What should I do to be a licensed doctor in Canada after completing my MBBS from abroad?

The first thing to do is to check whether your medical school is listed in the world directory of medical schools. The medical qualifications from these medical schools are ‘recognized’ by Canada but you will still be required to do all the Canadian exams to become fully licensed to practice.

If your medical school is on the list, you will not be required to enter a residency program i.e. CaRMS. You will be able to apply directly for a medical/consultant post.

From what I have read it is extremely difficult to get 1 of these residency posts as an IMG because you have to compete with all the Canadian medical graduates. Hence there are Doctors who have had to work in other fields to earn an income…..even as security guards. This has been a huge point of contention for many years & more recently it seems that the government is looking into it again & considering making some changes.

If your medical school is on the list & accepted you will still be required to do the entrance exams (MCCQE part 1 & part 2) and in the case of specialists the Part 2 exams related to your speciality. You will be able to do the entrance exams either before or after securing a medical post & commencing employment in Canada.

If you choose to only attempt the exams once in Canada you have 5 years in which to attempt & pass them all. If you require longer you can apply for an extension & this might be granted under certain conditions.