ARCHIVED – Immigration Operational Bulletin 650 - Instructions for processing work permits for foreign physicians coming to work in Quebec

Instructions for processing work permits for foreign physicians coming to work in Quebec

Summary

To meet the needs of the Quebec Department of Health and Social Services (MSSS) and address a shortage of French-speaking physicians in underserved regions, IRCC has committed to making it easier to get a work permit with a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) exemption under Significant benefit (exemption code C10).

Issue

• Only foreign physicians who were selected for an assessment period or adaptation period lasting 13 consecutive weeks, including a week of observation, in an accredited university clinical setting or any other clinical setting designated by the Collège des Médecins du Québec (CMQ) [college of physicians and surgeons of Quebec] OR who subsequently obtained a restrictive permit issued by the CMQ and valid for a maximum of 5 years are eligible to apply for a work permit under C10.

  Physicians with a regular permit to practise in Quebec are not eligible for the exemption because they are not obligated to work in an underserved region.

• IRCC is committed to expeditiously processing applications made outside Canada as part of the Global Skills Strategy within two weeks. Applications must be made online to benefit from two-week processing.

• For renewal applications made within Canada, IRCC will allow applicants transitioning from the assessment period or adaptation period to the restrictive permit to submit their work permit application to CPC Vegreville before the end of the period, without needing to provide confirmation of the restrictive permit to avoid a stoppage of their temporary status.

  Applications must include all other required documents (including the promise to hire letter for the application for eligibility for a restrictive permit and financial assistance agreement [work contract] from the MSSS outlining the significant benefit), the offer of employment, as well as the fees.

  For these exceptional cases, CPC Vegreville will put applications on hold for a maximum of 60 days pending receipt of the confirmation of the restrictive permit. Once this document is received, the application will be processed within 10 business days. Renewal applications must not be approved until confirmation of the restrictive permit has been received.

Requirements

For applications to be processed under exemption code C10, the following must be provided:

• Complete application package;
• Letter of promise to hire for the application for eligibility for a restrictive permit from the MSSS detailing the significant benefits (the same letter will be used for the renewal);
• Copy of the financial assistance agreement between the health care facility, the foreign physician and the MSSS (work contract);
• Copy of the confirmation letter issued by the CMQ stating that the foreign physician has been admitted to the assessment or adaptation period OR copy of the letter from the CMQ stating that the foreign physician has been granted a restrictive permit;
• Offer of employment completed by the CMQ submitted through the Employer Portal covering the assessment or adaptation period OR offer of employment from the health care facility covering the restrictive permit. The offer of employment must clearly set out the period during which the applicant will work for the health care facility. Health care facilities may offer a period of employment of up to 5 years.
• Valid medical exam;
• Payment in full, to be submitted at the beginning of the process. Applications not accompanied by the full payment will be refused and returned.
• A Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ) is not required.

Renewal applications made in Canada must be submitted in paper format and sent to the following address:

Case Processing Centre in Edmonton
Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Expedited Work Permit Processing
9700 Jasper Avenue NW, Suite 55
Edmonton, AB T5J 4C3

Envelopes must be marked “Team Leader OSS” to ensure that CPC Edmonton can easily identify them.

Please note that unless the above requirements have been met IRCC cannot commit to processing these applications expeditiously. The onus is on the applicant to ensure that any other applicable requirements are met.