Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC)

Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada

The Medical Council of Canada (MCC) grants a qualification in medicine known as the Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC) to medical graduates who meet the eligibility criteria.

What is the LMCC?

The LMCC is a part of the requirements for award of a full unrestricted licence to practise. Upon receiving their LMCC, candidates are also enrolled in the Canadian Medical Register. The LMCC is not a licence to practise medicine; the responsibility to issue such belongs to the Medical Regulatory Authorities.

LMCC eligibility criteria and FAQs

Physicians whose names are included in the Canadian Medical Register shall be known as “Licentiates of the Medical Council of Canada” (“LMCC”) or “Licenciés du Conseil médical du Canada” (“LCMC”).

To be eligible for inclusion in the Canadian Medical Register, a graduate in medicine must have submitted evidence of at least 12 months of postgraduate clinical medical training deemed acceptable by the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the MCC and successfully completed:

the Qualifying Examination prior to 1 January, 1992;
or
the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination (MCCQE) Part I and the MCCQE Part II;
or
the MCCQE Part I and, during the years from 2013 to 2015, the MCC/College of Family Physicians of Canada harmonized examination.

In addition, as of June 29, 2021 (following the cancellation of the administration of the MCCQE Part II in 2021), a graduate in medicine is eligible for inclusion in the Canadian Medical Register if they:

Are a graduate from:

a) a medical school accredited by the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools;
or

b) a medical school listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools which includes a sponsor note indicating it is an acceptable medical school in Canada;
or

c) a United States School of Osteopathic Medicine accredited by the American Osteopathic Association;
and
Have been awarded a Pass on the MCCQE Part I;

and
Have successfully completed the following, as deemed acceptable by the Executive Director and CEO of the MCC:

a) at least 12 months of acceptable clinical postgraduate medical training;
or

b) at least 12 months of acceptable osteopathic post graduate clinical training in a program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (“ACGME”);
and
Have the required medical credentials including verification of postgraduate training successfully source-verified through MCC or, in exceptional circumstances, have provided evidence of the required medical credentials and postgraduate training that is deemed acceptable by the Executive Director and CEO;

and
Have paid the LMCC application fee to the MCC and do not have any outstanding fees payable to the MCC.

Where a graduate in medicine meets all of the above criteria listed but is subject to a period of prohibition from writing the MCCQE Part II, the Executive Director and CEO may award that individual the LMCC only after the expiration of the period of prohibition.

Any person who has previously been included in the Canadian Medical Register, and whose name has been removed, may apply to the Executive Director and CEO for restoration of the name of the person to the Register. A person who is unsatisfied with the decision of the Executive Director and CEO in this regard may appeal such decision to the MCC’s Appeals Committee.

Any person who has been refused registration in the Canadian Medical Register may appeal such refusal to the MCC’s Appeals Committee, except if the refusal to grant registration is due to a failure to pay the LMCC application fee or any outstanding fees payable to the MCC, in which case the decision to refuse registration is final and not subject to appeal. The Executive Director and CEO may remove or correct any entry in the Canadian Medical Register upon the grounds of irregular behaviour, professional misconduct, fraud, conviction for an indictable criminal offence, failure to pay any outstanding fees payable to the MCC, or mistake. Any person whose name has been removed from the Canadian Medical Register may appeal to the Appeals Committee for restoration of the name of the person to the Register.

On receipt of any appeal from a person who has been refused registration in the Canadian Medical Register or whose name has been removed from the Register on the grounds of irregular behaviour, professional misconduct, fraud, or mistake, the office of the Executive Director and CEO shall submit the appeal, together with any supporting evidence or information in connection therewith, to the Appeals Committee.

FAQs

General

Am I eligible to receive the LMCC?

To confirm your eligibility for the award of the LMCC, please refer to the LMCC eligibility criteria above.

How can I apply for the LMCC?

Log into your physiciansapply.ca account
Click on Other Service Requests
Select Apply for LMCC
Follow the on-screen instructions and enter the required information

How long will it take to receive my LMCC once I pay the fee?

If review of your postgraduate training information is not required, the LMCC will be awarded immediately after completing your application and payment.

If review of your postgraduate training information is required, please allow three to four weeks for the confirmation of your eligibility. You will receive a communication in your account once the review has been completed.
Note: A thorough review of your source verified credentials must take place to confirm that you have met the postgraduate training and other eligibility requirements for the LMCC.

Please allow six to eight weeks after your application is approved for the hard copy of your LMCC documentation to be mailed out.

Why do I have to pay for the LMCC?

The LMCC is now a business service. Costs occur for processing requests, issuing the LMCC and producing the official documentation.

Prior to being awarded the LMCC, candidates will be required to pay all monies owed to the MCC, including the account fee or the second installment of the physiciansapply.ca account fee and the LMCC application fee.

