International medical graduates
Practicing medicine in Québec
In Québec, the Collège des médecins du Québec (CMQ) is responsible for evaluating the credentials and training of candidates who wish to practice their profession here. It has played its role in this regard for a long time, given its mission to promote quality medicine so as to protect the public and help improve the health of Quebecers.
The CMQ believes that International medical graduates trained outside of Québec are an unquestionable source of strength. However, the Collège des médecins du Québec must ensure that the competence of a candidate with a medical degree from outside of Canada or the United States matches that required of medical graduates in Québec for purposes of providing quality medical services to the Québec population, as provided in The Regulation respecting the terms and conditions for the issuance of the permit and specialist’s certificates by the Collège des médecins du Québec.
Regularly, the CMQ organizes information sessions to help you understand the process in order to obtain a permit to practice.
The following pathways are available for international medical graduates (from outside of Canada and the United States) who wish to practice their profession in Québec: |
There are many steps to the process of evaluating applications for a permit, whether it is for a restrictive permit or the recognition of equivalence in order to obtain a regular permit, and these are based on a set of rigorous criteria. As well as the CMQ, several organizations have a role to play at one time or another in the process leading to the issuance of a permit.
The process may be long, and all applications do not systematically lead to the issuance of a permit. Each candidate proceeds through the various steps at his or her own pace. For this reason, we encourage you to continue practicing your profession in your own country while your file is being reviewed.
Most candidates choose to apply for either the permit to practice or for the restrictive permit. It is also possible to apply to both pathways at the same time. Also, the application for admittance to medical school can be carried out, at any time, independant of the applications for a permit to practice (regular or restrictive) that must be submitted to the Collège des médecins du Québec.