Specialist 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 specialist physicians in BC.

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

Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) The national organization responsible for setting standards and certification for specialties in Canada and granting designation as a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada (FRCPC) or Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada (FRCSC).

Canadian Medical Graduates – Specialist Physicians

Specialist Physicians who have obtained their postgraduate training in Canada, may be eligible for registration with the CPSBC in the full – specialty 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 – specialty class, can be found here.

View job postings in all specialties here

International Medical Graduates (IMG)
– Specialist Physicians

There are a variety of pathways to licensure in BC for specialist physicians who completed their medical training internationally, and Health Match BC Navigators are here to guide you as you explore your options.

Please Note: Regardless of the pathway you pursue, 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 proficiency. 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.
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 CPSBC recognizes the following examinations in lieu of the LMCC:

National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME).

Federation Licensing Examination (FLEX).

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

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.
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 and 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 Application for Medical Registration in Canada (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.

Approved Jurisdictions

International Medical Graduate (IMG) specialist physicians who obtained their postgraduate training in one of the 29 approved jurisdictions of the RCPSC and meet the requirements of the CPSBC, may be eligible to apply for licensure with the CPSBC in the provisional – specialty class to practise medicine in BC.

For most specialties, five years of postgraduate training in an accredited university school of medicine is recognized by the RCPSC.

Applicants must have:

a medical degree from a medical school listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools;
completed postgraduate training, obtained certification in their specialty from an RCPSC-accredited body, and hold a current ruling of eligibility to access RCPSC primary specialty certification through examinations, acceptable to the registration committee;
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.

PLEASE NOTE: Completion of specialty training and certification acceptable to the CPSBC is a requirement for CPSBC licensure.

IMG specialist physicians should apply to the RCPSC for a ruling of eligibility to access the RCPSC examinations in their primary specialty, and where applicable in their subspecialty, before licensure is approved by the College. With a positive RCPSC ruling, the RCPSC may grant IMG specialist physicians five years to sit their RCPSC primary specialty examinations with the expectation that the examinations are taken at the first available opportunity.

Additional Pathways to Licensure

Practice Eligibility Route (PER)

The RCPSC Practice Eligibility Route (PER) is a new path available for specialist physicians who completed their primary specialty training in a jurisdiction that is not considered an “approved jurisdiction” of the RCPSC. The RCPSC PER path is designed for RCPSC recognized primary specialties only.

RCPSC PER Eligibility Criteria
Primary specialty training must be completed outside of Canada, the United States of America and RCPSC approved jurisdictions

Time and content in the specialty training must be substantially equivalent to the RCPSC training requirements and training experiences

Applicants must have:

a medical degree from a medical school listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools;

completed postgraduate training and obtained a completion of training certificate and certification in their specialty from a foreign jurisdiction where such training meets the criteria for RCPSC certification through examinations, and;

have passed the RCPSC examination in their primary specialty via the RCPSC Practice Eligibility Route
RCSPC PER Application Pathway
Application to RCPSC for credentials review

If positive: RCPSC PER Ruling Eligibility Letter granted

RCPSC Exam Pass: RCPSC Letter issued

Application to CPSBC for eligibility for
provisional registration and licensure

If found eligible for registration and licensure,
practice in Canada for two years in area of specialty

Application to RCPSC for assessment of time in practice

If positive results: apply for RCPSC certification

US Certified

The USA certified class of licensure is a new and unique registration pathway in BC, available to US trained physicians who completed:

A three-year program in General Pediatrics or Internal Medicine OR
A three or four-year program in Emergency Medicine

Physicians must also meet all other registration and licensure requirements of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia (CPSBC).

Eligibility Requirements:

Medical degree from a medical school listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools;
ABMS certification in emergency medicine, internal medicine, or pediatrics.

Note: Specialists who are not eligible for full or provisional licensure with the CPSBC may be eligible to apply for licensure in the USA certified class.