Family Physicians

Governing Bodies

College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia (CPSBC or the College); Registration (Licensing) – The College is the licensing body and regulator for family/general practitioners in BC.

Medical Council of Canada (MCC) – The national organization responsible for establishing and promoting the Canadian licensing qualification known as the LMCC.

College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) – The national organization of physicians that provides CCFP certification in Family Medicine.

Canadian Medical Graduates – Family Physicians

Family Physicians who have obtained their postgraduate training in Family Medicine in Canada, may be eligible for registration with the CPSBC in the full – family class.

Physicians who qualify for full licensure may submit an Application for Medical Registration in Canada (AMRC) directly to the College via physiciansapply.ca.

Details of the requirements for registration and licensure in the full – family class, can be found here.

View job postings in Family Medicine here

International Medical Graduates (IMG)
– Family Physicians

Approved Jurisdictions

IMG Family Physicians who obtained their Family Medicine postgraduate training in one of the jurisdictions listed below, may be eligible to apply for licensure with the CPSBC in the provisional – family class.

Certification in the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CCFP) may be granted without examination for physicians trained in CFPC approved jurisdictions.

The CFPC recognizes training from the following approved jurisdictions:

United Kingdom – MRCGP
Ireland – MICGP
Australia – FRACGP or FACRRM
United States – ABFM

PLEASE NOTE: Those who obtained one of the accepted designations through a practice eligible route are not eligible to apply for CCFP certification without examination.

Provisional Licensure/Registration

Family Physicians who meet the requirements of the CPSBC may be eligible for provisional licence to practise medicine in BC.

Applicants must have:

a medical degree,
successfully completed a minimum of two years of accredited postgraduate training in a foreign jurisdiction recognized by the CFPC for the award of certification without examination, and
successfully completed Part I of the MCC Qualifying Examination and be a Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC) or have successfully completed medical licensing examinations in the United States of America, acceptable to the College.

To pursue licensure in the provisional – family class, you may need to provide evidence of meeting the established requirements as listed below. Health Match BC Navigators can help by reviewing your qualifications and offering personalized guidance with the professional licensing process.

PLEASE NOTE: To pursue licensure in the provisional – family class, you may need to provide evidence of meeting the established requirements as listed below. Health Match BC Navigators can help by reviewing your qualifications and offering personalized guidance with the professional licensing process.

Clinical currency in practice
English Language Proficiency (ELP)
The College requires that physicians provide evidence of English proficien cy. Physicians are considered to have met the English proficiency requirements if:

the primary language of medical education was English, and

the primary language of patient care was English.

The College may require physicians who do not meet the requirements above to take one of the following examinations:

IELTS Academic examination

Minimum score of 7 in each component.

OET Medicine examination

Minimum grade of B in each component.

CELPIP General examination

Minimum score of 9 in each component.

The test results are valid for a period of two years from the date taken.
Source verification of your qualifications

The MCC maintains a website, physiciansapply.ca, as a centralized electronic repository of a physician’s core medical credentials and offers a national standardized approach to source verification of credentials. Source verification is the process by which the Medical Council of Canada (MCC) sends your credential to the issuing institution (the source) and requests that they confirm that they issued the credential and that it is authentic, accurate, and valid (verification).

The College requires physicians who have completed medical education outside of Canada, and are seeking registration/licensure in BC, to submit copies of certain credentials to physiciansapply.ca for source verification. An applicant’s Medical Degree and Passport must be verified as “Passed” before licensure can be approved by the College.

The College utilizes the AMRC; a centralized online portal through physiciansapply.ca for submitting applications for registration.

Candidates who may qualify for full registration and licensure may submit an application to the College via the AMRC portal.

PLEASE NOTE: Applicants are encouraged to first register with Health Match BC for an initial review of their application before submitting an AMRC application.
Successful completion of the required exams
The Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC) is the qualification you apply for after the successful completion of the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Exam Part 1 (MCCQE-1).

PLEASE NOTE: Successful completion of the MCC examinations does not mean a physician will meet the licensing requirements of the College.

MCCQE – Part 1

MCCQE – Part 1 must be completed prior to registration.

The College recognizes the following examinations in lieu of the LMCC:

United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLEs) – Steps 1, 2, and 3

Federation Licensing Examination (FLEX)

National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME)

Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX)

Any of the above exams completed in their entirety will be recognized by the College for candidates who have trained outside of Canada and the United States.

Other Jurisdictions
– Practice Ready Assessment BC (PRA-BC)

Practice Ready Assessment – British Columbia (PRA-BC) is an assessment program for internationally trained family physicians who have completed residencies in family medicine outside of Canada. This program provides qualified family physicians with an alternative pathway to licensure in BC. Note: Physicians who have completed training and certification in one of the approved jurisdictions above do not need to apply for the PRA-BC program.
PRA-BC is a collaborative venture between the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia, the Joint Standing Committee on Rural Issues comprised of representatives from the provincial government and Doctors of BC, the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine’s Division of Continuing Professional Development, BC health authorities, and Health Match BC.

Detailed information about PRA-BC, including eligibility requirements and application processes can be found at prabc.ca or by contacting info@prabc.ca