Probationary period: New regulatory framework in force effective September 14, 2026

New regulatory provisions relating to the probationary period will be coming into force on September 14, 2026. The provisions will modernize trainee supervision to create a more flexible, independently manageable and administratively streamlined probationary period.

The probationary period is critical in the qualification of future representatives and supports the public protection objective.

The changes are primarily aimed at:

  • providing additional flexibility in the number of hours required to complete the probationary period by setting only a minimum number of hours;
  • establishing a “ceiling” of 40 hours per week so that trainees can complete the required number of hours more quickly if they want to;
  • setting a maximum duration according to sector or sector class, instead of requiring a minimum number of hours per week, so that trainees may complete the probationary period over a longer amount of time by, for example, doing fewer hours per week or taking more time to meet the objectives required to successfully complete the probationary period;
  • reducing administrative burden by eliminating disclosures related to vacation time, absences and probationary period extensions; and
  • increasing the maximum number of trainees per supervisor from five to ten for representatives primarily engaged in supervising probationary periods.

To take full take advantage of the new regulatory framework, firms, independent partnerships and independent representatives should plan on submitting their new probationary period applications on or after September 14, 2026.

NOTE:

  • Applications for authorization of a probationary period that are submitted before September 14, 2026, will be processed under the current rules.
  • Applications submitted on or after September 14, 2026, will benefit from the regulatory relief measures.

We encourage you to take this transition into account in determining the best time to submit future applications for authorization of a probationary period.

The AMF will be providing several educational and operational tools to support all probationary period stakeholders.

The “Probationary period” section of the AMF website and AMF E-Services will be updated to reflect the new framework on September 14, 2026. Other Info-Qualification newsletters will be sent to you in the coming weeks, as and when needed.

This revision stems from the regulatory amendments presented in the AMF Bulletin (pdf - 581 KB)This link will open in a new windowUpdated on February 27, 2025 of February 27, 2025.