US citizen and med grad applying for residency in Canada

[alabaster]

I am a US citizen and soon-to-be medical grad. I am thinking about applying for residency in Canada because my partner is not from the US and will become an illegal alien soon. In Canada we can marry and maybe I'd become a Canadian citizen and sponsor him for citizenship.
A few questions...
1)Will I have to take Canadian board exams or is USMLE accepted there?
2) Can I apply for US and Canadian residency simultaneously?
3) Will I qualify for "1st iteration" of the match?
4) Will I have a tougher time getting the specialty I want in Canada than if I were to stay in the US?
Any help would be appreciated,
Thanks

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[JMD]

been discussed quite a bit if u do a search.

quickly
1 i dont know
2 i dont know
3 no
4 yes

however, i know that there are programs at some schools (well, at least McGill in Quebec) that allow u to apply directly. what type of residency do u want? i know for neurology u can apply through the SF match to McGill also.

 

[NR117]

1. Each province has their own licensing rules so I don't know if there is a province that does not require LMCC but in Ontario you have to have those exams for an independent license. Academic licenses may be different.

2. Yes you can.

3. No. Only Canadian seniors are.

4. Definitely because US has far more positions in every specialty than Canada does.

 

[alabaster]

What are these licenses? Do you need one or both of them in order to be a PGY-1 in Canada? Is LMCC the acronym for Canadian boards?

 

[alabaster]

Do you mean that McGill participates in the US match program exactly like other US schools?

 

[Mike59]

Be very very careful before going too far in this process...
1) If you have completed steps 1-3, you can "qualify" for a Canadian license without taking Canadian boards (at least according to a new Ontario law), again varies province to province.
2) Yes
3) No, as before, need to be Canadian. Second round is picking up sloppy seconds, which are usually rural Family Medicine spots in the middle of nowhere
4) Hell yes- Specialties are GONE after the first round, and what's relatively noncompetitive in the USA (Psych, Gensurg etc) is insanely competitive here in Canada


Two things to also think about:

Salaries are comfortable here but not spectacular. Really think about how much you owe in US student loans and whether or not the Canadian residency salary is enough to support yourself. Cost of living is insanely high here in the cities but we get by because our tuition is quite low in med school compared to the US.

Also be careful about immigration....As far as I know, for your spouse to have any citizenship/PR rights in the USA he'll have to be residing there while applying and waiting. If he stays in Canada while waiting and the border finds out (likely at the next crossing) the application goes in the trash (as I understand it).

Best of luck

 

[CircleTheDrain]

Check this site for info.

http://p084.ezboard.com/bpremed101

http://rcpsc.medical.org/main_e.php?vtype=gp

http://www.carms.ca/jsp/main.jsp

 

[BlondeCookie]

I could be wrong here, but my understanding is that if you are an international med graduate and a non-resident of Canada, then you are not eligible for residency in Canada.
I checked on CaRMS website: www.carms.ca
- click on Applying through CaRMS
- click on Eligibility

Under the category for International Medical School Graduate, it lists that IMGs are mostly eligible for the 2nd iteration of the CaRMS match (exception Quebec), only if they are a Canadian resident.

 

[CircleTheDrain]

I believe it depends on the province and if one is a landed immigrant (if American).
In Ontario you can apply to the first interation.

 

[56175]

I am a US citizen and soon-to-be medical grad. I am thinking about applying for residency in Canada because my partner is not from the US and will become an illegal alien soon. In Canada we can marry and maybe I'd become a Canadian citizen and sponsor him for citizenship.
A few questions...
1)Will I have to take Canadian board exams or is USMLE accepted there?
2) Can I apply for US and Canadian residency simultaneously?
3) Will I qualify for "1st iteration" of the match?
4) Will I have a tougher time getting the specialty I want in Canada than if I were to stay in the US?
Any help would be appreciated,
Thanks

1) From the Candian medical council website, it states that you are eligible for not doing the MCCEE if you did the USMLEs, however you STILL need to take the MCCQE parts 1 and 2 eventhough if you have done the USMLEs. Please check yourself on this by contacting them in case I am incorrect on this, but this my knowledge on the subject.

2) NO you cannot apply in both the CARMS and the NRMP at the same time. Their system works to prevent anyone trying this as the CARMS match occurs before the NRMP then you will be automatically removed from the NRMP as part of "entering a legally binding contractual agreement."

3) In most provinces you are ELIGIBLE to apply for the first iteration ONLY if you are a landed immigrant of Canada or have a Canadian citizenship.
http://www.carms.ca/jsp/main.jsp?path=../content/applying/eligibility

4) check out this thread in some forum- very informative regarding this point.
http://p084.ezboard.com/fpremed101frm25.showMessage?topicID=316.topic

Good luck!

 

[skarim]

It is definitely possible to apply to CARMS and the NRMP at the same time.

The catch is that NRMP occurs first in march, and then CarmS happens in May i think. If you match NRMP, then you're automatically withdrawn from CARMS.

 

[jbish]

I did a quick search online and for clarification: yes, you can apply simultaneously to CaRMS and NRMP. CaRMS comes out first this year, February 22nd. Match day in the States is March 16. If you match into a Canadian spot, you must withdraw your US application. If you don't, you stay in the US match automatically.
Second iteration is later-but not by much.
To be on the safe side for licensing, I'd take the LMCC around the same time as Step Two to be on par with graduating Canadian students.

It is definitely possible to apply to CARMS and the NRMP at the same time.

The catch is that NRMP occurs first in march, and then CarmS happens in May i think. If you match NRMP, then you're automatically withdrawn from CARMS.