Eligibility criteria

In order to be eligible for accreditation as an insurance of persons or group insurance of persons course provider, a training body must:

• support the program’s governing principles;
• have been recognized by a provincial regulator for purposes of an existing licensing program. Thus, a CEGEP or training body that has already signed an agreement with the AMF qualifies to be accredited for purposes of these sectors.

An organization that wishes to obtain its first accreditation through the AMF can be:

• an insurer having under contract at least 500 representatives certified in the sectors covered by the program; or
• a professional association having at least 1,000 members certified in the target sectors.

Eligibility criteria for accreditation purposes may be broadened if demand warrants it.

To obtain a national recommendation as an LLQP course provider, eligible organizations must file an official request with the Canadian Insurance Services Regulatory Organizations (CISRO) using the prescribed form which is available on the page devoted to the LLQP on the CISRO website This link will open in a new window. The eligibility criteria for accreditation purposes discussed above and the criteria for assessing training programs are also set out on the CISRO website.

Once completed, this request will be analyzed by the AMF on behalf of CISRO.

Analysis of accreditation requests

Accreditation requests will be evaluated based on the thoroughness of the training provided (training approaches and assessment methods, quality control mechanisms, material used, etc.) and the presence of sufficient resources to ensure the viability of the training program. Since accreditation involves the signing of an agreement with the AMF, the accreditation criteria will also include certain legal aspects.

In order to accelerate the analysis of an accreditation request and the evaluation of training programs or courses, it is important that applicants submit all the documents required for the analysis of their training programs, including:

• Course list;
• Course outlines;
• Table of correspondences between the program and LLQP curriculum;
• Course assessment strategies;
• Assessment tools used;
• Assessment policy.

When submitting an accreditation request, applicants may complete, sign and attach the Licence Agreement This link will open in a new window relating to the implementation of a Canada-wide insurance of persons (life and health) qualification program, which forms part of the next step, so as to accelerate the administrative process.

Before submitting a provincial accreditation request, an organization recommended in the previous step must sign the Licence Agreement This link will open in a new window relating to the implementation of a Canada-wide insurance of persons (life and health) qualification program with the AMF. The signing of the licence agreement is an important step in the process :

• It confirms that the course provider accepts the objectives of the Canada-wide insurance of persons (life and health) program.
• It allows an accredited course provider to obtain an electronic copy of exam preparation manuals and supplement them, by adding examples, exercises or other explanations to help candidates acquire knowledge.
• Once provincial accreditation has been obtained, an accredited course provider can distribute standard material and any supplements to candidates enrolled in its courses.
• It ensures the sustainability of the program by providing for the payment of royalties that will be used to update the LLQP Curriculum, exam preparation material and licensing exams, where required.

The licence agreement between the AMF and course providers allows providers to distribute exam preparation material free of charge. The material comprises the following manuals:

• Ethics and Professional Practice;
• Life Insurance;
• Accident and Sickness Insurance;
• Segregated Funds and Annuities;
• Life Insurance Taxation Principles.

Each province and territory has its own regulatory and administrative requirements; thus each of them has jurisdiction over the accreditation of training programs and course providers. Consequently, in Québec, a separate accreditation request must be filed with the AMF.

The provincial accreditation request is made by submitting a Life Licence Qualification Program form. As prescribed by regulation, fees will apply to accreditation requests submitted by training bodies not subsidized by the Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur.

The purpose of the provincial accreditation request is not to fully re-examine the content of the training program. Rather, it aims to ascertain the information needed to establish an agreement for the sectors or sector classes that are specific to Québec. It also sets out the possibility for students to complete training periods, the terms and conditions of such training periods and the terms and conditions for exam pre-registration, where applicable.

Once a request has been approved, the AMF sends for signature 3 copies of an agreement relating to the accreditation of a training program. This completes the process. The AMF can then inform the other jurisdictions of the status of the accredited organization, and its program will be included on the list of LLQP training programs accredited in Québec, in the table of accredited courses and programs.In addition to being posted in the section provided for that purpose on the AMF website, the name of the organization will also be posted on the CISRO website This link will open in a new window.