Your Medical Education & Training Background
The following is a guideline of training and examination requirements as it relates to the country where an IMG obtained medical education and training:

               Medical Graduate from U.S.A.
               Medical Graduate from Outside Canada or U.S.A.
               Restricted Licenses
             
Also visit "Licensure by Province/Territory", since assessment/training procedures vary between provinces and territories.

Medical Graduate from USA
USA medical graduates are not considered IMGs. Medical schools in Canada and United States are accredited by joint Canadian-American accrediting authorities. (See the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools [CACMS] and the Liaison Committee on Medical Education [LCME] for further information.).

Many, but not all, U.S.A. specialty training programs are considered equivalent to Canadian training. Hence, American medical graduates, with U.S.A. postgraduate medical training, can often take the national certification exams immediately, or with some special additional training. Circumstances may vary between the provinces and territories. U.S.A. medical graduates are advised to directly contact the Provincial Medical Regulatory Authority of each province to discuss their individual situations.

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Medical Graduate from Outside Canada or the U.S.A.
Canadian citizens and foreign nationals, who graduated from medical schools not accredited by the joint Canadian-American accrediting authorities, are considered IMGs. See the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS) or the Liaison Committee on Medical Education.

IMGs intending to practice medicine must:

• complete the Medical Council of Canada’s Evaluating Examination (MCCEE)
  before being eligible to take the MCC Qualifying Examinations. To sit the MCCEE, IMGs must come from a medical school that is listed in WHO or FAIMER/IMED Directory, and acceptable to the Executive Director. Note: Passing the MCCEE does not mean that you are then qualified to practice medicine in Canada.
  
• complete the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination Parts I and II (MCCQE Part I and MCCQE Part II )
  
• complete various licensure requirements that are individually established by the provinces/territories. See the chart "Overview of Registration to Practice in Canada" for a general overview of typical IMG licensure steps.

Note: Doctors of Osteopathy who graduated from an American Osteopathy Association accredited school must also take the MCCEE before being eligible to take the MCC Qualifying Examinations.

Postgraduate Medical Training
In most cases, graduates of foreign medical schools, who have already completed some or all of their postgraduate training abroad, are required to have two to six years of postgraduate medical training at a Canadian university.

Seventeen accredited Canadian medical schools, including the three francophone universities in Québec, participate in the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS). This service matches prospective physicians to a postgraduate training program. IMGs may apply to CaRMS in all participating provinces/territories except Alberta. Visit “Medical Licensure by Province” for further information on each province/territory. To register with the matching service, you must have passed the MCC Evaluating Examination. Provincial/territorial restrictions apply. The statistics for the number of successful IMGs achieving a residency match through CaRMs is typically 10 - 15% (See IMG Stats), however, last year more than 350 IMGs were successful in attaining residency positions, out of approximately 1500 who initially registered. This includes 50 positions in Alberta for which IMGs are chosen outside the CaRMS matching process

National Certification Examinations
Upon completion of the required training, IMGs must also pass the appropriate certification examinations of the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) prior to entering independent practice. These two organizations have mechanisms in place for IMGs who meet their specific guidelines to take their certification exams with, or without, some additional training. This link to the RCPSC web site identifies the jurisdictions that have been assessed and deemed to fulfill the RCPSC criteria in some specialties. New jurisdictions are continually being assessed.

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Restricted Licenses
Some provinces/territories permit internationally trained physicians to provide care, especially in rural areas, under restricted licenses as part of arranged employment (assuming that the IMG has studied in a jurisdiction where medical training is similar to that in Canada). This is the case for rural areas in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia. However, a physician must still be able to demonstrate eligibility for licensure in Canada. This may involve an assessment or specific training requirement.

IMGs should directly contact the Provincial/Territorial Medical Regulatory Authority of each province to discuss their individual situations.

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