Professional licensing

Why you see this The MCC accepts translations from three providers only, and you deal with them directly.

Comes after: Open a physiciansapply.ca account and confirm your identity

1. Providers: ITC Global, NATIONS Translation Group or Straker. You pay them directly; the MCC does not refund translations that are not accepted.
2. Upload the original with the translation exactly as you received it, without adding or removing pages.
3. Translate the back of a credential only if it has vital information or stamps not on the front.

How you know it is done When the translation is uploaded with the original, or if all your documents are already in English or French.

Why you see this The MCC sends your degree to ECFMG, which asks your university directly. You must submit and pay this before applying for the MCCQE.

Comes after: Open a physiciansapply.ca account and confirm your identity

1. From your account, submit the verification request for your degree and pay. The MCC reviews the documents and tells you if anything needs fixing.
2. Also verify the credentials your route needs: internship, postgraduate training and specialist certificate. Each credential has its own fee.
3. If ECFMG verified your documents before (for example EPIC or USMLE), still submit and pay, then send your number by message so the earlier verification may be reused.
4. If you need an immigration Educational Credential Assessment (ECA), the MCC is the designated body for physicians. It is for immigration only and does not let you practise.

Fee: CAD 232 · Source verification, per credential (non-refundable) · Medical Council of Canada

How you know it is done When the request is submitted and paid.

Why you see this We found no published national rule for universities that cannot reply because of war or conflict, such as in Sudan.

Comes after: Open a physiciansapply.ca account and confirm your identity

1. If the university does not reply, ECFMG re-sends every two months, up to three requests. After that nothing more happens until the university replies.
2. You may ask for courier delivery at your own cost.
3. Write to the MCC and CPSNS, explain your situation and ask about any alternative arrangement.
4. Do not rely on anyone offering verification or substitute documents that do not come from the university.

How you know it is done When you have a written answer from the MCC.

Why you see this The ball is with your university. Meanwhile you can work on language and exams.

Comes after: Request source verification of your medical degree (SVR)

1. ECFMG usually sends the documents to the university within 5 days and usually updates your status within 5 to 10 days of receiving the verification certificate.
2. If your request is more than two years old, contact the MCC: a new request at the current fee may be needed.

Published processing time: No time is guaranteed. University replies can take three months or longer. (the body’s time, not your own time to complete)

How you know it is done When your degree status reads “verification returned – passed”.

Why you see this The common standard lets a regulator accept evidence other than a test. But the MCC eBook says a test is generally still required if you studied in a country whose first language is not English, even when teaching was in English.

1. Evidence that may be accepted: medical education or training in English (its weight fades over time), medical exams passed in English, or documented practice in English.
2. CPSNS accepts without a test: an MCCQE, CFPC or Royal College exam pass in English, postgraduate training in English within the last five years with patient care in English (with a letter from your program), or a current independent licence in Canada.
3. If none applies, the Registrar may waive the requirement at their discretion if satisfied you can practise safely in English.
4. If CPSNS does not accept it, you will need a language test.

How you know it is done When you know in writing whether your evidence is accepted or a test is needed.

Why you see this These are the tests and scores in the regulators’ common standard. Your province’s rules follow.

1. OET Medicine is preferred: grade B in each component.
2. Or IELTS Academic: 7.0 in each of the four components. Or CELPIP General: 9 in each component.
3. The result must be from within 24 months before you apply for registration. The regulator may waive this if you have worked or trained in English since the test.
4. CPSNS: OET-Medicine grade B or higher in each part, IELTS-Academic 7.0 and CELPIP-General 9, each in the same sitting. Results are valid for 24 months.
5. CPSNS accepts IELTS-Academic and CELPIP-General only until January 1, 2027; results dated before then still count. After that only OET-Medicine is named and no replacement is announced, so ask CPSNS.

How you know it is done When you have a result with the required scores from the last 24 months.

Why you see this It is required for residency in Canada and for the LMCC you need for a full licence, and most PRA programs use it.

