International PGME Trainees: Work Permits, Letters of Eligibility,
Credentials and More
Hira Mirza - Nicole Parchment - Samantha Chin Visa Trainee Processing
Jessica Filion, Coordinator John Kerr, Manager, International Programs
May 12, 2015
University of Toronto PGME Trainees
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Residents
Training leads to RCPSC or CFPC certification
Clinical Fellows
Highly tailored “topping off training” for medical specialists or family physicians
Observers No UofT status Arranged through
hospitals
Research Fellows
No patient contact whatsoever
PGME registration optional Electives Short term training (6
months max) for residents or fellows registered at other medical schools
Post-Doctoral Fellows Post-PhD period of
mentored research No patient contact No PGME registration
Visa Trainees
All residency trainees and fellows who are not Canadian citizens or Canadian permanent residents require a work permit for the duration of their PGME program
Many nationalities require a temporary resident visa to enter Canada in addition to a work permit for training
Over 900 visa trainees from over 70 countries register annually with PGME
Over 400 visa trainees are new registrants each year
Extensions of training ordinarily require an extension of the work permit
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Application Process for Internationally Sponsored Doctors
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PEAP must be 4 to12 weeks in duration
Internationally sponsored applications for training are submitted to PGME Office via the Sponsored Trainee Application Registry (STAR) by the sponsoring agencies
Contracts between Faculty of Medicine and international sponsoring agencies
Eligibility requirements (e.g. MCCEE)
Competitive process
Departmental programs and their respective Program Directors make admissions decisions
Those accepted for training require a work permit
Work Permit Process
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PEAP must be 4 to12 weeks in duration
Appointees must satisfy all requirements of the CIC Visa Office, including the CIC medical examination that can take more than 6 weeks for CIC to review and approve
Process can take 6 months to complete, from departmental letter of appointment to arrival of visa trainee in Canada
Program sends
training appointment
and supporting
documents to PGME
PGME requests Letter of Eligibility
(LOE) from CPSO
PGME Office sends CIC Offer of
Employment form, CIC
receipt, and LOE to
appointee
Appointee applies for
work permit from
Citizenship and
Immigration Canada (CIC)
Appointee presents
CIC’s approval letter at Canadian
port of entry and receives work permit
Required Documents: A Checklist
Departmental letter or signed form confirming the residency or fellowship appointment (with remuneration information)
Up-to-date curriculum vitae
Passport identity page
Medical degree
Specialty certification (clinical fellows only)
Statement of educational objectives (clinical fellows only)
MCCEE results (residents only)
UofT Visa Processing Fee
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Contacting the New Appointee We contact the new appointee immediately to confirm we
have received the required documents and to share information PGME registration requirements, including:
Work permit
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) registration (including physiciansapply.ca requirement)
Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA) membership
UofT Letter of Appointment
Immunization data
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We request a Letter of Eligibility (LOE) from the CPSO
Once we receive the LOE, we issue it to the doctor with a CIC Confirmation of Employment form and a CIC receipt for our payment of the Employer Compliance Fee
The doctor can then apply online for the Work Permit
Processing the Work Permit Paperwork
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Additional Advice for the New Appointee We also inform new appointees about what they should do
before and immediately after their arrival in Toronto, including:
Health care coverage (UHIP and OHIP) Social Insurance Number (SIN) Finalizing Canadian Medical Protective
Association (CMPA) membership Criminal record check using the Canadian
Police Information Centre (CPIC) database for the CPSO
On-line Security Attestation (via POWER) A reminder about source verification of
their medical degree by physiciansapply.ca
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Arriving in Toronto
Work Permit Issued to the visa trainee at the
Canadian port of entry
Visa trainee must present the original to PGME for review
PGME may sign off on a copy of the work permit for the CPSO if there are inaccurate entries in employer, employment location, and occupation fields that CIC will not revise
Work permit “conditions” are not subject to sign off but require CIC change
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An ‘Open’ Work Permit An open work permit is a work
permit that is not job-specific
An open work permit is not acceptable for employment in a clinical setting unless there is evidence that the applicant has undergone a CIC-approved medical examination
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Potential Sources of Delay Department-related delay in starting the process:
Appointment package is submitted to PGME incomplete and/or with insufficient lead time
CPSO-related delay in issuing LOE for the work permit: Unexplained gaps in the applicant’s c.v. Evidence of specialty certification is absent or
unacceptable to the CPSO (clinical fellows only)
CIC-related delay in issuing work permit approval: CIC regulation changes, labour relations issues,
local political unrest Transactions between the applicant and CIC after
