), members in certain categories who permanently relocate to another Canadian province or territory can directly transfer their membership to the appropriate CIP affiliated planning institute or association in that province/territory without having to re-apply or re-certify.

Transfers to PIBC: Please contact your current affiliation & request a Transfer of your Membership.

Membership Transfer Eligibility:

• - Must be either a Certified, Fellow, Retired, Candidate or Student Member of PIBC and CIP.
• - Must be a member in good-standing at the time of application (i.e. paid all current membership fees, current on CPL reporting requirements, no outstanding disciplinary matters, etc.).
• - Must be permanently relocating (for the foreseeable future) elsewhere, outside of BC and the Yukon.

The following form should be used by members to apply to transfer their membership from PIBC to elsewhere in Canada:

Application for Membership Transfer [PDF]

Out-of-Province (Joint) Membership Details

• - Your current provincial affiliation stays as your primary membership association and PIBC will be your secondary membership association.
• - When officially confirmed by PIBC, you can use the “RPP, MCIP” designations after your name in BC and Yukon. Individuals who are not current PIBC Certified members in good standing are not permitted to use the RPP designation in BC or the Yukon.
• - You are required to pay the annual PIBC membership fee. Please click here to see current fee schedule.
• - PIBC, CIP and most Canadian provincial affiliations (except for Ontario & Quebec) use the same membership database. If you have not paid CIP’s national membership fee, you will be required to pay for this through PIBC as CIP membership is mandatory for PIBC Certified members.
• - You will have voting privileges for PIBC Board elections.
• - You will be required to undertake and report continuous professional learning (CPL) activities every calendar year. Click here to learn about PIBC’s CPL reporting requirements. 
• - You will report your CPL activities to your primary provincial affiliation and PIBC will check your CPL reporting as required to maintain your eligibility as a PIBC Joint Member.
• - You will be eligible for PIBC membership benefits, including member rates for PIBC annual conferences, events and webinars as well as access to our magazine, Planning West, and our bi-weekly e-newsletter of upcoming events, activities, pertinent member information, job opportunities and more.

Application for Out-of-Province (Joint) Membership

Click here for the required application form for out-of-province (joint) membership. We will follow up with you, along with the invoice, when we receive the signed form. We will contact your primary affiliation's office to obtain a copy of your membership file.

Please note: Please ignore the reference on the application form on submitting copies of transcripts or log books of your work experience. These should already be on file with your primary affiliation. If there is anything missing, we will  follow up with you and or your affiliation's office.

Out-of-Province (Joint) Membership Fees:
- Certified (or Candidate) Application Fee: $180 (no tax)
- annual PIBC affiliation Fee. Please click here for current PIBC fees.

Payment of fees can be made online by Visa or Mastercard. Cheque or electronic fund transfer (EFT) payments are also accepted.
Please note: we are working on a hybrid schedule and may not be able to check our mail on a daily basis.

Once when the signed form and payments are received, we will forward your application to the PIBC Board to be officially confirmed. If you have any questions, please contact us at info@pibc.bc.ca. 

For members relocating outside of Canada, you can maintain your professional membership with PIBC while outside of Canada provided you continue to stay current with your membership fees and other membership requirements. Relocating members should be aware that professional liability insurance coverage only applies to work undertaken within Canada and planning work undertaken outside of Canada is not covered.

If you wish to seek formal professional membership or planning certification within a foreign country, you cannot directly transfer your membership and you should consult with the appropriate professional planning institute or association in that location directly regarding your eligibility and requirements.

Becoming a professional member in certain foreign countries can, in some cases, be expedited for current PIBC and CIP members thanks to reciprocal agreements negotiated by CIP. These countries and their corresponding professional planning institutes or associations include:

The American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) – United States of America

The Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) – Australia

As a flexible membership benefit, members who temporarily leaving active planning practice for various reasons – such as maternity or paternity leave, extended medical or disability leave – may be granted temporary leave from active membership accordingly. Members on leave may not use any professional title or designation after their name during that period nor engage in any active planning practice. Leave from active membership is time-limited (typically for more than six months and no longer than two years) and is subject to the consideration and approval of PIBC Board of Directors.

Please Note: The same form below should also be used by members currently on leave to reinstate their membership status back to that of an active, practicing member.

If you are retired from your job, but you are not sure, if you will take on some more planning projects as consultant in the future, please consider the Leave from Active Membership option instead of Retired Membership due to the easier reinstatement process.

Membership Status Change Eligibility:

• - Must be either a Certified, Fellow, or Candidate Member of PIBC.
• - Must be a member in-good-standing at the time of application (i.e. paid all current membership fees, current on CPL requirements, no outstanding disciplinary matters, etc.).
• - Must be fully leaving active planning practice for an extended, temporary period of time, for a particular reason (such as maternity or paternity leave, extended medial or disability leave, etc.).
• - Must be intending to return to active planning practice in the future.
• - Must agree to continue to abide by the Institute’s bylaws & Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct.

Members on Leave are exempt from the requirement to report continuous professional learning activities while on such status; Certified Members are not permitted to use the "Registered Professional Planner" or "MCIP" designations (for example: email signature, Business card, current documents etc.); Candidate Members are allowed to move on with their PSB Certification process during that time. Their on leave period will be included in their seven year time frame to become a Certified Member; and, they are required to immediately apply to reinstate their active membership status as soon as they return to the planning profession. Members on Leave do continue to receive Planning West and Plan Canada magazines, retain their voting privileges in the Institute and receive member rates for conferences and events, along with other services and benefits. Such status is meant as a temporary membership status and is normally granted for a two-year period only unless individual circumstances warrant a longer period.