Comes after: Request source verification of your medical degree (SVR)

1. From your account: Examinations, then “Apply for an exam”. Once accepted you have 12 months to book and sit it (extendable once).
2. Booking is at Prometric centres only, first come first served, up to five months ahead. Remote proctoring is paused from the August 2026 session.
3. The exam is one day: 230 multiple-choice questions in two sections.
4. 2027 sessions: Jan 19–Feb 11, Apr 27–Jun 1, Aug 10–Sep 7 and Oct 5–26.
5. You have four attempts only, with a full one-year wait after the third result. The pass score is 439 (scale 300–600).
6. If something goes wrong on exam day, report it within 7 days and request reconsideration within 15 days of the result. The only possible outcome is No Standing (not counted as an attempt), never a pass.

Fee: CAD 1500 · MCCQE application · Medical Council of Canada

Fee: CAD 120 · Eligibility window extension (if needed) · Medical Council of Canada

Fee: CAD 1200 · Appeal (if needed) · Medical Council of Canada

Published processing time: Up to four weeks for the application. Results four weeks after the last day of the session (five for April). (the body’s time, not your own time to complete)

How you know it is done When a pass result appears in your account.

Why you see this It is required to apply to the residency match (CaRMS).

Comes after: Request source verification of your medical degree (SVR)

1. Your degree must be “reviewed and accepted” in your account. The MCCQE and NAC can be taken in either order.
2. Apply during the session’s application window and rank up to three centres. It runs twice a year (spring and fall), in person in Canada only.
3. Half a day: 12 clinical stations. In English at all centres and in French at some.
4. You have three attempts, not in consecutive sessions. The pass score is 577 (scale 500–700); results come about eight weeks later.
5. The result has no time restriction, but only your most recent result counts.

Fee: CAD 3320 · NAC application · Medical Council of Canada

Published processing time: Up to four weeks for the application. (the body’s time, not your own time to complete)

How you know it is done When a pass result appears in your account.

Why you see this A free one-time virtual consultation of about an hour. It is a pilot with limited spots.

Comes after: Check that your medical school and degree are acceptable

1. Fill in the expression-of-interest form on the service page and check the eligibility criteria.

How you know it is done When you know your route, with or without the consultation.

Why you see this CaRMS’s general rule: citizen or permanent resident at the time of application, and pending applications are not accepted. Provinces differ; details follow.

1. There are province-specific exceptions. Read CaRMS’s citizenship summary for your province before paying.
2. CaRMS’s 2026 table shows protected persons as eligible in Nova Scotia, but Dalhousie writes “citizen or permanent resident at the time of application”. Ask Dalhousie before relying on eligibility.
3. The 2027 provincial criteria were not yet posted when we read the page.

How you know it is done When you know whether you are eligible for this year’s match.

Why you see this An international graduate without completed postgraduate training enters residency through the match.

Comes after: Take the MCCQE (Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination)Take the NAC Examination (clinical, in Canada)

1. Dalhousie IMG-stream positions require a return-of-service commitment, signed before residency with the sponsoring Ministry of Health (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick or Prince Edward Island).
2. If your skills will have been inactive for three years or more before July 1, 2027, you will not be considered. Training, practice, clinical assisting and IMG assessment programs count as active.
3. Dalhousie requires an MCC exam pass and the NAC, and eligibility for an educational licence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.
4. Share your MCCQE and NAC results with CaRMS before file review (usually late November).
5. You need a Medical Identification Number for Canada (MINC). The MCC issues it, with written consent, to applicants to its exams.
6. In CaRMS Online: register and pay, prove citizenship (share your MCC identity validity period or upload a document), upload your transcript and MSPR, request references, apply to programs, attend virtual interviews, then submit your rank order list.
7. Read the provincial criteria and pay attention to return-of-service requirements.
8. 2027 dates: citizenship proof through the MCC by October 16, 2026; applications by November 26, 2026 at noon ET; match day March 2, 2027. Your degree must be completed by July 1 of the match year.
9. The fees page shows two tables. Confirm the fee before paying.

