Notification of bylaw amendments: registration | College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC

On May 30, 2025, the CPSBC Board approved proposed amendments to the Bylaws under the Health Professions Act, specifically, 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 those physicians who have completed accredited postgraduate training in Canada and obtained certification in Canada with the College of Family Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (CFPC) or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC). The Bylaws were recently amended (and will come 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 will then be eligible for the full class of registration.

In order 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 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 obtainment of a completion of 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.

The proposed bylaw amendments will be posted for a three-month notification period, providing registrants and other interested parties the opportunity to review and comment.

For more information, please see the bylaw amendments page.