International Medical Graduate Definition

Registration to Practice Medicine in Canada

Education/Licensing Steps

International Medical Graduate

Undergraduate Medical School

In order to practice medicine in Canada, a physician trained in Canada or in another country requires an acceptable undergraduate Medical Doctor (MD) degree.

An acceptable medical degree granted by an approved university that will need to be source verified.

Physicians Credentials Registry of Canada

The Medical Council of Canada, many provincial medical regulatory authorities and other health organizations require that physicians send their medical credential documents to the Physician Credentials Registry of Canada for source verification.

The candidate must check with the organization with whom he or she is applying to find out which documents need to be sent to the Physician Credentials Registry of Canada. Once the documents are source verified, they are stored for life in the Registry, and can be shared with many organizations with whom the candidate is applying.

Medical Knowledge

In addition to an acceptable medical degree, international medical graduates are required to demonstrate equivalency of medical knowledge.

Language

International medical graduates must provide proof of language proficiency.

Pass the Medical Council of Canada Evaluating Exam (MCCEE) in order to demonstrate equivalent general medical knowledge.

Language: Provide proof of language proficiency. This may involve taking the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the Test of Spoken English (TSE). In Québec, this involves taking the French exam of the Office québécois de la langue française.

Postgraduate Training

All Canadian medical graduates must complete an accredited postgraduate training program (often referred to as "residency training") in order to be eligible to take the certification exams.

The length of postgraduate medical training undertaken through a Canadian-accredited medical school is:
- 2 years for Family Medicine
- 4-5 years for other Specialties

Postgraduate trainees, called "residents", practice under an educational license and are not licensed to practice independently.

Must complete supervised clinical training or assessment to meet licensure educational requirements. The number of places in the assessment programs and postgraduate training system are limited.

CaRMS and IMG-specific programs are the main points of access to postgraduate training. IMG-specific programs also offer assessments.

In some cases, specialists are permitted to take the certification exams without additional postgraduate training through special assessments of equivalency of training by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

Selection processes for IMG programs may include:
   - written multiple choice/short answer exams
   - file review of training and experience
   - objective structured clinical exams
   - interviews

Provincial/Territorial Registration and Licensure

Each province/territory is responsible for the regulation of the practice of medicine in their respective jurisdiction. Therefore, each individual medical regulatory authority should be consulted for the most current licensure information and provisions that may be available to physicians as they progress through the requirements outlined above.

All provinces and territories accept the Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada and certification in either Family Medicine from the College of Family Physicians of Canada or in another specialty certified through the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Provinces and territories also accept other qualifications for licensure on an individual basis.

Canadian certification in Family Medicine is provided through the College of Family Physicians of Canada. Certification in other specialties is provided by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

Upon completion of residency training:

Family Physicians must pass the College of Family Physicians of Canada Certification Exam.
Other Specialists must pass the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Certification Exam specific to their specialty.

In Québec, attestation in Family medicine or certification in another specialty is provided through the Collège des médecins du Québec.

Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC)

The LMCC is also one of the requirements to obtain an independent license to practice medicine in most of the provinces/territories of Canada. In addition to a pass standing on the MCC Evaluating Exam, the IMG physician must have passed the MCC Qualifying Examination Part I and the MCC Qualifying Examination Part II. The physician must have completed a minimum of twelve months of acceptable postgraduate training in order to be eligible for the MCC Qualifying Examination Part II. Source verification of the medical degree/diploma is required for eligibility to take the Qualifying Examination Part II.