VANCOUVER 2025-26 ITLNCA OCIS - 2L SUMMER RECRUITMENT

Applying to ITLNCA’s Vancouver OCIs? This information is for you!

1. Applications for all Internationally Trained Lawyers (ITLs) and National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) candidates* are open on viLawPortal until August 27, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. PDT. However, if you wish to be considered for ITLNCA's Vancouver OCIs, you must apply through viLawPortal by August 20, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. PDT

See viLawPortal: https://recruitcdn.viglobalcloud.com/
See the “Important Dates” section below and confirm these dates with the different sources listed here.

*ITLs and NCA applicants include:

NCA candidates including self-study NCA candidates;
NCA candidates enrolled in a Professional LLM at Osgoode Professional Development;
NCA candidates enrolled in a GPLLM at the University of Toronto;
NCA candidates enrolled in the LLM CL at the University of British Columbia;
NCA candidates enrolled in the Internationally Trained Lawyer Pathway at the University of Alberta;
NCA candidates enrolled in NCA equivalent course(s) at a recognized Canadian university; and
ITLs who already received their Certificate of Qualification from the NCA

2. To participate in ITLNCA OCIs you must:

a) Follow the naming convention below for all documents you submit in viLawPortal, i.e.:

ITLNCA - Resume - Full Name
ITLNCA - Resume - Will Smith.doc,.pdf, etc.
ITLNCA - Cover Letter - Full Name
ITLNCA - Cover Letter - Will Smith.doc,.pdf, etc.

b) Include the following blurb at the end of your Cover Letter:

I would be pleased to be invited to an ITLNCA on-campus interview on September 11, 2025. To schedule an interview, please contact the ITLNCA Networks’ OCI Committee.

c) Provide ITLNCA NetworkS with (1) your full name as listed on your resume, (2) phone number, (3) email address, and (4) a list of all the legal employers you applied to. You must submit the above information by completing this form: https://forms.gle/r3ebxfGeLzu83Mdi7 no later than August 24, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. PDT.

3. Candidates should apply to ANY firms, government offices, and/or legal employers that they are genuinely interested in working with. Candidates should not only apply to the list of firms participating in Vancouver ITLNCA OCIs.

A preliminary list of participating law firms, government offices, and/or legal employers will be made available on a rolling basis. Additional legal employers may be added to our participation list even after the application deadline in viLawPortal has closed. Therefore, candidates should apply to any firms, government offices, and/or legal employers that they are interested in working with.
Further, some legal employers do not hold OCIs and only invite candidates straight to the in-firm interview stage. Please apply to all positions you are interested in.

NB: Applicants do not need to have their Certificate of Qualification (CQ) to apply for OCIs. Applicants do not need to have their CQ before applying for articling positions, but applicants must receive their CQ before commencing their articling/licensing.

vancouver's 2025-26 ITLNCA OCIS - IMPORTANT DATES:

1) Application Deadline in viLawPortal – August 20, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. PDT.

Applications for all Internationally Trained Lawyers (ITLs) and National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) candidates are open on viLawPortal until August 27, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. PDT. However, if you wish to be considered for ITLNCA's Vancouver OCIs, you must apply through viLawPortal by August 20, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. PDT: https://recruitcdn.viglobalcloud.com/
Attend the panels, networking events, open houses, and other recruitment events hosted by participating legal employers. Information about these events can be found on their company websites, LinkedIn, and social media.
All of ITLNCA NetworkS' educational materials and information sessions related to applications, interviews, résumés and cover letters can be viewed on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF6KZn4uRsdXKC43KhQd2GQ/videos

Note for Employers: Due date for early registration is July 18th, 2025. The deadline to send your list of candidates and scheduling preference to oci@itln.ca for Vancouver is August 26, 2025. Please advise us directly if you are unable to make this timeline.

