On May 30, 2025, the CPSBC Board approved proposed amendments to bylaws related to the eligibility requirements for registration and licensure of internationally trained physicians.
The current bylaws provide eligibility for licensure in the full – family and full – specialty classes to internationally trained physicians who have completed accredited postgraduate training in Canada and obtained certification in Canada with the ºÚÁÏÉç of Family Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (CFPC) or the Royal ºÚÁÏÉç of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC).
The bylaws were recently amended (and came into force on July 7, 2025) to provide eligibility for licensure in the full – family and full – specialty classes to physicians who have completed accredited postgraduate training in the US and obtained certification in the US with the American Board of Family Medicine, American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians, or the American Board of Medical Specialties.
Currently, physicians who are internationally trained and have not obtained certification with the relevant certification body in Canada or the US, may be eligible for licensure in the provisional – family or provisional – specialty class subject to, among other requirements, providing eligibility for CFPC certification without examination based on recognized training and certification obtained from CFPC-approved jurisdictions or providing eligibility to access the RCPSC certification examination based on recognized training from RCPSC-approved jurisdictions. Once a provisional registrant has provided confirmation that they have been granted certification with the CFPC or successfully passed the certification examination of the RCPSC, they are then eligible for the full class of registration.
To reduce barriers for internationally trained physicians wishing to practise in BC and to address the physician shortage in BC, it is proposed that the bylaws be further amended to facilitate a route for full registration for those physicians who meet one of the following requirements:
- Completion of a minimum of two years of accredited postgraduate training in a foreign jurisdiction approved by the CFPC for certification without examination (currently the CFPC-approved jurisdictions include USA, Australia, United Kingdom and Ireland), or
- Completion of postgraduate training and completion of a training certificate and certification in the physician’s specialty from a foreign jurisdiction approved by the RCPSC (i.e. approved jurisdiction route) to access RCPSC certification through examinations (currently, the RCPSC-approved jurisdictions include Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, United Kingdom and Ireland). It should be noted that not all specialties are approved in each jurisdiction.
In accordance with section 19(6.2)(a)(i) of the HPA, notice of the proposed bylaw amendments were posted for a three-month period, providing registrants and other interested parties with the opportunity to review and comment. This period occurred from June 16 to September 18, 2025.
CPSBC received significant feedback during the consultation, including suggestions for changes to the proposed bylaws. Due to these suggestions, CPSBC will complete additional work prior to providing updated proposed bylaws to the Board for its review. Given the pending transition to the Health Professions and Occupations Act on April 1, 2026, any additional proposed changes to the bylaws must be considered under that Act.