Organisations are invited to submit their training and assessment programs for IMI appraisal and endorsement. Programs recognised by IMI include:

  • Qualifying Assessment Programs (QAPs), which assess highly-experienced mediators for the purposes of IMI Mediator Certification—the international gold standard for mediator certification
  • Mediation Advocacy QAPs (MAQAPs), which assess experienced mediation advocates for the purposes of IMI Mediation Advocacy Certification
  • QAPs assessing IMI Specialisation, which can be undertaken at any point after initial training:
    • Intercultural Competency QAPs (ICQAPs), for the purposes of IMI Intercultural Specialisation
    • Online Dispute Resolution QAPs (ODRQAPs), for the purposes of IMI Online Mediation Specialisation
  • Certified Mediator Training Programs (CMTPs), which deliver high-quality mediator training that meets the international standards established by the International Mediation Institute

All programs submitted to IMI are assessed against our independent international criteria by members of the Appraisal Committee. You will find lists of criteria in the website menu under ‘Organisations’.

Table Of Contents
  1. Why have our program(s) recognised by IMI?
  2. How can we submit our program(s)?
  3. How long does it take?
  4. What does it cost?
  5. What happens once our program is listed?
  6. What if we have an existing IMI profile?
  7. Processing Fees
  8. Historical Background

For further information about IMI certification, see here. All currently-recognised programs may be found here.

Why have our program(s) recognised by IMI?

We are getting a number of leads from countries where we never got leads from before. This must be due to our entry on the IMI website.

Feedback received from the leader of an IMI CMTP, October 2020

Successful appraisal of your organisation’s programs means they meet the independent international standards for mediator training and assessment established through the recommendations of IMI’s independent international taskforces and worldwide stakeholder consultation.  This is a guarantee of quality that can be leveraged by your organisation in marketing; it also helps to ensure that your organisation continues to develop and attain the high standards associated with business success. 

IMI encourages organisations with CMTPs to partner with organisations offering IMI Qualifying Assessment Programs (QAPs), to deliver training that meets QAP requirements for mediator certification.

Having one or more IMI-recognised programs raises the profile of your organisation, and of mediation in your area.  Programs are searchable on the IMI website, so that people looking for training or assessment in a given location are able to locate you to sign up for your programs.  IMI receives many enquiries from people seeking training and assessment, and we only endorse those programs that have been vetted against IMI’s international standards.

How can we submit our program(s)?

All programs are assessed separately, by the applicable subcommittee of the Appraisal Committee.

  1. Complete and submit the CMTP Application Form.  This form requires you to document how your organisation meets each of the Training Program Requirements.  Ensure you complete the form fully, and attach documents only where requested.
  2. Your application will be checked for completeness by IMI support.  A ‘complete’ application form has all form fields completed, and all criteria addressed.  Simply attaching a training program and not addressing the criteria will not be considered complete.  If the application remains incomplete, it will be returned.  If it appears complete, then you will be advised, and are eligible to move to the next stage of the approval process.
  3. At this point, IMI Support will set up a basic website profile for your organisation, so that you are able to login and pay the processing fee for your organisation’s application via www.imimediation.org/support/.  Simultaneously, IMI support will be calling upon members of its CMTP Appraisal Team, formed of Training and Competency Task Force members, to vet the application.  Applications will be processed in the order in which they are received, and each will be reviewed by 2-3 appraisers.
  4. Should all appraisers approve your application, your organisation will be listed as an CMTP on the IMI website, and further instructions sent to you (see below).  Your application may also be returned with revisions, then resubmitted (this is not associated with an additional cost, though will cause delays to your application).

How long does it take?

The Application Process typically takes 3-6 months depending on whether the submissions require revisions. Complete applications that do not require any revisions typically take 6-8 weeks to process. 

To expedite recognition of your program, we encourage you to ensure that your application is as complete as possible, with all questions addressed directly.

What does it cost?

Both the application and audit processes involve several stages, carried out by IMI’s team and by the independent Appraisal Committee, to ensure compliance with the independent international standards that IMI has developed and established for mediator training and assessment.

Having in mind the development of mediation worldwide, as well as the recognition of the benefits of the appraisal process and trust mark which IMI offers, the demand for IMI’s recognition of training and assessment programs has increased worldwide. IMI has been set up as a non-profit initiative, with a symbolic pricing scheme which enables access to the quality assessment scheme to all. However, the pricing scheme which was set up 15 years ago and which had not been amended since had long ceased to cover IMI’s associated internal costs, hampering its capacity to carry out the process in a timely manner.

All parties involved in appraising the applications do so on a voluntary basis. The organization application processing fees are used to cover IMI’s associated internal costs, mostly related to the upkeep of the IMI website, and to support the further development of mediation standards worldwide. These contributions are therefore vital to IMI’s ongoing work towards the shared vision of Professional Mediation Worldwide: Promoting Consensus and Access to Justice. Learn more about IMI’s funding here.  

Application processing fees

During IMI’s Board of Directors meeting held on 21 June 2022, a unanimous decision was reached on updating the current Application Processing Fees for organizations wishing to vet their programs against IMI’s standards. 

The following pricing scheme will be implemented from 1 January 2023 onward. IMI has retained the two-track pricing scheme, which divides countries into ‘full fee paying’ or ‘discounted’, according to whether their GDP per capita is higher than or lower than the world average GDP per capita (IMF 2022).

Type of FeeUntil 1 January 2023From 1 January 2023
Regular Appraisal Process Fees (CMTP/QAP/MAQAP/ICQAP/ODRQAP)450 EUR600 EUR
Discounted Appraisal Process Fees (CMTP/QAP/MAQAP/ICQAP/ODRQAP)150 EUR200 EUR
Processing of alterations to existing approved programs –150 EUR
Audit Processing Fees*150 EUR250 EUR
Organizations that do not collect any fees in association with their programs25 EUR100 EUR

    * Backlogged audits (ones which were due before 1 January 2023) and applications which have been filed before 1 January 2023 will be charged the former price. 

    All fees are payable via the Support IMI page.  Links are also included at the bottom of this page.

    Auditing fees

    All programs are subject to an audit every two years.  A processing fee of 250 EUR is associated with conducting this audit (organisations that do not collect any fees in association with their programs are exempt from this cost).  Programs that do not successfully complete the audit will no longer be recognised by IMI. Learn more about auditing here.

    What happens once our program is listed?

    Once your program is approved, you will be notified by IMI, and your organisation will receive an automatic email from the IMI website welcoming you.  You will then be able to set your organisation’s password and add some profile information.  IMI will add your qualifying Certified Mediator Training Program or Qualifying Assessment Program to the ‘Find a Program‘ page. This will enable people looking for training or assessment in your city, state, or country, to find you and sign up for your programs.

    What if we have an existing IMI profile?

    If your organisation has an existing Qualifying Assessment Program or Certified Mediator Training Program, your existing login will be upgraded to give the full capabilities of both a QAP and an CMTP.

    Processing Fees