VANCOUVER ITLNCA OCI - 2L SUMMER RECRUITMENT 2027

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 due on viLawPortal by August 14, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. PT.

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 the Internationally Trained Lawyer Program at the University of Manitoba
NCA candidates enrolled in the Graduate Diploma in Canadian Law at the Université de Montréal
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 25, 2026. 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/AL8RQLAp8vLJbeUD8 no later than August 15, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. PT.

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 2L summer positions and OCIs.

IMPORTANT DATES:

1) Application Deadline in viLawPortal – August 14, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. PT.

The application deadline for all Internationally Trained Lawyers (ITLs) and National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) candidates for Vancouver is August 14, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT in viLawPortal: 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 22, 2026. The deadline to send your list of candidates and scheduling preference to oci@itln.ca for Vancouver is August 26, 2026. Please advise us directly if you are unable to make this timeline.

2) ITLNCA OCI Call Day – August 31, 2026, starting at 8:00 a.m. PT

Have your phone on and ready to accept calls and emails at 8:00 a.m. PT.
Successful candidates will be contacted by ITLNCA NetworkS’ neutral administrator(s) to inform them of their OCI offer(s).
Calls will be coming from "Private" or "Unknown" numbers, please make sure to answer the call and not have it set to automatically block these calls during this time.
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 31, 2026, by 5:00 p.m. PT.

3) Other important information/logistics before September 25, 2026.

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 ITLNCA NetworkS videos provided above.

4) OCI Schedule & Other Information – by September 1, 2026, at midnight. PT

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 1, 2026 PT.
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 25, 2026, between 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PT.

Vancouver ITLNCA OCIs will take place virtually on September 25, 2026.
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, 2026 at 8:00 a.m. to October 1, 2026 at 8:00 p.m. PT

Firms may send out Intentional to Call emails in advance of Call Day.
Not all firms send out intention to call emails.
Candidates are recommended to respond as soon as possible to the Intention to Call emails with sample responses provided by the Vancouver Bar Association
Firms have agreed to a blackout period from September 28, 2026 - October 18, 2026 as defined by the Vancouver Bar Association
Please read the Vancouver Bar Association's (VBA) Student Recruitment guidlines for more information, especially the Pilot Project regarding the use of "First Choice" language: https://vancouverbar.ca/programs/#student-recruitment

7) Call Day for Interview Week – October 2, 2026, at 8:00 a.m. PT.

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. PT on October 2, 2026 .
Please read the Vancouver Bar Association's (VBA) Student Recruitment guidlines for more information, especially the Pilot Project regarding the use of "First Choice" language: https://vancouverbar.ca/programs/#student-recruitment

8) Interview Week – between October 19, 2026 and October 21, 2026

“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 19, 2026, and October 21, 2026.
Please read the Vancouver Bar Association's (VBA) Student Recruitment guidlines for more information, especially the Pilot Project regarding the use of "First Choice" language: https://vancouverbar.ca/programs/#student-recruitment

9) Offers of Employment - starting October 21, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. PT

The communication of offers of employment shall not be made before 5:00 p.m. PT on October 21, 2026
All offers made at or after 5:00 p.m. PT on October 21, 2026 are open until October 22, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. PT.
Please read the Vancouver Bar Association's (VBA) Student Recruitment guidlines for more information, especially the Pilot Project regarding the use of "First Choice" language: https://vancouverbar.ca/programs/#student-recruitment

ITLNCA NetworkS