Fee: CAD 301.6 plus tax · Match participation fee (includes four programs) · CaRMS

Fee: CAD 66.26 plus tax · Each additional program · CaRMS

How you know it is done When you submit your rank order list.

Why you see this CaRMS matches your rank list with the programs’ lists.

Comes after: Apply to the CaRMS R-1 Main Residency Match

1. When you receive the result, record it here.

How you know it is done When you know the result.

Why you see this You can apply in a later cycle. We have not read CaRMS’s rules for later rounds.

Comes after: Match result

1. Read CaRMS’s page on later rounds and consider the MCC’s free consultation.

How you know it is done When you decide your next step.

Why you see this Every regulator requires recent practice, and each PRA program sets its own threshold.

1. Ask PACE in writing about its threshold before paying exam fees.

How you know it is done When you know whether your practice is recent enough.

Why you see this Twelve regulators take this application through the account; Ontario is not one of them.

Comes after: Request source verification of your medical degree (SVR)

1. In Nova Scotia this application starts the Review of Qualifications. On the PACE route, submit it when Nova Scotia Health invites you.
2. CPSNS fees: Review of Qualifications $500 (for those without Canadian certification and the LMCC) and the registration application $350, paid in physiciansapply.
3. The application is prefilled from the documents in your account. The regulator may ask for more documents and its own fee.
4. A refund needs the regulator’s approval and carries a $70 administrative fee.

Fee: CAD 240 · MCC Application for Medical Registration · Medical Council of Canada

How you know it is done When the application reaches the regulator.

Why you see this For specialists trained outside Canada, the US and approved jurisdictions, in a recognized primary specialty that is substantially equivalent.

Comes after: Request source verification of your medical degree (SVR)

1. Apply through the Royal College eBooking platform: CV, degree, internship documents, a signed letter from the program director with training dates and rotations, and a CanMEDS competence attestation.
2. The degree, internship and training documents are verified through physiciansapply.
3. Deadline: April 30 of the year before a spring exam, or August 31 of the year before a fall exam.
4. No practice time is needed for exam eligibility. Fees are non-refundable; we could not read the amount on the Royal College site.

Published processing time: Assessing a complete application can take three to six months. (the body’s time, not your own time to complete)

How you know it is done When you receive the ruling letter.

Why you see this The letter says whether you are eligible for the exam, or what additional training is required.

Comes after: Specialist: apply to the Royal College Practice Eligibility Route (PER)

1. Reconsideration is possible only on substantive new information or a policy error. The Executive Director’s decision is final, with no appeal.
2. When you receive the decision, record it here.

How you know it is done When the letter arrives.

Why you see this The ruling letter states the additional residency training required.

Comes after: The Royal College eligibility ruling

1. Additional training usually means residency in Canada, through the CaRMS match. Change your answers here to see the residency route.

How you know it is done When you know the required training and how to get it.

Why you see this You have a five-year eligibility period and four attempts per exam component.

Comes after: The Royal College eligibility ruling

1. Registration: Sept 1–Nov 4 of the year before a spring exam, or Feb 1–Apr 15 for a fall exam.

How you know it is done When you pass the exam.

Why you see this The CFPC recognizes training and certification from Australia, Ireland, the UK and the US.

1. Read the Equivalent Jurisdictional Pathway page and check your training meets its conditions.

Fee: CAD 533 · Equivalent Jurisdictional Pathway application · College of Family Physicians of Canada

Fee: CAD 3518 · Certification fee (from March 1, 2026) · College of Family Physicians of Canada

How you know it is done When you receive CFPC certification.

Why you see this Substantially equivalent training opens the approved-jurisdiction route. We could not read the list on the Royal College site.

1. Open the approved-jurisdictions page on the Royal College site, check that your country of training is listed and read the conditions.
2. If your country is not listed, change your answer here to see the PER route.

How you know it is done When you know whether your training is from an approved jurisdiction.

Why you see this Each document has a validity period, so the order matters.

