Important notice for applicants for registration, including 2025 graduating residents

If you plan to apply for a licence to practise independently in BC during the spring and summer of 2025, please note the following timelines are in place due to the high volume of applications expected from graduating residents.

If you are a resident graduating from UBC:

  • Please apply on or after April 1, 2025.
  • You will receive information regarding the registration process directly from UBC and CPSBC in early spring.
  • If you are not planning to practise in a hospital setting, you should plan to commence practice on or after July 1, 2024.
  • If you are planning to practise in a hospital setting, due to the availability of the documents required by your health authority for credentialing and privileging, you should plan to commence practice on or after July 7, 2025.

If you are a resident graduating from a university within Canada, other than UBC:

  • Please apply on or after April 1, 2025.
  • Information regarding the registration process can be found here.
  • If you are not planning to practise in a hospital setting, you should plan to commence practice on or after July 1, 2025. Note: July 1, 2025 cannot be guaranteed as CPSBC does not have access to the same information for non-UBC graduating residents as it does for UBC graduating residents.
  • If you are planning to practise in a hospital setting, due to the availability of the documents required by your health authority for credentialing and privileging, you should plan to commence practice on or after July 7, 2025.

If you are graduating from a subspecialty program or a third-year family medicine added competency program (such as emergency medicine):

  • If you passed CCFP examinations in 2024 or you already hold primary specialty RCPSC certification, you are not considered a graduating resident. Please refer to the section below for instructions.
  • Canadian internal medicine residents who sat the 2024 RCPSC examination are considered 2025 graduating residents. Internists sitting the 2025 RCPSC examination will not be eligible for independent practice until their certification effective date in 2026, even if they are beginning subspecialty training in July 2025.
  • Please note that you cannot be recognized by CPSBC for your subspecialty or CFPC added competency until evidence of that certification is provided.

If you are an applicant that is not a resident graduating from UBC or within Canada:

  • If you require a licence for independent practice with an effective date between July 1 and August 15, 2025, you should submit your completed application prior to April 1, 2025, ideally by March 1, 2025.