2) ITLNCA OCI Call Day – August 28, 2025, starting at 8:00 a.m. PDT

Have your phone on and ready to accept calls and emails at 8:00 a.m. PDT.
Successful candidates will be contacted by ITLNCA NetworkS’ neutral administrator(s) to inform them of their OCI offer(s).
Candidates will be informed about the name of all law firms and government offices that offered them an interview. Candidates will not be informed about the interview times or given a choice of when the interviews will happen.
Candidates will be contacted at the contact phone number provided to ITLNCA NetworkS (in step 2(c) above).
The deadline to accept your OCI offer(s) from ITLNCA NetworkS’ neutral administrator(s) is August 28, 2025, by 5:00 p.m. PDT.

3) Other important information/logistics before September 11, 2025.

Use this period to prepare for your virtual OCIs
You can expect communications and emails from the legal employers, including the link to your interview and/or calendar invite. ITLNCA NetworkS’ will not be sending the calendar invites to candidates. Therefore, candidates should monitor their emails closely for communications and emails from the legal employers they have accepted OCIs with.
Use this time to ensure that your technology is set up and ready to go for your OCIs. Each legal employer will be using the virtual software of their choice. Download the appropriate software before your interviews.
Do additional research on the legal employers and the interviewer(s). Watch the helpful YouTube videos provided above.

4) OCI Schedule & Other Information – by September 3, 2025, at midnight. PDT

Applicants who have been offered OCI(s) can expect an email from ITLNCA confirming the timing of their interviews, the name of their interviewer(s), and the virtual software the employer will be using for the interview (i.e. Zoom, Microsoft Teams, etc.) by midnight on September 3, 2025 PDT.
PLEASE CHECK YOUR JUNK MAIL FOLDER FOR THIS EMAIL! DO NOT CONTACT US ASKING FOR THIS INFORMATION BEFORE CHECKING YOUR JUNK/SPAM FOLDER.

5) ITLNCA Virtual OCIs – September 11, 2025, between 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PDT.

Vancouver ITLNCA OCIs will take place virtually on September 11, 2025.
All interviews are 17 minutes in length
Each firm will use its preferred virtual platform (i.e. Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Skype, etc.). It will be up to the interviewing firm which platform they will use for virtual OCIs. Candidates will be expected to download the required software in advance. All software used will be free to download for candidates.

6) Intention to Call Emails – September 29, 2025 at 8:00 a.m. to October 2, 2025 at 8:00 p.m. PDT

Firms may send out Intentional to Call emails in advance of Call Day.
Not all firms send out intention to call emails.
Please read the VBA's Student Recruitment guidlines for more information: https://vancouverbar.ca/programs/#student-recruitment

7) Call Day for Interview Week – October 3, 2025, at 8:00 a.m. PDT. (2nd Stage of OCI)

If candidates are successful in their OCI interview(s), they will be contacted directly by the legal employers on Call Day to be invited to participate in the second round of interviews (known as the “Interview Week”).
The time and date of interviews and other recruitment activities to be scheduled for the Interview Week shall not be communicated in any way until 8:00 a.m. on October 3, 2025.
Please read the VBA's Student Recruitment guidelines for more information: https://vancouverbar.ca/programs/#student-recruitment

8) Interview Week – between October 20, 2025 and October 22, 2025

“Interview Week'' is the second (and sometimes third) round of interviews during the OCI recruitment process.
You will be invited to this round of interviews directly by the legal employer if you are successful at the initial OCI interview stage.
During Interview Week, interviews shall only be conducted between October 20, 2025, and October 22, 2025.
Please read the VBA's Student Recruitment guidelines for more information: https://vancouverbar.ca/programs/#student-recruitment

9) Offers of Employment - starting October 23, 2025, at 8:00 a.m. PDT

The communication of offers of employment shall not be made before 8:00 a.m. on October 23, 2025
All offers made at or after 8:00 a.m. PDT on October 23, 2025 are open until October 24, 2025 at 8:00 a.m. PDT.
Please read the VBA's Student Recruitment guidelines for more information: https://vancouverbar.ca/programs/#student-recruitment

ITLNCA NetworkS