Restrictive permit – Sponsored professor

The restrictive permit (sponsored professor) to practice medicine in Quebec is intended for international medical graduates who have an academic profile with the potential to fulfill an exceptional need. You must obtain a position as a sponsored professor in one of Quebec’s four faculties of medicine before submitting your application.

Restrictive permit (sponsored professor)

Pursuant to section 35 of the Medical Act, this permit is issued by the CMQ based on established guidelines (available in French only) and is valid for the whole duration of the term of your sponsored professor position.

This permit is restricted with respect to 3 aspects:

place of practice (only authorized to practice in a health care institution; the permit does not authorize “independent” or private practice);
authorized professional acts;
validity (one year, renewable annually).

These guidelines also set out criteria for revoking a restrictive permit:

the permit holder is struck off or resigns from the Roll of the Order;
the permit holder no longer has privileges in a health care institution, confirmed by a resolution of the health care institution’s board of directors;
the permit holder ceases to practice;
the permit holder does not have a sponsored professor position in a Quebec university, irrespective of the health care institution in which they have privileges.

The Committee on Admission to Practice (CAP) is responsible for issuing, renewing, and modifying restrictive permits.

A restrictive permit may be converted into a regular permit subject to certain requirements. Visit the Converting a restrictive permit webpage to learn more.

Requirements

You have a Doctor of Medicine degree or an equivalent degree from a school or faculty listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools published by the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER).
You have completed postgraduate training that is roughly equivalent to that required in Quebec for the discipline for which the restrictive permit application is being submitted.
You have a specialist’s certificate (or recognized equivalence) in the discipline for which the permit application is being submitted.
You practiced competently in the area of medical expertise for which the restrictive permit application is being submitted for 12 months during the 2 years preceding your application.
You provided proof of French language proficiency or passed the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) examination.
You completed the ALDO-Quebec educational activity before your permit was issued.

Steps

Note that the CMQ does not take part in every step of the process.

Thus, the deadlines provided at certain steps are given for information purposes. They can vary significantly depending on the individual background of the candidates.

Important note

Given the length of the process (3 to 5 months on average) and the requirement to maintain your clinical experience, we encourage you to keep practicing as you complete the steps.

To be recruited as a sponsored professor, you must contact the Dean’s Office of one of Quebec’s four faculties of medicine in order to determine if you meet the eligibility criteria for this position. You must also contact the Director of Professional Services (DPS) of the health care institution where you will obtain privileges.

An attestation from the Dean of the faculty of medicine stating that you have been recruited as a sponsored professor and an attestation from the DPS of the health care institution that supports your recruitment must be sent directly to the Collège.
To submit an application, log in to your personal physiciansapply.ca account on the Medical Council of Canada website, then select:

Application for medical registration

QC Collège des médecins du Québec

Restrictive permit – Professor sponsored by a Quebec Faculty of Medicine

You must also provide the required documents, some of which must be sent to the Collège while others must be submitted through physiciansapply.ca for source verification purpose.

It is your responsibility to follow up on the documents you submitted and disclosed to the Collège those you submitted through the physiciansapply.ca portal. Note that the documents must be given the “Passed” verification status before the restrictive permit can be issued.

Lead times

Acknowledgement of receipt of the application for medical registration: 5 business days.
You have completed steps 1 and 2? Your file is now ready for review by the CAP! This Committee regularly convenes to assess the eligibility of applications for a restrictive permit. You will then be notified of the CAP’s decision.

Lead times

CAP meetings: approximately every 7 weeks;

Decision of the Committee: available in the secure section on the CMQ website within 15 business days following the meeting.

You may request that the Collège’s Request Committee review the decision, provided you submit your request in writing to the secretary of the CAP within 30 days following the receipt of the CAP’s decision letter. The Request Committee also gives you the opportunity to attend the meeting where your file will be reviewed and make oral observations. The Request Committee’s decision will be shared with you within 30 days following the date of said decision. This decision is final and cannot be appealed.
Section 35 of the Charter of the French language stipulates that “The professional orders shall not issue permits except to persons whose knowledge of the official language is appropriate to the practice of the profession.”

You will be asked to provide proof of proficiency in the French language, by either:

passing the French examination administered by the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF);
or
providing an attestation of studies or any school certificate as stipulated in the exemption criteria.
If the CAP has resolved to issue you the restrictive permit, you will be asked to:

complete the ALDO-Quebec educational activity which covers the legal, ethical, and organizational aspects of the practice of medicine in Quebec, before the restrictive permit is issued;

log in to the secure section on the CMQ website to:

fill out the “Update of medical activities and Declarations” form;

pay the permit issuance fees based on the actual fee schedule.

Lead times

Acknowledgement of receipt of the Update of medical activities form: 24 h to 48 h;

Issuance of the permit within 24 h to 48 h once the file is complete (i.e., when all required conditions are met).

For more information, please contact the Collège’s permit section at demandepermis@cmq.org.

Once you have received your permit to practice, and before you start practicing medicine in Quebec, you must:

take out professional liability insurance (and maintain it thereafter);
fill out the “First registration on the Roll of the Order” form in the secure section of the CMQ website.

Lead times

Processing of your first registration on the Roll of the Order and relay of your permit number and the confirmation from your professional liability insurance to the RAMQ on the business day following your registration to the Roll of the Order

At this point, you do not have to follow any procedure with the RAMQ. If you have any questions, please visit the RAMQ website (available in French only).

For more information

Please send an e-mail to permisfqc@cmq.org