Online Registration
Newcomer Welcome Centre (NWC) Online Registration
When should I register online?
Only submit your registration once you and your child are physically living in the city of Vancouver, and you have a confirmed address in the city of Vancouver that demonstrates you have settled here.
The NWC only registers students to the Vancouver School Board. If you reside outside of the city of Vancouver, you must register in the district where you reside. Each of these cities have their own school district and a separate registration process:
- Richmond
- Burnaby
- New Westminster
- Coquitlam / Port Coquitlam/ Port Moody
- North Vancouver
- West Vancouver
Who should register online through the NWC?
The NWC registers:
- Grade 1 to Grade 12 students born in Canada, and who DO NOT speak English as their home language.
- Kindergarten to Grade 12 students born outside Canada, regardless of language spoken at home.
- Parent/legal guardian is neither a Canadian Citizen or a Permanent Resident. This applies even if the child was born in Canada.
- Former students, who meetthe criteria listed above, who were withdrawn from the VSB and have returned. We need to verify their status, again, to ensure the student is eligible for a provincially funded education in British Columbia.
If your child was born in Canada, English is their first language, and none of the criteria indicated above apply, you will need to register on the VSB Apply Now portal - not the NWC. Please click here to learn more about that process.
If your child is a CURRENT VSB student and you need to change your address, please contact your current school - DO NOT submit a new registration form.
What are the required supporting documents?
Please refer to our Required Documents page for additional information.
- Please click here to review other frequently asked questions.
- If you require additional support, please contact either our Multicultural Liaison Workers or Settlement Workers in Schools teams.
- Please click here to access our school locator tool to locate your catchment school.
How long does the registration process take?
Our registration process can typically take about 10 to 15 business days, depending on the time of year.
After you complete the online registration process, you may be required to appear in person at the NWC with your child and your original documents. A Registrar will contact you for this appointment. NWC visits are by appointment only.
After your registration has been reviewed by a Registrar, and your child is assessed, if necessary, the completed file and the assessment results will be sent directly to the catchment/placement school. The school will contact you shortly after to discuss the next steps.
Applications for the September 2022 to June 2023 school year
- Accepted on an ongoing basis
Applications for the September 2023 to June 2024 school year
- Accepted on an ongoing basis
Please click here to access the School Year Calendar
Before you begin your online registration, please be prepared to upload good quality required documents in PDF format.
Click on the button below to start your registration:

If you have additional questions, please email us at nwc@vsb.bc.ca
In order to receive all correspondence from us regarding your registration status:
- ensure your email address is correct on your application
- check your SPAM/JUNK mail
- add nwc@vsb.bc.ca to your contact address book
- update the location of your email settings to either Canada or North America