Well it's official:

over 800 IMG's applied
of those only 625 submitted a rank order list
and ONLY 67 matched
that's ONLY 10.7 !!!!!!


this was the WORST match rate in 5 years!

it's all at:

http://www.carms.ca/stats/stats_index.htm

also, if you look at the:
"Positions Vacant after First Iteration by Faculty of Medicine and Discipline, 2003 Match" section

you will see that there really is nothing in Canada for IMG's other than those left over 2 yr FP spots

so my freinds will we now finally face reality?

FORGET ABOUT CANADA!!! WRITE USMLE and APPLY in the UNITED STATES!!!!



2003 CaRMS MATCH

Discipline - # of International medical graduates matched


Anatomical Pathology - 3
Community medicine - 1
Family medicine incl Rural FM - 47
General pathology - 2
General surgery - 0
Internal medicine - 0
Laboratory medicine - 2
Nuclear medicine - 0
Neurology - 0
Pediatric neurology - 1
Obstetrics/gynecology - 0
Occupational medicine - 2
Physical medicine & rehabilitation - 1
Psychiatry - 8
Radiation Oncology - 0


remember this is for ALL of CANADA

all those zero's look really appealing eh?

it's all here:

http://www.carms.ca/stats/stats_index.htm


(PLEASE Pass this one the every Canadian you know)

I agree, the best place for a Canadian IMG to secure a residency is in the US. After that, coming back to Canada is much easier.

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CanIMG
Moderator - Canadian IMG and Immigration Visa Forums

Found this on another website:

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CanIMG
Moderator - Canadian IMG and Immigration Visa Forums

after you do a residency in the U.S., you can come back to Canada, sure
but you can't practice medicine

because getting a license to practic medicine is close to impossible

if you don't believe me, then read this:

http://members.tripod.com/~donalda13/canimgexp.html

and this:

http://members.tripod.com/~donalda13/faq.html

Bottom line is:

Unless you have the required training in Canada or were trained AND certified in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Eire, New Zealand and South Africa no province will grant you any sort of licence to practice medicine, not even a temporary one.

You cut and pasted this statement from the website you refer to, but somehow you forgot to include the next sentence, which reads:

"You still need at least a year of Canadian training (with all the required rotations), or, if you want a Newfoundland licence, a pass in their Clinical Skills and Assessment Test. Please read the MCC booklet again."

So clearly, while inconvenient, coming back to Canada DOES allow you to practice medicine. Furthermore, the author of the same website has the following to say about IMGs who do their residency in the US:

"U.S. certified International Medical Graduates (sounds like U.S. DA certified beef doesn't it) are able to obtain licences in some provinces, i.e. physicians licenced in Maine can be permanently licenced in New Brunswick, temporary or permanent licences can be granted in Alberta, B.C, Manitoba, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan depending on geographical and specialty area of practice (not sure of the NWT, Yukon, Nunavut and since I can't read French I'm not sure about Quebec either), if the International Medical Graduate is going to practice in an under serviced area, temporary licences can be renewed several times and can be good for as long as 5 years."

Thus, as I have said before, completing US residency opens up the possibilities for Canadian licensure in several provinces. After 1 year, such a physician is entitled to practice anywhere in Canada. Also, in this time of severe shortages, provincial governments are always devising new programs to permit IMGs into Canada. For most Canadian IMGs in the US, staying in the US will likely be the option of choice...more money, lower taxes, etc etc. However, it's nice to know that the option of returning to Canada exists. I expect the picture to become even rosier in the future.

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CanIMG
Moderator - Canadian IMG and Immigration Visa Forums

Why would any Canadian IMG want to return to Canada?? First of all, they refused to train us there. Second, the system there is designed to keep us out even though they have a doctor shortage (or soon will have). And third, it will take ten times as long to pay off our student loans than if we stay in the US; the Canadian dollar sucks, taxes are higher, and doctors' salaries are way lower. I mean, I grew up in Canada and I'm proud to be Canadian (I think), but the people running the show up there are idiotic snobs. No thank you.

I think you present some valid points. The financial and tax situation alone would probably be enough reason to keep most in the US. However, some people have good reasons for wanting to come back to Canada, despite the financial disincentive..I think you are having trouble imagining any such reasons. What if you wanted to marry someone who lived in Canada and for whatever reason couldn't move to the US? What if your husband/wife landed a spectacular job in Canada? What if a family member had a chronic illness and you wanted to be close to them? There are many reasons and each person must be left to make their own choice... For some people it's worth the move, and we mustn't fault anyone for trying. And it's inappropriate to label someone "unintelligent" or "deluded" for making this choice.

Second, although Canada wouldn't let us into their school system and continues to make it difficult for us to come back despite shortages, boycotting an entire country simply out of spite doesn't make much sense either. But I agree with you, for most people staying in the US is the way to go.

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CanIMG
Moderator - Canadian IMG and Immigration Visa Forums

you wrote:

"What if you wanted to marry someone who lived in Canada and for whatever reason couldn't move to the US?"

This is good. But I must say that making life decisions on some girl that you are going out with IS really stupid.

There are hundreds of eligible women in the U.S.

The other points you made are valid.

But for most Canadians (90-95%) they will not get a residency in Canada.

So they will have to do residency in the U.S.

If it is on H-1, then that's it, they stay in U.S. permanently. (The best option)

If it's on J-1, then this is the scenario that follows for them:

Can't get a J-1 waiver, because Health Canada does not issue 'no-objection' letters anymore.

So they have to come back to Canada for two years that "return to home country' requirement.

Once they come back, to get a license to practice medicine, they have to pass ALL the Canadian tests (eg MCCEE, MCCQE Part 1, MCCQE Part 2, AND the Canadian exams for the Residency they did in the U.S.)

Now as you may know, unlike the USMLE (which can be written anytime) the Canadian tests are only offered a few times a year.

So to pass all those Canadian tests, my best esitimate would be atleast one year. Most likely one year and a half for most people.

Now -----> PLEASE ANSWER THIS QUESTION for me:

Will you know sign a 5 yr contract with some rural hospital in boony land?

Or will you wait another 6 months for that "two year return to Canada" requirement to end, and then go back to the U.S. on an H-1B where you can earn double the salary then in rural canada?

Regarding writing the 4 Canadian exams, I think the best route would be to write them as early as is appropriate throughout one's medical training. Thus, you'd write MCCEE & MCCQE1 around the same time as USMLE 2, MCCQE2 around the same time as USMLE 3, etc. instead of writing them all in a row after finishing everything in the US.

I do not see why an IMG would be required to sign a 5 yr rural contract. True, this would be required under a program such as the Ontario IMG Assessment Program. However, with the route I am referring to, one year of Canadian practice or training entitles an IMG to a full, unrestricted license in any part of the country as far as I understand it. The relative ease or difficulty in obtaining this year of practice is not something I'm fully certain of...perhaps someone else has more info.

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CanIMG
Moderator - Canadian IMG and Immigration Visa Forums

Can someone tell me why they are making it so difficult for IMS's to practice in Canada.. this seems so absurd to me.. especially because of the doctor shortage....
I don't know if this is true but I heard that those IMG's which do practice medicine in Canada are shipped of to undesirable rural locations.. is this also true..

Iza