What are the required medical credentials that must be successfully source verified?

Both the Medical degree and an acceptable document confirming the successful completion of minimum 12 months of postgraduate clinical medical training must be successfully source verified.

Acceptable postgraduate training

What are the requirements for postgraduate training (PGT)?

PGT completed in Canada

The MCC confirms successful completion of 12 months PGT directly with the Canadian universities; therefore, candidates are not required to create a Source Verification Request (SVR) and submit written proof of their PGT completed in Canada.

Note: The MCC reserves the right to request additional confirmation from the university and/or from the candidate if required.

PGT completed outside Canada

For candidates who have successfully completed 12 months of postgraduate clinical medical training outside Canada or US postgraduate clinical osteopathic training:

The proof of training document must:
- State the program discipline(s)
- Include the start and end dates of the completed training
- Be issued by the affiliated university or hospital on official letterhead (the full address and contact information of the issuing institution must appear on the document(s) or be provided on a separate document)
- Be signed and dated by the Dean or the director responsible for the training program
The document confirming this training must be successfully source verified
The document will be reviewed after you submit your request for the LMCC to determine whether eligibility requirements have been met

Note:

Clerkships, clinical fellowships, memberships, and research or work positions do NOT qualify as postgraduate clinical medical training
Documents are subject to review and approval on an individual basis
The MCC reserves the right to request additional documentation

Is my specialty certificate acceptable as proof of postgraduate clinical medical training?

A copy of your specialty certificate from one of the following is acceptable as proof of postgraduate training:

The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC)
The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC)
A member board of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS)
Certification obtained by a medical specialty board or college outside Canada or the U.S., must be accompanied by:
- An official letter that states the start and end dates of completed clinical medical training and program discipline/rotations
- A source verification request may be required for this document

Note:

Documents are subject to review and approval on an individual basis
The MCC reserves the right to request additional documentation
Clerkships, clinical fellowships, memberships, and research or work positions do NOT qualify as postgraduate clinical medical training

Is pre-diploma postgraduate training acceptable?

Postgraduate clinical medical training, such as a compulsory rotating internship that is completed before the final medical degree diploma is awarded, may qualify for eligibility for the award of the LMCC.

All candidates whose only postgraduate training falls into this category, must submit both:

The original Pre-diploma training attestation form (to confirm equivalency to postgraduate clinical medical training in Canada)
A copy of their full medical school transcript in the original language accompanied by an original translation if the document is in a language other than English or French
- Please note that full medical school transcripts from Morocco must include the 6th and 7th years

Exceptions:

India and Egypt:
- The internship certificate is acceptable as proof of medical training
- The medical school transcript and the Pre-diploma training attestation form are not required
Iran:
- The full medical transcript is acceptable without the Pre-diploma training attestation form

Note:

Documents are subject to review and approval on an individual basis
The MCC reserves the right to request additional documentation
Clerkships, clinical fellowships, memberships, and research or work positions do NOT qualify as postgraduate clinical medical training

Issuance of the LMCC

Where can I find my LMCC number in my physiciansapply.ca account once it has been issued? Is there an electronic copy of the LMCC documentation that will be produced?

To view your LMCC number, please follow these steps in your physiciansapply.ca account:

Click on Profile
Click on Identifiers and addresses
The LMCC number and registration date will be displayed in the right panel

Your official LMCC documentation will be sent by mail, or by courier if you chose that option. An electronic copy will not be available in your physiciansapply.ca account.

Can I share my LMCC with the MRAs?

Your LMCC will not appear under Documents in your physiciansapply.ca account; therefore, you will not be able to share it. Your official documentation, confirming your LMCC number and registration date, will be sent to the mailing address on your account within six to eight weeks.

We can confirm that your name has been entered in the Canadian Medical Register and that all the Medical Regulatory Authorities (MRA’s) can view your LMCC number if you are already sharing other documents with them (for example, MCCQE Part I Statement of Results or Supplemental Information Report, medical credentials, personal and contact information).

To view your LMCC number, please follow these steps in your physiciansapply.ca account:

Click on Profile
Click on Identifiers and addresses
The LMCC number and registration date will be displayed in the Identifiers right panel

LMCC documentation

A physician who meets the foregoing requirements is enrolled in the Canadian Medical Register as a LMCC and receives a Certificate of Registration (wallet-size plastic card). This certificate serves as official proof of registration. If submitted to a Medical Regulatory Authority (MRA) or other agency, it should be recovered by the owner for further use as required. A Testamur (suitable for framing), intended for display purposes rather than as official proof of registration, is also provided.

Route to licensure

Find out more about the route to licensure and the process to become a practising physician in Canada.