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Canadian Licensing/Immigration Requirements
by
Joseph Verga, BA, MS, CHE President & CEO
President, Canadian Medical Placement Service

Canada is ranked number one among the list of best places to live in the world. When considering Canada as a place to practice medicine foreign medical graduates need to consider two separate but interrelated areas. These are:

1. Provincial Licensure for Foreign Medical Graduates and 2. Immigration. Click here to see a list of each of the Provincial Licensing Authorities.

1. Provincial Licensure for Foreign Medical Graduates

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Licensure is under the jurisdiction of the Medical Board/College (list below) of each of the provinces or territories of Canada. If you have yet to complete the examinations of the Licentiate of the Medical Council Of Canada you can still practice in Canada under:

Provisional/Temporary license:

In general Newfoundland, Manitoba and Saskatchewan will grant a provisional or temporary general practice license to a foreign medical graduate of a recognized medical school, who, has completed one year of basic postgraduate training and 24 weeks of clinical rotations, is accepted for employment or practice in an approved location and has passed the MCCEE (Medical Council of Canada's Evaluating Exam) or part I of the MCCQE (Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Exam). This requirement may be waived for up to 1 year for graduates of the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand or South Africa. Note - The MCCEE and the MCCQE 1 and II exams are administered by the

The Medical Council of Canada,
P.O. Box 8234, Station T
2283 St. Laurent Blvd. Suite 300
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada K1G 3H7
Tel 1 (613) 521-6012

Specialists wishing to come to Canada may practice in Newfoundland under a provisional license if they have completed 4 years of Nfld. board-approved or RCPSC (Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada) recognized post graduate training. Other provinces will recognize specialty training or certification equivalent to the RCPSC. Note - Residency Requirements and Examinations leading to Specialty Certification are administered by The:

Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons Of Canada
774 Echo Drive
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada K1S 5N8
Tel 1 (613) 730-8191

2. Immigration

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Physicians wishing to come to Canada to practice medicine require an offer from a sponsor such as a Hospital or Regional Health Board to begin the process of immigrating to Canada. The sponsor must be able to demonstrate that they have attempted to fill the medical vacancy with a Canadian and were unsuccessful.

The offer to the foreign physician can be certified by the Citizenship and Immigration Canada who would want to be satisfied that the Physician can obtain a license in the province of intended employment. Authorization to enter Canada to work in Canada is then issued to the applicant physician supported by a certified offer of employment. The work permit is valid for one year but can be extended for further periods until permanent residency is obtained. Permanent Residence status takes about one year to obtain once application is made. It does not require that the applicant revoke their existing citizenship.

Canadian Medical Placement Service
Provincial Licensing Authorities
1996

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Newfoundland Medical Board

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139 Water Street
St. John's NF. A1C 1B2
Registrar: Robert W. Young, MD
TEL: 709 726-8546
FAX: 709 726-4725

College of Physicians and Surgeons of Prince Edward Island

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199 Grafton Street
Charlottetown P.E.I. C1A 1L2
Registrar: H. Elizabeth Ross, MD
TEL: 902 566-3861
FAX: 902 566-3861

Provincial Medical Board of Nova Scotia

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5248 Morris Street
Halifax, N.S. B3J 1B4
Registrar: Cameron D. Little, MD
Tel: 902-422-5823
Fax: 902 422-5035

College of Physicians and Surgeons of New Brunswick

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1 Hampton Road, Suite 300
Rothesay, NB   E2E 5K8
TEL: (506) 849-5050
FAX: (506) 849-5069

College des medecins du Quebec

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2170, René-Levesque, BLVD, West
Montreal PQ H3H 2T8
Secretary General: Joelle Lescop, MD
Tel: 514-933-4441
Fax 514 933-3112

College of Physicians and Surgeons Ontario

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80 College Street
Toronto, ON M5G 2E2
Registrar: Michael E. Dixon, MD
TEL: 416-967-2617 or 416-967-2600 or 1- 800-268-7096
FAX: 416 961-3330

College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba

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494 St. James Street
Winnipeg MB R3G 3J4
Registrar: Kenneth R. Brown, M.D.
TEL: 204 774-4344
FAX: 204 774-0750

College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan

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G.W. Peacock Building 211-Fourth Avenue
Saskatoon SK S7K 1N1
Registrar: Dennis A. Kendel, MD
TEL: 306 244-7355
FAX: 306 244-0090

College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta

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900 Manulife Place
10180-101 Street
Edmonton AB T5J 4P8
Registrar: Larry R Ohlhauser, MD
TEL: 403 423-4764
FAX: 403 420-0651

College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia

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1907 West 10th Avenue
Vancouver B.C. V6J 2A9
Registrar: Thomas F. Handley, MD
TEL: 604 733-7758
FAX: 604 733-3503

Yukon Medical Council

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PO Box 2703
Whitehorse Y.T. Y1A 2C6
TEL: 1 (403) 667-5811

Govt. of the Northwest Territories

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Professional Licensing, Safety, Public Services
PO Box 1320
Yellowknife N.T. X1A 2L9
Tel 1 (403) 920-8056
Fax 1(403) 873-0272