Members on leave are still required to pay annual membership fees but at a drastically reduced rate than active members. If they decide to opt-out of the CIP professional liability insurance coverage, the fees will decrease further for the entire year. Click here for the current fee schedule.

Required to go back to active Membership:

In the event that you return to active planning practice prior to the date you specified on your application form for On Leave status, all you need to do is send us a short email noting the exact date that you returned to active practice and we will update your membership record accordingly and inform the Board. Also, if you have not yet paid the premium for the CIP Professional Errors & Omissions insurance coverage, which is a mandatory portion of the CIP membership fees for active Candidate and Certified members, you will be invoiced for the premium upon your return to active practice.

Insurance Premium, when returned to active Membership:

Please be aware, that if the Insurance Invoice will be as outstanding unpaid amount on your member profile at the end of the year, it will be added to your Membership Fee Invoice of the upcoming year. We urge you to go online and pay the amount at your earliest convenience or to contact us and make arrangements for payment of this outstanding amount.

Coming back to active Membership between middle of November until middle of January:

Everyone, who will come back to active Membership between middle of November until middle of January, will be informed via email shortly before the start of the upcoming Membership Renewal (auto-generated Renewal Notice emails sent from info@pibc.bc.ca will be starting middle of November), that they have been reinstated to active Membership and that they will go through the online Renewal process as active and not as On-Leave Member. This email will count as confirmation, that they will be officially reinstated at the Board Meeting in January.

On-Leave status during the Membership Renewal:

On leave start date needs to be January 1 of the Renewal year or earlier to get the cheaper rate for the current Renewal. The Renewal payment is always due on January 2nd of the Renewal year and covers Jan 1 - Dec 31 of the given Renewal year.

Annual Fees are non-refundable. We don't allow Refunds during the year, in case you renewed as active member and will go on leave status during the year. That would affect the next year's Renewal only to get the cheaper rate, if you are still on leave status then.

As long as you are reachable via your email you would get the info, that the Renewal is due and you could go online and pay via Credit Card on your Member profile. In case you won’t have Internet access you can forward us your Credit Card info (Visa or MasterCard accepted - Card number, Expiry date, three digit code from the back & Name of Cardholder needed) and we can do the payment from our side at the given time or you can choose the Invoice option in the online Renewal process and send us a cheque.

Important:  When applying to change your membership status, be sure to indicate any and all changes to your contact information (e.g. email, mailing address, etc.) when submitting your form.

The following form should be used by eligible members to apply to change (or reinstate) their membership status:

Application for Leave from Active Membership & Reinstatement [PDF]

On Leave status Time-Limit: min. 6 months - max. 24 months

REQUIRED TO BE IN GOOD STANDING: annual Membership Fee payment by January 2 of Renewal year 

REQUIRED TO COME BACK TO ACTIVE STATUS: to inform us in writing, if date is different than on the request form and payment of CIP Insurance Premium, if not done with annual renewal

REINSTATEMENT TIME-LIMIT after resignation or revocation: in between 24 months after the given date - otherwise new application via the PSB Certification Process

Certified members who are retired or leaving the planning practice have options to change their membership to non-corporate Retired membership while maintaining their connection and involvement with the profession and the Institute at reduced membership fee rates.

If you are retired from your job, but you are not sure, if you will take on some more planning projects as consultant in the future, please consider the Leave from Active Membership option due to the easier reinstatement process.

Retired Membership & Reinstatement

Senior Certified members who are now retired and leaving active planning practice may apply to become a non-corporate Retired member. Retired members continue to enjoy many of the services and benefits of membership, at a substantially reduced fee rate.

Retired Membership Eligibility:

• - Must have attained age 55 (or older).
• - Must have a minimum of ten years professional experience as a Certified (formerly Full) member (or Fellow) of the Institute.
• - Must be a member in-good-standing at the time of application (i.e. paid all current membership fees, no outstanding disciplinary matters, etc.).
• - Must be fully retired from planning practice (no more paid planning projects / volunteering is okay).
• - Must agree to continue to abide by the Institute’s bylaws.

Important:  When applying to change your membership, be sure to indicate any and all changes to your contact information (e.g. email, mailing address, etc.) when submitting your form.

The following form should be used by eligible Certified members to apply for Retired membership (or for Retired members to reinstate their Certified membership status):

Application for Retired Membership & Reinstatement [PDF]

Retired members will not be permitted to use the "RPP" designation.
 
Retired members continue to receive Planning West and Plan Canada magazines and member rates at conferences and events.  Retired members may also be eligible to reinstate their active Certified membership if they decide to return to professional practice, depending on the membership standards and processes in place when they want to reinstate.
 
Retired members are still required to pay annual membership fees but at a drastically reduced rate than active members. Retired membership does not include the insurance premium for professional errors and omissions liability coverage that active Certified members receive.  Click here for PIBC's current fee schedule.

For Retired membership, you would be exempt from the requirement to report any continuing professional learning (CPL) activities while on such status.

REQUIRED TO BE IN GOOD STANDING: annual Membership Fee payment by January 2 of Renewal year 

BACK TO CERTIFIED TIME-LIMIT: in between 24 months after being confirmed as Retired Member - otherwise new application via the PSB Certification Process