Quebec IMG: Closed door, unless...

As a Montreal native, I had a lot of questions from fellow Québécois on the island and still today asking about coming back to Quebec for residency. I don't know why Quebec always has to be different then the other provinces, but regardless, the answer is quite deceiving: Quebec, unless you are willing to sit an extra year or two, is a closed door for Canadian IMG's. Let me explain.

In order to be eligible to apply for a Quebec program, you have to obtain the equivalence of your medical degree before applying for CaRMS. On top of having your diploma in hand, you need to write and pass:
1)MCCEE
2)MCCQE1
3)MCCQE2 or the NAC examination

After these steps are done, you are eligible to get the equivalency and apply for CaRMS (in Quebec). Therefore, as a 4th year student, you do not have a diploma and cannot apply.

You might think, well, I'll take a year off, get my diploma, and write the tests. Well, the MCCQE2 requires 12 months of post-graduate training, so that option is out. The NAC examination can be done instead. However, it is not valid in all provinces and eventually you'll still need to write MCCQE2 to be an LMCC licenciate.

This post is not meant to discourage you, but only to put out the information. A lot of us matched in Ontario, the Maritimes, Manitoba, or the USA. It's just very deceiving that Quebec is not opening doors to expatriated Canadians, when Ontario is. It is even more frustrating given the fact that year after year, Quebec ranks first for the number of unfilled residency spots, and 25% of Quebec residents do not have a Family Doctor.

-Simon