Comes after: Use CPSNS’s self-assessment tool

1. Criminal record checks through CSI Background Screening: Canadian if you lived in Canada over three months, and international from every country where you lived three months or more in the last 10 years, sent directly to CPSNS.
2. If a check will not be available before the date of licensure, CPSNS may accept a signed declaration of no convictions or charges, temporarily, while awaiting the results. The declaration does not replace the check.
3. If IRCC already found you admissible for PR or citizenship, only the Canadian check is requested.
4. Certificates of professional conduct from every jurisdiction where you were licensed and practised in the last 10 years, sent directly by the authority and valid for 90 days. Certificates you hand in yourself are not accepted.
5. Liability protection: CMPA membership, or insurance of at least $10 million from a company licensed in Nova Scotia.
6. Under the Medical Act Regulations, the Full and Conditional registers need Canadian citizenship or the legal right to live and work in Canada.

How you know it is done When the documents reach CPSNS.

Why you see this PACE assesses family and hospitalist physicians trained where the CFPC does not recognize training. CPSNS sets the eligibility.

Comes after: Use CPSNS’s self-assessment tool

1. 24 months of internship or postgraduate training plus 12 months of independent licensed practice, or 12 plus 24.
2. Rotations: 8 weeks of family medicine and 4 weeks each of surgery, internal medicine, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology and psychiatry. Each year of family practice covers a 4-week gap, up to three gaps.
3. 450 hours of practice in the same scope in the last five years, and fewer than two unsuccessful attempts in Canadian PRA programs.
4. MCC exams are not mandatory for PACE and their fees are not reimbursed, but passes (NAC, MCCQE, TDM) improve your ranking.
5. A separate hospitalist program has different requirements. Per the government page, it is not currently accepting applications.

How you know it is done When you know you meet the requirements.

Why you see this Nova Scotia Health reviews it, then invites you to apply to CPSNS.

Comes after: Family medicine: check the PACE requirementsRequest source verification of your medical degree (SVR)

1. Apply at morethanmedicine.ca/nspace with your CV and the form. Questions go to nshpace@nshealth.ca; do not phone the clinic.
2. PACE says applications are continuous, while CPSNS says they are accepted only during open PACE periods. Check before applying.

Published processing time: Review usually takes six to eight weeks. (the body’s time, not your own time to complete)

How you know it is done When Nova Scotia Health invites you to apply to CPSNS.

Why you see this Once your documents are complete and eligibility is confirmed, CPSNS refers you to PACE for screening.

Comes after: Submit the PACE preliminary application on More Than MedicineSubmit the Application for Medical Registration (AMR) to CPSNS through physiciansapply

1. A Registration Agent sends you a document list. The review is valid for one year.
2. If the file is referred to the Registrar (practice gaps, complaints, “yes” answers), processing may take six to eight weeks longer.
3. When you receive the decision, record it here.

Published processing time: CPSNS emails you within two weeks. The review can take one to six months depending on how fast documents arrive. (the body’s time, not your own time to complete)

How you know it is done When you receive the decision.

Why you see this A subcommittee of three to five members reviews the Registrar’s decision, and its decision is final.

Comes after: CPSNS Review of Qualifications

1. Send a written request within 30 days of the date the decision was sent. The fee is refunded if the committee rules for you.

Fee: CAD 2000 · Internal review of a registration denial · CPSNS

How you know it is done When you file the request or decide not to.

Why you see this PACE ranks by recent practice, rotations, exam results, Canadian health-care experience and recent professional development.

Comes after: CPSNS Review of Qualifications

1. An email from PACE within two to four weeks of referral. Only the most qualified are interviewed; results come two to four weeks after.
2. When you receive the result, record it here.

How you know it is done When you know the result.

Why you see this PACE has not published a rule on reapplying.

Comes after: PACE ranking and the Nova Scotia Health interview

1. Exams (NAC, MCCQE, TDM), Canadian health-care experience (such as clinical assisting) and recent professional development improve ranking. Ask PACE about reapplying.

How you know it is done When you decide your next step.

