Restrictive permit – Physician trained and certified in the United States
The restrictive permit for physicians trained and certified in the United States to practice medicine in Québec is intended for physicians currently in active practice.
The restrictive permit for physician trained and certified in the United States, according to section 35 of the Medical Act, is issued by the CMQ based on established guidelines (available in French only), which require, among other things, postgraduate training in a specialty other than family medicine, that is globally equivalent, and a certification by the American Board of Medical Specialities.
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Restrictive permit for physician trained and certified in the United States
This permit is restricted with respect to 3 aspects:
- place of practice (only authorized to practice in a health care institution; the permit does not authorize “independent” or private practice);
- authorized professional acts;
- validity (one year, renewable annually).
These guidelines also set out criteria for revoking a restrictive permit:
- the permit holder is struck off or resigns from the Roll of the Order;
- the permit holder no longer has privileges in health care institutions, confirmed by a resolution of the health care institution’s board of directors;
- the permit holder ceases to practice.
The Committee on Admission to Practice (CAP) is responsible for issuing, renewing, and modifying restrictive permits.
A restrictive permit may be converted into a regular permit subject to certain requirements.
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Conditions requises
- Vous êtes titulaire d’un diplôme de médecine ou d’un diplôme équivalent délivré par une école ou une faculté figurant au répertoire du World Directory of Medical Schools publié par la Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER) ou d’une faculté de médecine agréée par le Comité d’agrément des facultés de médecine du Canada ou le Liaison Committee on Medical Education à la date où le diplôme est décerné;
- Vous avez réussi les 3 composantes du United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE);
- Vous avez complété une formation postdoctorale dans un programme universitaire agréé par l’Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) qui est globalement équivalente à celle requise au Québec pour la spécialité visée par le permis restrictif demandé;
- Vous êtes titulaire d’une certification de l’American Board of Medical Specialites dans la discipline visée par le permis restrictif demandé;
- Vous avez exercé avec compétence pendant 12 mois au cours des 3 dernières années précédant votre demande, dans le champ d’activités médicales visé par le permis restrictif demandé;
- Vous avez fourni la preuve de la connaissance du français ou vous avez tenté l’examen de l’Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF);
- Vous avez participé à l’activité de formation ALDO-Québec avant la délivrance de votre permis.
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Steps
Note that the CMQ does not take part in every step of the process.
Thus, the deadlines provided at certain steps are given for information purposes. They can vary significanlty depending on the indivual background of the candidates. The deadlines provided at certain steps are therefore for information purposes only.
Given the length of the process (3 to 5 months on average) and the requirement to maintain your clinical experience, we encourage you to keep practicing as you complete the steps.
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To submit an application, log in to your personal physiciansapply.ca account on the Medical Council of Canada website, then select:
- Application for medical registration
- QC Collège des médecins du Québec
- Restrictive permit – Clinician sponsored by Recrutement Santé Québec
Once your application has been submitted to the CMQ, an invoice will be posted in your secure section on the CMQ website based on the actual fee schedule.
You must also provide the required documents, some of which must be sent to the Collège while others must be submitted through physiciansapply.ca for source verification purpose.
It is your responsibility to follow up on the documents you submitted and disclosed to the Collège those you submitted through the physiciansapply.ca portal. Note that the documents must be given the “Passed” verification status before the restrictive permit can be issued.
Lead times
- Acknowledgement of receipt of the application for medical registration: 5 business days.
You have completed step 1? Your file is now ready for review by the CAP! This committee regularly convenes to assess the eligibility of applications for a restrictive permit. You will then be notified of the CAP’s decision.
Lead times
- CAP meetings: approximately every 7 weeks;
- Decision of the Committee: available in the secure section on the CMQ website within 15 business days following the meeting.
You may request that the Collège’s Request Committee review the decision, provided you submit your request in writing to the secretary of the CAP within 30 days following the receipt of the CAP’s decision letter. The Request Committee also gives you the opportunity to attend the meeting where your file will be reviewed and make oral observations. The Request Committee’s decision will be shared with you within 30 days following the date of said decision. This decision is final and cannot be appealed.
Section 35 of the Charter of the French language (Charte de la langue française) stipulates that “The professional orders shall not issue permits except to persons whose knowledge of the official language is appropriate to the practice of the profession.”
If you are unable to provide proof of your knowledge of French, you must have attempted the OQLF exam before the restricted permit is issued.
If the CAP has resolved to issue you the restrictive permit, you will be asked to:
- complete the ALDO-Québec educational activity which covers the legal, ethical, and organizational aspects of the practice of medicine in Québec, before the restrictive permit is issued;
- log in to the secure section on the CMQ website to:
- fill out the “Update of medical activities and Declarations” form;
- pay the permit issuance fees based on the actual fee schedule.
Lead times
- Acknowledgement of receipt of the “Update of medical activities and Declarations” form: 24h to 48h;
- Issuance of the permit within 24h to 48h once the file is complete (i.e., when all required conditions are met).
For more information, please contact the Collège’s permit section at demandepermis@cmq.org.
Once you have received your permit to practice, and before you start practicing medicine in Québec, you must:
- take out professional liability insurance (and maintain it thereafter);
- fill out the “First registration on the Roll of the Order” form in the secure section of the CMQ website.
Lead times
- Processing of your first registration on the Roll of the Order and relay of your permit number and the confirmation from your professional liability insurance to the RAMQ on the business day following your registration to the Roll of the Order.
At this point, you do not have to follow any procedure with the RAMQ. If you have any questions, please visit the RAMQ website (available in French only).
Please send an e-mail to permisfqc@cmq.org.