Find the forms you need or get more details about specific employment standards.
By answering a series of questions, this tool will guide you to information about your specific work situation and provide options to help deal with issues at work.
The Working in British Columbia poster contains information about the Employment Standards Act and Regulation. It should be on display at all workplaces.
The Foreign Workers info sheet contains information about the rights of foreign workers under the Temporary Foreign Worker Protection Act and Regulation. Employers and recruiters need to share this information with foreign workers they hire or recruit.
Education seminars are held monthly in order to answer questions and provide education regarding the rules and responsibilities of employers, employment agencies, talent agencies, and farm labour contractors under the Employment Standards Act.
Get a section-by-section explanation of the Employment Standards Act and Regulation. This guide is also known as the Interpretation Guidelines Manual (IGM).
Employers must apply for a permit to employ children under 16 unless special conditions apply.
Click the button below to discover whether a permit is needed in a specific situation and access the online application form.
If a permit is required, the child's parent or guardian will also need to complete a parent or guardian declaration form (PDF, 174.2KB).
If school will be in session while the child is expected to work, the child's school also needs to complete a school recommendation form (PDF, 132.2KB).
A parent or guardian decides if it's in the best interests of their child to have a job. If a child employment permit is not required, they must provide written consent (PDF, 130.7KB) for their child to work. The employer must keep a record of the written consent.
This written consent is kept by the employer. Do not send it to Employment Standards.
You can fill out and submit a complaint online in about 15 minutes.
You can submit a complaint using the printable Complaint Form (PDF, 383.7KB).
Variances allow work situations that follow the purposes of B.C. employment standards but don't strictly meet the standards. You can fill out and submit a variance application online.
You can submit an application using the printable Application for Variance (PDF, 278.3KB).
Learn more about the steps employers must take to hire temporary foreign workers, then apply for a certificate of registration online.
You can register a domestic worker online in about 15 minutes.
You can register a domestic worker using the printable Domestic Worker Registration Form (PDF, 213.5KB).
Employment agencies must be licensed to operate in British Columbia. An employment agency is an organization or person who charges a fee to recruit, or offers to recruit, employees for employers. A licence is not required if an employment agency only recruits employees for one employer.
You can submit an application using the printable Application for Employment Agency Licence (PDF, 383.1KB).
Talent agencies must be licensed in order to find employment for performers and film personnel in B.C.
You can submit an application using the printable Application for Talent Agency Licence (PDF, 237KB)
Farm labour contractors must be licensed in British Columbia. A farm labour contractor provides labour to producers in connection with the planting, cultivating or harvesting of agricultural products. Although the workers may work on a variety of farms owned by different producers, they are the employees of the farm labour contractor. Find out more about a farm labour contractor licence.
You can submit an application using the printable Application for Farm Labour Contractor Licence (PDF, 605.6KB).
Farm Labour Contractor Exam (PDF, 287.6KB)
Release of Information (PDF, 155.8KB)
Apply for forestry worker retirement bridging benefits.
Find retraining and support for forestry workers impacted by industry downturns in northern British Columbia.
You can submit a search request online in about 10 minutes.
You can submit a search request using the printable Due Diligence Search Request (PDF, 344.7KB).
English
Chinese (Traditional) - 繁體中文
Chinese (Simplified) - 简体中文
Filipino (Tagalog)
French - Français
Vacances annuelles / Annual Vacation (PDF, 455.6KB)
Les agences de placement / Employment Agencies (PDF, 418.2KB)
Entrepreneurs en main-d’oeuvre agricole / Farm Labour Contractors (PDF, 631.7KB)
Heures de travail et heures supplémentaires / Hours of Work and Overtime (PDF, 440.2KB)
Travailleurs étrangers temporaires / Temporary Foreign Workers (PDF, 341.6KB)
Hindi - हिंदी
Japanese - 日本語
Korean - 한국어
Punjabi - ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਦੇ
Spanish - Español
Vacaciones Anuales / Annual Vacation (PDF, 345KB)
Agencias de Empleo / Employment Agencies (PDF, 325.5KB)
Contratistas de Trabajadores Agrícolas / Farm Labour Contractors (PDF, 372.6KB)
Horas de Trabajo y Horas Extra / Hours of Work and Overtime (PDF, 359.5KB)
Normas de Empleo para Trabajadores Extranjeros / Temporary Foreign Workers (PDF, 321.3KB)
The Employment Standards Portal is an invitation-only platform for information related to Employment Standards complaints and licensing cases.
If you've received an email invitation to the Portal, you can log in to view your active cases, send and receive messages, and share important documents with Employment Standards.