Why you see this If you are eligible for Royal College exams (such as through PER), you can get a Defined licence with a job offer without a PRA. Otherwise you need a specialty PRA with an offer from Nova Scotia Health or the IWK.

Comes after: Request source verification of your medical degree (SVR)

1. Direct Defined licence: 450 hours of practice in the last three years, a CPSNS eligibility letter, and a job offer before the rest of the application. Get the licence at least two weeks before your first shift.
2. Specialty PRA: at least three years as most responsible physician, 450 hours in the last five years, fewer than two failed attempts (a started PRA counts even if you withdraw), and a job offer with Department funding tied to a return of service.
3. The policy sets no length: CPSNS’s framework is for an 8-week assessment, and the fee schedule lists assessor stipends for 8 or 12 weeks. You are never the most responsible physician, and at least 75% is away from your future site.

Fee: CAD 7000 · Assessor stipend (8 weeks) · CPSNS

Fee: CAD 9400 · Assessor stipend (12 weeks) · CPSNS

Fee: CAD 2000 · Assessment administration fee · CPSNS

How you know it is done When you hold a Defined licence.

Why you see this Residency needs an educational registration with CPSNS; its length depends on the specialty.

Comes after: Match result

1. Your program and the regulator explain the registration you need.
2. At the end you take the CFPC or Royal College certification exam.

How you know it is done When you complete residency and pass the certification exam.

Why you see this The Royal College requirement for certification through PER.

Comes after: Register for and pass the specialty exam

1. Two full-time years in one location, with at least half your practice in the specialty, then an assessment with multisource feedback. The provisional licence for this practice comes from CPSNS.

How you know it is done When you receive Royal College certification.

Why you see this You are assessed while caring for patients under assessors, without a point-in-time exam.

Comes after: PACE ranking and the Nova Scotia Health interviewCharacter and identity documents, in CPSNS’s order

1. Sign the Nova Scotia Health offer, a three-year return-of-service agreement with the Department of Health and Wellness, and a PACE contract.
2. You start only after proof of legal authority to work in Canada (citizenship, work permit or PR), the assessment licence, and hospital privileging.
3. The Nova Scotia Nominee Program Physician Stream needs an approved job offer from Nova Scotia Health or the IWK, and excludes protected persons and refugee claimants. We cannot give immigration advice.
4. Attend the Welcome Collaborative orientation first. The assessment is at PACE clinics in Halifax, about 12 weeks on average and 20 at most.

Fee: CAD 300 · Clinical Assessment licence (per 30 days) · CPSNS

How you know it is done When you complete the assessment.

Why you see this The PACE committee recommends; the recommendation does not bind CPSNS.

Comes after: Contracts, the Clinical Assessment licence and the PACE assessment (about 12 weeks)

1. After the decision: Nova Scotia Health must send an offer within 45 days, you deliver the signed offer to the Department within 60 days, and you start within 30 days of its approval. The service community is usually outside Halifax.
2. At any time after the assessment ends, you may withdraw your licensing application; no licensing decision is then rendered.
3. PACE may give you the opportunity to return to the program for further participation in the assessment.
4. When you receive the decision, record it here.

How you know it is done When you receive the decision.

Why you see this It means you are ready to practise under supervision indefinitely, never as the most responsible physician.

Comes after: The Registrar’s decision after PACE

1. You need an offer from an approved program at Nova Scotia Health or the IWK before licensure.

How you know it is done When you get an offer or choose another route.

Why you see this The denial must be disclosed to other regulators if asked.

Comes after: The Registrar’s decision after PACE

1. Request an internal review in writing within 30 days. The subcommittee’s decision is final.

Fee: CAD 2000 · Internal review · CPSNS

How you know it is done When you file the request or decide not to.

Why you see this You practise as most responsible physician with an approved sponsor and supervisor at all times. Withdrawal of sponsorship means immediate loss of licensure.