the doctor has received documentation from PGME
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Source Verification of the Medical Degree
Source verification of the medical degree by physiciansapply.ca is mandatory for all international medical graduates, for CPSO registration
Once the medical degree has been source verified, the MCC stores the result in the Physician Credentials Repository, where it will always be valid and available
International medical graduates can request source verification of their medical degree at any time, so it’s never too early
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Orientation Resources for New Trainees
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Orientation handbook – hard copy or can be downloaded from PGME Office website:
www.pgme.utoronto.ca
Facebook Forum - for the exclusive use of clinical fellows, now with 1,000 fellows participating
You can find it on Facebook by searching: “University of Toronto PGME Fellowship Forum”
PGME Registration
Register on POWER:
PGME Letter of Appointment (LOA) Work permit CPSO Certificate of Registration CMPA membership Health care coverage (UHIP / OHIP) Immunization data Security Attestation / Vulnerable Sector Screen Hospital Health and Safety Policy e-Learning Modules Registration Fee (pro-rated)
Confirmation of Registration
UTorID and Library Card
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Pre-Entry Assessment Program (PEAP) PEAP is mandatory for international
medical graduates entering clinical fellowship or residency training
Must be 4 to 12 weeks in duration, but it can be extended to a total of 16 weeks in special circumstances (e.g. illness or a leave of absence)
Is an assessment, not a period of remedial training
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Must end with the submission to the CPSO of a completed Final Assessment Form or notice of the trainee’s withdrawal from the PEAP
Should include a detailed interim PEAP assessment after the first 2 weeks for internal departmental reference
PEAP Process
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CPSO issues PEAP certificate to trainee
Trainee registers with PGME Office and begins PEAP
Department assesses trainee, completes PEAP final assessment form and sends to PGME Office
Vice Dean, PGME, signs final assessment form and PGME Office submits form to CPSO
CPSO receives signed final assessment form and processes full educational licensure of trainee
PEAP must be 4 to12 weeks in duration
International Electives
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Foreign nationals with an elective appointment at UofT require a work permit for the duration of the elective
If the elective trainee’s home residency program is outside Canada and the U.S.:
CPSO Registration Committee approval is required Elective must include a 2-week PEAP
Maximum duration is 6 months (including the PEAP)
Must have funding commensurate with a Canadian
Same registration requirements as all PGME trainees
Reappointments: A Checklist Departmental Letter of Appointment
Visa Processing Fee (UofT Administrative Fee)
Statement of Objectives Fellowship name on Statement of Objectives determines how it will appear on Completion of Training Certificate
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CPSO Registration Committee Clinical fellows reappointed beyond 36 months:
The CPSO allows 36 months of fellowship training
The CPSO begins counting the 36 months immediately after the PEAP has been completed
Additional documentation required: Support letter from the supervisor and Program Director Letter from the clinical fellow explaining why the
extension is necessary
Registration Committee at
the CPSO
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Extending the Work Permit
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CIC Case Processing Centre in Vegreville, Alberta
Current processing times: - 100 days for paper application - 68 days for online application
Always note the work permit’s expiry date
“Implied status” – a last resort measure that may be possible with CIC and CPSO cooperation
PGME cannot submit an application to the CPSO, CIC, or CMPA on the trainee’s behalf
PGME cannot conduct business (or intervene) on behalf of a trainee throughout the process of their applying for a work permit
What can’t we do?
Bill C-35 came into force in 2011. The Act prohibits employees at educational institutions from:
Providing advice with regard to immigration applications
Explaining or advising on immigration options
Communicate with CIC on behalf of an applicant
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Completion of Training Certificate
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With departmental approval, the PGME Office produces the certificate for clinical fellows who have successfully completed the goals and objectives of their fellowship and for residents who have completed their residency training program
Name of the fellowship on educational goals submitted to CPSO determines name on certificate
For further information, check “Current Trainees” section of PGME Office website
Questions about International Trainees?
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You have only to ask…
Samantha Chin
Hira Mirza
Nicole Parchment
Jessica Filion
John Kerr
Adult Critical Care, Paediatric Critical Care, Medical Genetics, Medicine, Obs & Gyn, Palliative Care, Radiation Oncology [email protected] / 416-946-0904
Anaesthesia, Paediatrics, Psychiatry, Public Health & Preventive Medicine [email protected] / 416-946-3073
Medical Imaging, Family Medicine, Lab Medicine, Ophthalmology, Otolaryngology, Surgery [email protected] / 416-946-3079
Internationally sponsored trainees [email protected] / 416-946-8221
Almost anything about international trainees [email protected] / 416-978-8420
