If you want to immigrate to Canada to train or to practice medicine, you demonstrate to Citizenship and Immigration Canada that:

• there is a clear need for your medical services in this country; and

• this need cannot be met from within Canada.

In most instances this means you must have a job offer for which no Canadian citizen or legal permanent resident is available. This job offer must bear an official endorsement by the Canadian government and must accompany your immigration application. Contact the nearest Canadian embassy for more information on immigrating to Canada.

If you immigrate to Canada through the Family Class or Refugee categories without regard to their occupation, you must sign a statement that you have been fully informed of the difficulties that you will encounter in obtaining a licence to practice medicine.

Evaluating Basic Medical Knowledge

Before your application for immigration can be approved, your basic medical knowledge must be evaluated. In most cases, this means you must pass the Evaluating Examination administered by the Medical Council of Canada.

This examination evaluates general medical knowledge compared to graduates of Canadian medical schools. It tests your understanding of the principal fields of medicine, including internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry, preventive medicine and community health, and surgery. Most of the questions are intended to evaluate clinical knowledge, but there are some questions on basic medical sciences.

Before you are eligible to write the Evaluating Examination you must complete all the requirements to obtain the qualification of Doctor of Medicine, or equivalent, from the university that granted your medical degree. The examination is held twice yearly, usually March and September, in various centers in Canada and abroad. It is given in English and in French.

To obtain an application to write the examination or to receive a list of examination centers, contact:

Executive Director
Medical Council of Canada
2283 St Laurent Boulevard, Suite 300
Box 8234, Station "T"
Ottawa, Ontario Canada K1G 3H7

Postgraduate medical training

Passing the relevant examinations of the Medical Council of Canada does not necessarily mean that you are eligible for a licence to practice medicine. In most provinces, graduates of foreign medical schools are required to have two to six years of postgraduate medical training at a Canadian university and must pass the appropriate certification examinations of the College of Family Physicians of Canada or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. However, some provinces have a form of provincial licensure for underserviced areas.

Thirteen accredited Canadian postgraduate medical training programs participate in the Canadian Resident Matching Service. This service matches prospective physicians to a training program.

Not all medical schools participating in the matching service accept graduates of foreign medical schools into their postgraduate medical training programs. Applications from graduates of medical schools outside of Canada are processed according to the policies established by each institution.

To register with the matching service you must have passed the Evaluating Examination within five years prior to starting a residency. However, the results of the September Evaluating Examination are not announced until after the deadline for registering with the matching service. Individuals accepted as candidates for the September Evaluating Examination will be provisionally accepted for registration with the matching service.

For more information on the resident matching service, write to:

Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS)
151 Slater Street, Suite 802
Ottawa, Ontario Canada K1P 5H3
Website: http://www.carms.ca

Some provinces have pre-residency training for permanent residents of the province who are graduates of foreign medical schools. The contents and length of the program varies in these provinces. For specific details contact the provincial licensing authority

In 1997 only 8% of graduates of foreign medical schools who applied to CaRMS were successful in obtaining a postgraduate medical position. Of the 1,214 postgraduate training positions in the 1997 match, only 16 or 1% of the positions were matched to graduates of foreign medical schools.

Sponsorship letters for Graduates of Foreign Medical Schools Seeking Postgraduate Training in the U.S.A.

Physicians residing in Canada (including graduates of foreign medical schools) who wish to pursue postgraduate medical education in the United States require a J visa from the U.S. government. As part of the U.S. requirement for a J visa, applicants must obtain a letter of sponsorship from the Government of Canada. Health Canada provides sponsorship letters to applicants who fall into one of the following categories:

(A) Physicians who are undertaking an elective postgraduate medical course/program while enrolled in or as an extension to a Canadian program and approved by a Dean or Assistant/Associate Dean of Postgraduate Medical Education, Faculty or College of Medicine in Canada.

(B) Physicians who have obtained pre-arranged employment or return-in-service commitment in Canada.

(C) Physicians who are licensed and undertaking further clinical training in their field of practice.

Applying for a license to practice medicine

Only the provincial and territorial medical licensing authorities grant licences to practice medicine. Most licensing authorities require physicians to become a Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada, and to hold certification in family medicine or a specialty, before they are considered as candidates for licensing.

Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada

To obtain the Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada you must first successfully complete:

• the Medical Council of Canada Evaluating Examination;

• the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination Part I;

• at least 12 months of postgraduate medical training; and

• the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination Part II.

Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination

Part I

Part I of the Qualifying Examination is a comprehensive examination with multiple-choice and clinical reasoning questions. It is designed to evaluate overall medical knowledge and problem-solving skills in all disciplines considered essential for competence in general medical and health care.

Part I is given in English or French. It is generally held in May each year at 16 sites across Canada.

Part ll

Part II of the Qualifying Examination is an objective, structured clinical examination. It is designed to assess history taking and physical examination skills, data interpretation, clinical problem-solving, management skills, and interviewing and communication skills. It is an interdisciplinary test to assess the clinical skills considered essential for competence in general medical and health care.

Part II is given in English or French. It is generally held in October each year at 11 sites with a Spring session in May at one site.

For more information on the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination Part I and Part II, contact:

The Registrar
The Medical Council of Canada
2283 St Laurent Boulevard, Suite 300
P.O. Box 8234, Stn "T"
Ottawa, Ontario Canada K1G 3H7
Fax: (613) 521-9417

Certification in Family Medicine or a Speciality

To receive certification by the College of Family Physicians of Canada you must complete a two-year family medicine training program and pass the College's certification examination.

For certification by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada(RCPSC) you must successfully complete the prescribed period of training (four or more years) in accredited residency programs in Canada or the USA. You must then pass written and oral exams in your specialty, administered by the RCPSC.

The province of Québec has its own certification system for specialists through the Collège des médecins du Québec. The Collège des médecins du Québec does not accept applications from candidates who have not been trained in Québec.

For additional information on certification contact:

The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
774 Echo Drive
Ottawa, Ontario Canada K1S 5N8

The College of Family Physicians of Canada
2630 Skymark Avenue
Mississauga, Ontario Canada L4W 5A4
Website: http://www.cfpc.ca

Collège des médecins du Québec
2170 Boul. Rend Lévesque Ouest
Montréal, Québec Canada H3H 2T8
Website: http://www.cmq.org

Sudying in Canada

Under certain limited circumstances, graduates of foreign medical schools may obtain additional medical training in Canada with a view to returning to their home country. These arrangements are generally made between the graduate’s home country and a medical school in Canada, and are funded by the graduate’s home country. Such individuals require registration with the provincial medical licensing authority, as well as authorization from Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Contact the provincial medical licensing authority for more information.

Provincial and territorial licensing authorities

Newfoundland Medical Board
The Registrar
139 Water Street, 6th Floor
St. John's, Newfoundland Canada A1C 1B2

College of Physicians and Surgeons of Prince Edward Island
The Registrar
199 Grafton Street
Charlottetown, PEI Canada CIA 1L2

College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia
The Registrar
5248 Morris Street
Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada B3J 1B4

College of Physicians and Surgeons of New Brunswick
The Registrar
1 Hampton Road, Suite 300
Rothesay, New Brunswick Canada E2E 5K8
Website: http://cpsnb.org

Collège des médecins du Québec
Secrétaire - générale
2170 boul. René Lévesque Ouest
Montréal, Québec Canada H3H 2T8
Website: http://www.cmq.org

College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario
The Registrar
80 College Street
Toronto, Ontario Canada M5G 2E2
Website: http://www.cpso.on.ca

College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba
The Registrar
494 St. James Street, Suite 1410
Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R3G 3J4
Website: http://www.umanitoba.ca/colleges/cps

College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan
The Registrar
211 - 4th Avenue South
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada S7K 1N1

College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta
The Registrar
900 Manulife Place, 10180 - 101 Street
Edmonton, Alberta Canada T5J 4P8
Website: http://www.cpsa.ab.ca

College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia
The Registrar
1807 West 10th Avenue
Vancouver, British Columbia Canada V6J 2A9

Government of the Yukon
Department of Justice, Consumer Services
The Registrar, Medical Practitioners
P.O. Box 2703
Whitehorse, Yukon Canada Y1A 2C6

Government of the Northwest Territories
Department of Safety and Public Service
The Registrar, Professional Licensing
P.O. Box 1320
Yellowknife, NWT Canada X1A 2L9