Live and work as a medical doctor in Canada
This is not a single visa stream. It combines physician-specific immigration options and a separate medical licensing process. To practise in Canada, both tracks must be completed.
New in 2026
3
PNP reserved spaces
5000
Expedited permit
14 days
Quick Summary
Last verified
2026-06-27
Internationally trained family physicians (2024)
31%
Immigrant healthcare workers ratio
1 in 4
Healthcare workers arrived via economic programs (2024)
11,000+
Live and work as a medical doctor in Canada (Official PDF)
Official IRCC physician guide snapshot stored on Vercel Blob for public access.
Immigration Pathways
Express Entry - Physician Category (New 2026)
- •Eligible for 1 of the 3 Express Entry programs (CEC/FSW/FSTP)
- •At least 1 year full-time Canadian MD work experience in the last 3 years
Process steps: 4
Provincial Nominee Program (physician-reserved spaces)
- •Has a job, job offer, or letter of support to work as MD in a province/territory
Process steps: 3
Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP)
- •Work experience OR post-secondary education completed in Atlantic Canada
- •Job offer from a designated employer
- •Interested in living in Atlantic Canada
Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP)
- •1+ year MD work experience in last 3 years, OR graduated from an eligible post-secondary school
- •Job offer from a designated employer
- •Interested in living in a smaller, rural community
Francophone Community Immigration Pilot (FCIP)
- •1+ year MD work experience in last 3 years, OR graduated from an eligible post-secondary school
- •Job offer from a designated employer
- •Able to communicate in French
- •Interested in living in a Francophone community outside Quebec
Medical Licensing Pathway
Bu surec IRCC/gocmenlik degil - Medical Council of Canada (MCC) ve eyalet/bolge Medical Regulatory Authority'leri (MRA) tarafindan yonetiliyor. Gocmenlik statusunden BAGIMSIZ olarak tamamlanmasi gerekiyor.
IMG-L Framework
- IImmigration - valid status (work permit/PR/citizenship) required for CaRMS and some PRA routes
- MMedical licensing - physiciansapply.ca account, MCCQE, NAC Exam, provincial/territorial pathway
- GGap or currency of practice - prolonged interruption makes eligibility harder; full-time med school/accredited residency/accredited internship/clinical fellowship with patient care generally NOT considered a gap; clinical research without active license, volunteer roles, medical assistant roles ARE considered gaps
- LLanguage requirements - see languageRequirements below
physiciansapply.ca
- •Source verification of medical credentials
- •Apply for MCCQE and NAC Examination
- •View/share documents and exam results (File Transfer Service for non-registered orgs)
- •Request ECA report (needed for e.g. Federal Skilled Worker Program)
- •Apply for LMCC
- •Apply for medical registration with MRAs
Exams and Deadlines
Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination
One-day, computer-based, 230 MCQs in 2 sections of 115 items, up to 2h40m per section
Canada + 70+ countries, 4 sessions/year, Prometric test centres, first-come-first-served
Max attempts: 4
National Assessment Collaboration Examination
Assesses IMG readiness to enter supervised training in Canada; required for CaRMS entry and as screening tool for some provincial PRA programs
Can be taken before or after MCCQE, candidate's choice (for 2027 CaRMS R-1 applicants)
2027 CaRMS R-1 Main Residency Match
2026-10-16
Submit MCCQE application + required documents by this date to obtain Identity Validity Period (IVP) before file review opens 2026-11-26
Language and Registration
English required in most provinces; New Brunswick accepts English OR French; Quebec requires French
English tests
- •IELTS_Academic: Minimum 7.0 in each of 4 components, single sitting
- •OET_Medicine: Minimum grade B in each subset, single sitting
- •CELPIP_General: Minimum score 9 in each component, single sitting
Pass result on OQLF (Office quebecois de la langue francaise) examination
Test result must be within 24 months of application to provincial/territorial program
If undergraduate/postgraduate training completed in an English- or French-speaking country, or majority of education/patient care was in English/French - exemption decided per program
Post-licensure steps
- •Apply for LMCC (Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada) - part of the Canadian Standard
- •Apply for specialty certificate with RCPSC, CFPC, or CMQ
- •Apply for medical registration with the MRA of the province/territory of intended practice (via physiciansapply.ca for most MRAs)
Applicant Tracks
With Canadian MD experience
At least 1 year full-time MD work experience in Canada within the last 3 years
Express Entry Physician Category • Pnp
No Canadian MD experience yet
Internationally-trained, no Canadian clinical MD experience yet (or Canadian experience is older than 3 years)
Pnp • Express Entry General • Atlantic Immigration Program • Rural Community Immigration Pilot • Francophone Community Immigration Pilot
Must still get foreign credentials assessed and licensed by a provincial/territorial regulatory authority
Credential Recognition and Support
Verifies foreign education/training/experience equivalence to Canadian standards for the profession/trade in the province/territory of intended practice; varies by occupation and jurisdiction.
Foreign Credential Recognition Tool - checks if an occupation is regulated/compulsory in a given province/territory and finds the relevant regulatory authority.
Support services
- •career counseling and planning
- •mentorship
- •job readiness workshops
- •job search assistance
Newcomer services
- •Pre-arrival services (for approved PR applicants still outside Canada)
- •Newcomer/settlement services (post-arrival)
- •Job Bank (free government job-search resource)