Comes after: The Registrar’s decision after PACE

1. At least half-time for six months (450 hours), completed within 12 months of first licensure. No change of location or scope without approval.
2. Supervision costs are yours: a $6,000 supervisor fee per six months plus a $1,500 administration fee, half at licensure and half at week 10.
3. After at least six months: a Restricted licence, an extension of up to 18 months, referral to the Registration Committee, or denial. The Registrar’s decision here can be appealed to the Registration Committee.

Fee: CAD 300 · One-time registration fee · CPSNS

Fee: CAD 2300 · First licence fee if issued January to June · CPSNS

Fee: CAD 1150 · First licence fee if issued July to September · CPSNS

Fee: CAD 295 · First licence fee if issued October to December (per calendar month) · CPSNS

Fee: CAD 6000 · Supervisor fee (per six months) · CPSNS

Fee: CAD 1500 · Supervision administration fee · CPSNS

How you know it is done When the Registrar decides after the supervision period.

Why you see this You must be accepted into a Dalhousie program, and the MCCQE must be attempted before training starts.

Comes after: Match result

1. Send the PGY1 checklist package and the gaps form to registration@cpsns.ns.ca, with the form by May 15. A MINC is mandatory.
2. Certificates of professional conduct from every regulator in the last 10 years, dated within 90 days before the licence.
3. Sign the return-of-service agreement with the sponsoring ministry before starting.

Fee: CAD 200 · Postgraduate licence (per academic year) · CPSNS

How you know it is done When you start residency.

Why you see this It is part of the common standard for a full licence.

Comes after: Take the MCCQE (Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination)ECFMG contacts your university and the MCC updates your status

1. Requirements: an acceptable school, an MCCQE pass, a verified degree and nothing owing to the MCC.
2. If you applied for the MCCQE after January 26, 2026, it is issued automatically at no cost. If earlier, apply under Other Service Requests and pay $50.
3. It is now a digital number; paper certificates are not issued automatically.

How you know it is done When an LMCC number is issued.

Why you see this An annually renewable licence limited to scope and location, in your return-of-service community (three years for PACE graduates). No further exams are needed.

Comes after: The Registrar’s decision after PACE

1. A Full licence is optional: CFPC or Royal College certification with the LMCC or an alternative, or a CCAP after 24 months of restricted practice (one attempt only).
2. Renewal opens October 30. After November 30 there is a late fee; without renewal the licence expires on January 1.

Fee: CAD 2300 · Annual renewal · CPSNS

Fee: CAD 575 · Late fee · CPSNS

Fee: CAD 2000 · CCAP administration (plus $200 an hour for the assessor) · CPSNS

How you know it is done When the Restricted licence is issued.

Why you see this If successful in the first six months: a long-term Restricted licence. If not, supervision can be extended for up to 18 more months.

Comes after: Specialist: a Defined licence directly, or a PRA with a job

1. A Full licence is optional: Royal College certification with the LMCC or an alternative, or a CCAP after two years of unsupervised practice in Nova Scotia.

Fee: CAD 2300 · Annual renewal · CPSNS

How you know it is done When you hold a Restricted or Full licence.

Why you see this Approved jurisdictions: Australia and New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, and the US, with named bodies, specialties and dates.

Comes after: Request source verification of your medical degree (SVR)

1. Full: training and specialty certification from the same approved jurisdiction, the LMCC or an accepted alternative, language proof, 450 hours in the last three years, and an offer or privileges from Nova Scotia Health or the IWK before licensure.
2. LMCC alternatives include USMLE Steps 1, 2 and 3, or five years of training or practice in the specialty.
3. Direct Defined: if registered without restrictions or conditions on the UK GMC General Practitioner or Specialist Register, the Australian AHPRA Specialist Register or the New Zealand MCNZ Vocational Scope Register, or eligible for CFPC or Royal College exams.

Fee: CAD 300 · One-time registration fee · CPSNS

Fee: CAD 2300 · First licence fee if issued January to June · CPSNS

Fee: CAD 1150 · First licence fee if issued July to September · CPSNS

Fee: CAD 295 · First licence fee if issued October to December (per calendar month) · CPSNS

Fee: CAD 2300 · Annual renewal · CPSNS

How you know it is done When your licence is issued.