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 CPSPEI, 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. CPSPEI also accepts an MCCQE pass, a current independent Canadian licence, medical education or training in English in the last five years with patient care in English, or a language test IRCC required for immigration.
3. If none applies, the Registrar may waive it on an attestation from the Chief of Staff of a Canadian facility.
4. If CPSPEI 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. In PEI, an MCCQE Part I pass (which licensure requires anyway) is enough proof of English, and so is a language test IRCC required for immigration. Take IELTS, OET or CELPIP only if you have neither.
5. CPSPEI: the scores in a single test; results are source-verified and valid for 24 months.
6. For residency through Dalhousie the rules are separate: you must meet the language requirements of both CPSNS and CPSPEI.

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 the NS/NB/PEI column, but Dalhousie writes “citizen or permanent resident at the time of application”. Ask Dalhousie.
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. Residency for PEI is through Dalhousie’s IMG stream; the return of service can be sponsored by PEI’s health department.
2. If your skills will have been inactive for three years or more before July 1, 2027, you will not be considered.
3. Share your MCCQE and NAC results with CaRMS before file review (usually late November).
4. You need a Medical Identification Number for Canada (MINC). The MCC issues it, with written consent, to applicants to its exams.
5. 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.
6. Read the provincial criteria and pay attention to return-of-service requirements.
7. 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.
8. 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 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 The PEI government and Health PEI have a partnership with the Physician Assessment Centre of Excellence (PACE) in Nova Scotia, to assess internationally trained physicians who want to practise office-based primary care in PEI. CPSPEI sets the eligibility criteria.

Comes after: Check yourself against the CPSPEI licensure grid

1. Minimum criteria: a medical degree from a school in the World Directory of Medical Schools, a completed postgraduate program in family medicine or general practice, family-medicine certification from an organization in another jurisdiction recognized by CPSPEI, at least 12 months of independent practice, and CPSPEI’s currency-of-practice and language standards.
2. The job posting sets the practice as at least 450 hours in the past five years, in a jurisdiction recognized by CPSPEI.
3. The rule on certification by a CPSPEI-recognized organization may exclude many certificates. Ask CPSPEI whether yours is recognized before paying any fee.
4. The assessment: you provide primary care at the PACE Clinic under the supervision of family physician assessors, who are the most responsible physicians. You apply through the job posting form on Physician Careers PEI with your CV, and Health PEI, CPSPEI and PACE assess each application.
5. After success: a return-of-service commitment at the Summerside Community Health Centre or another facility, based on physician workforce needs and the terms of the agreement you sign. Employment with Health PEI is conditional on the assessment resulting in CPSPEI provisional registration, and taking part does not guarantee employment.
6. The CPSPEI registration page still says the College does not have a PRA route to registration at this time. Ask the recruitment team (physicianrecruiter@gov.pe.ca) and CPSPEI which route applies to you and when to apply to CPSPEI through physiciansapply.
7. If you are not eligible for PACE: residency through Dalhousie, or a PRA in another province and practice there. The recruitment site says family physicians in most cases need one to two years of independent clinical experience in Canada; observerships and volunteer work do not count.

How you know it is done When you know whether you are eligible for PACE and choose your route.

Why you see this Every application goes through physiciansapply, and CPSPEI reviews your credentials, training and practice history itself.

Comes after: Request source verification of your medical degree (SVR)Take the MCCQE (Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination)

1. Documents: a chronological CV explaining any gap over three months, your degree, specialty certificates, MCC results, language proof, authorization to work in Canada, 450 hours of practice in the last three years, and names and emails of three physicians you worked with in the past year.
2. Certificates of professional conduct from everywhere you held registration in the past 10 years, including educational and locum registration. They are sent directly by the regulator and are valid for three months from issue.
3. A criminal record check from every country where you lived over three months in the last 10 years, dated within six months of registration. If records are unavailable for a period, CPSPEI may accept a signed attestation. It does not say whether this applies to Sudan, so ask.
4. If you live in Canada: a vulnerable sector check as well.

Fee: CAD 400 · CPSPEI credentialing fee (non-refundable) · CPSPEI

Fee: CAD 300 · Administration fee · CPSPEI

Fee: CAD 240 · MCC AMR · Medical Council of Canada

How you know it is done When your CPSPEI file is complete.

Why you see this If you do not meet the requirements, the file goes to Council, which may approve with or without conditions or refuse.

Comes after: Apply to CPSPEI through physiciansapply with the grid documents

1. Before the licence: all fees, and liability insurance of at least $10 million per claim and in aggregate, covering any practice setting in PEI.
2. When you receive the decision, record it here.

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

Why you see this A Council refusal or its conditions can be appealed to the Supreme Court. We found no internal review at CPSPEI.

Comes after: Registration decision: general, provisional or refused

1. The court may confirm, revoke or vary the decision, or send it back to Council.

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

Why you see this CPSPEI accepts instead of the CCFP: family-medicine certification from the UK, Ireland or Australia (with training there), or current American Board of Family Medicine certification with training in the USA. Instead of the Royal College: current American Board of Medical Specialties certification with training in the USA, current certification with training completed in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, the UK or Ireland, or a Royal College subspecialty exam passed through SEAP. If the certificate is from there but the training was elsewhere, it is at the Registrar’s discretion.

Comes after: Check yourself against the CPSPEI licensure grid

1. The other requirements stay: the MCCQE, the LMCC or an alternative, language and recent practice. Apply for general registration.

How you know it is done When you know your certification is an accepted alternative.

Why you see this Residency needs an educational registration with CPSPEI; 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 CPSPEI.

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

Why you see this Your supervisor must be acceptable to Health PEI and the Registrar, have practised at least a year in PEI, and report every three months.

Comes after: Registration decision: general, provisional or refused

1. If supervision is withdrawn, the licence is no longer valid unless another supervisor is appointed.
2. Work toward the CCFP or the Royal College exam. Provisional registration cannot be reinstated once it lapses.
3. Without Canadian certification: a Comprehensive Clinical Assessment at the Registrar’s discretion, after three years of provisional registration and at least one exam attempt. It lasts three to five days, with no appeal of Council’s decision.
4. If certification and the assessment do not work out: long-term provisional registration with conditions, after three years of practice in PEI and support from the medical director.

Fee: CAD 2600 · Provisional registration (52 weeks) · CPSPEI

Fee: CAD 1500 · CCA administration fee (plus $150 an hour for assessors) · CPSPEI

How you know it is done When you move to general or long-term registration.

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 General registration needs the LMCC or an alternative, and CFPC or Royal College certification or a Council-recognized alternative.

Comes after: Registration decision: general, provisional or refused

1. Renew at least 30 days before expiry in the member portal. You need enrolment in a CPD program (Mainpro+ or MOC), 450 hours in the last three years, and conduct certificates from anywhere you practised.
2. You may join the Atlantic Registry for an extra $500 a year.

Fee: CAD 2300 · Annual registration · CPSPEI

Fee: CAD 100 · Change of status · CPSPEI

How you know it is done When you hold general registration.