For many uses the receiving institution’s own rules decide what is acceptable. For the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program, Ontario publishes specific requirements.
Customers looking for certified translation in Ontario often encounter the term ATIO-certified translator. For many private and federal uses, the receiving institution's own rules determine what is acceptable. For the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program, however, Ontario publishes specific translation requirements.
ATIO is the Association of Translators and Interpreters of Ontario. Its public directory allows users to search for certified translators by language direction.
Language direction matters. Certification in Arabic to English, for example, should not automatically be treated as certification in English to Arabic unless both directions are held.
Ontario's current OINP guidance says that supporting documents not in English or French must be accompanied by a copy of the original and a complete certified or notarized translation.
For applicants applying from within Ontario, translations must generally be completed by an ATIO-certified translator. If an appropriate ATIO-certified translator cannot be located, Ontario provides an exception requiring a notarized translation plus a letter explaining why the translation is not certified and evidence of efforts to locate an appropriate ATIO-certified translator.
For applicants applying from outside Ontario, the translation can be completed by any translator but must be notarized. Ontario also reserves the right to require an ATIO-certified translation if the notarized translation is considered unacceptable.
Certified translation demand is not limited to Toronto. Customers in Ottawa, Mississauga, Brampton, Hamilton, London, Windsor, Kitchener-Waterloo, Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill and other Ontario communities may need certified document translation.
Where electronic workflows are permitted, the translator and customer do not necessarily need to be in the same city. What matters is the translator's appropriate certification, language direction, availability and the receiving institution's format requirements.
Certilate makes it easier to connect customers across Ontario with verified certified translators for the required language direction.
Get a quote →Information current as of 29 August 2026. Government and institutional requirements can change. Verify the receiving organization’s current instructions before submitting.
The question is not only whether a document was translated accurately. The receiving organization may also care who translated it, how their professional status is shown, and what the certification includes.
The two terms are often used as if they mean the same thing. They do not — and ordering the wrong one costs either money or a rejected submission.
If a document required for an IRCC application is not in English or French, translation becomes part of the checklist. The precise rule depends on the program.
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