British Columbia is facing a serious healthcare workforce shortage. Many residents continue to struggle to find a family physician, while emergency departments across the province face increasing pressure and staffing challenges.

At the same time, many highly qualified internationally trained physicians — including experienced physicians trained in Iran and other countries — remain unable to contribute to British Columbia’s healthcare system because of restrictive eligibility requirements within the Practice Ready Assessment British Columbia (PRA-BC) pathway.

One of the most significant barriers is the current requirement for two years of continuous postgraduate training (PGT). While this requirement is intended to maintain high standards of patient safety, it may not fully reflect the structure of medical training systems in several countries where clinical internship and residency pathways are organized differently but still produce experienced and competent physicians.

As a result, many internationally trained physicians who have:

• passed Canadian medical licensing examinations,
• practiced independently for years,
• and accumulated substantial clinical experience,

remain ineligible despite qualifications and experience that may be recognized in other Canadian jurisdictions.

Several provinces in Canada have already adopted more flexible and competency-based assessment pathways that consider combinations of:

• one year of postgraduate training,
• independent clinical experience,
• supervised practice,
• and demonstrated clinical competence.

We believe British Columbia can maintain strong patient safety standards while also modernizing its assessment framework to better address the province’s healthcare needs.

We are not asking for lower standards.

We are asking for a fair, evidence-based, and competency-focused pathway that evaluates internationally trained physicians based on their actual clinical abilities and professional experience.

By signing this petition, we respectfully call on the Government of British Columbia, the Ministry of Health, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia (CPSBC), and PRA-BC to:

Review the current two-year postgraduate training requirement within the PRA-BC eligibility framework.

Introduce a competency-based equivalency pathway for internationally trained physicians with one year of postgraduate training, substantial independent clinical experience, and successful completion of Canadian licensing examinations.

Consider alternative assessment models already used in other Canadian provinces, including supervised practice pathways, competency-based assessments, and conditional licensing models.

Engage with healthcare stakeholders and internationally trained physicians to develop a more flexible and transparent pathway that continues to prioritize patient safety while helping address British Columbia’s physician shortage.

British Columbia needs more qualified physicians.

Patients need better access to care.

Experienced international doctors are ready to help.

Please support a fair and modern pathway for internationally trained physicians in BC.