For employers
How to hire physicians in Canada.
Hire family physicians, specialists, and locums in Canada. Licensing, IMG and US pathways, rural incentives, and retention-first onboarding. 180+ physicians placed since 2018.
Hiring physicians in Canada is a licensing project, not just a posting.
Most physician searches fail for the same reason. The posting goes up, applications come in, and then the licensing check kills the shortlist. The candidate is excellent and not licence-eligible in your province. Or the offer is made and the family cannot settle, so the physician leaves in year one.
BeGlobal runs physician hiring as a licensing project first and a search second. We check eligibility before we present a candidate. We project manage the college registration, the credentialing, and the immigration file in parallel. And we treat family settlement as the project, not the afterthought, because 80% of failed physician placements fail on the family side, not the clinical side.
Proof, not promises
180+ physicians placed since 2018. 96% two-year retention. 94% year-one retention across all placements. About 21 days from first call to a qualified shortlist. 5 physicians hired for a BC clinic group to expand services. A candidate database of 4,000+ Canadian-licensed and licence-eligible physicians. Recruitment partners across BC, SK, MB, AB, NB, NS, ON, UK, UAE, US, and Africa.
What it costs to hire a physician in Canada
Physician recruitment fees vary by role, specialty, and location. BeGlobal uses a retained search model with a partial fee on engagement and the balance on signed start. Pricing is transparent, agreed in writing, and includes licensing project management, candidate vetting, reference checks, and 90-day settlement support. Many health authority and FHO clients use master service agreements.
Typical time to hire is 1 to 3 months for a licensed Canadian physician, and 3 to 6 months where licensing or immigration steps are involved. For internationally trained physicians on the Practice Ready Assessment route, plan 12 to 18 months including the 12-week clinical field assessment.
The three routes into Canadian practice
We run all three pathways in parallel. Most placements close because we matched the right physician to the right route.
Route A, US to Canada (SPEC and direct). ABMS board-certified US physicians qualify for the Streamlined Practice Eligibility Route in BC, NS, NB, and PEI, and direct licensure in AB, ON, MB, SK, and NL. Typical timeline: 90 days to provisional, 6 to 9 months to full licence.
Route B, IMG Practice Ready Assessment. For physicians without Canadian or US residency. A 12-week supervised clinical field assessment in SIPPA, PRA-NS, PRA-NB, PRA-MB, PRA-BC, and CAIMG-NL, tied to a 3-year return-of-service. We secure the seat, not just the licence.
Route C, CaRMS and Canadian residency. For residents finishing CaRMS and IMG graduates of approved Canadian programs. We surface FHO and FHG seats, hospitalist groups, and rural retention packages 6 to 12 months before convocation.
How the engagement works, step by step
Step 1, discovery. Compensation, scope, community, family needs. We get specific before posting.
Step 2, sourcing and vetting. Active and passive candidates. A senior recruiter conducts a 60-minute screen and reference check. We check licence eligibility before presenting anyone.
Step 3, licensing and immigration. Our project manager owns Physiciansapply.ca, college registration, CMPA, and work permits in parallel, with weekly updates.
Step 4, land and retain. A family settlement coordinator runs schools, housing, and spousal jobs. 30, 60, and 90 day check-ins to lock in retention.
What we recruit
Family medicine, full-scope, rural, urban, hospitalist, and focused practices, including FHO, FHG, APP, and fee-for-service models. Specialists and sub-specialties: internal medicine, psychiatry, emergency medicine, anesthesia, radiology, OB/GYN, surgery, pediatrics. Locum coverage with 5 to 10 day turnaround, 3 to 6 month contracts, and permanent placements. International medical graduates, with MCCQE1, NAC OSCE, and Practice Ready Assessment support in 9 provinces.
Rural incentives, mapped to your community
Most provinces offer signing bonuses, return-of-service grants, locum top-ups, rural retention premiums, and student loan forgiveness. The exact package depends on the province and the community. BeGlobal maps every available incentive against your target community and surfaces only the roles that meet your compensation floor.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to hire a physician in Canada?
+
For a licensed Canadian physician, typical time to hire is 1 to 3 months. Where licensing or immigration steps are involved, plan 3 to 6 months. For IMGs on the Practice Ready Assessment route, plan 12 to 18 months.
What does BeGlobal's physician recruitment service include?
+
Sourcing and candidate vetting, reference checks, provincial licensing project management, immigration coordination, CMPA setup, hospital privileging, and family settlement support. We start with your practice scope, compensation, community, and timeline to build a recruitment plan.
How long does Canadian physician licensing take?
+
If you are US or UK trained, expect 3 to 6 months from application to provisional licensure in most provinces. BC, AB, NS, and NB are fastest. For IMGs without a recognised residency, the Practice Ready Assessment route typically takes 12 to 18 months including the 12-week clinical field assessment.
Do you support International Medical Graduates?
+
Yes. IMG placement is one of our core practices. We guide candidates through MCCQE1, NAC OSCE, credentialing through Physiciansapply.ca, and the Practice Ready Assessment pathway in BC, AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, and NL.
How does the US to Canada physician pathway work?
+
ABMS board-certified US physicians qualify for the Streamlined Practice Eligibility Route (SPEC) in BC, NS, NB, and PEI, and most provinces now grant direct licensure to US-trained physicians without further exams. We handle CPSO, CPSBC, and CPSA registration, malpractice (CMPA) setup, and a soft-landing package for the entire family.
Can you place locums as well as permanent physicians?
+
Yes. We staff short-term locum coverage with 5 to 10 day turnaround, 3 to 6 month contracts, and permanent practice positions across every province. Most of our hospital and clinic partners start with a locum and convert to permanent within 12 months.
What specialties do you recruit?
+
Family medicine, internal medicine, emergency medicine, psychiatry, anesthesiology, radiology, pediatrics, OB/GYN, general surgery, and most sub-specialties. If you need a niche specialist, ask. We have an active candidate database of 4,000+ Canadian-licensed and licence-eligible physicians.
What is included in family settlement support?
+
School searches and applications, spousal employment introductions, immigration paperwork, housing tours, banking, drivers licences, and community introductions. Our family settlement coordinator works with the physician's partner directly so the move actually sticks.
Do you handle immigration and work permits?
+
Yes. We work with licensed RCIC consultants for closed work permits, provincial nominee streams, and the Express Entry PR pathway. Most provinces have physician-specific LMIA exemptions under IMP code C20.
What does it cost to engage BeGlobal for physician recruitment?
+
We use a retained search model with a partial fee on engagement and the balance on signed start. Pricing is transparent, agreed in writing, and includes licensing project management, candidate vetting, reference checks, and 90-day settlement support.
Are there rural incentives I should know about?
+
Most provinces offer signing bonuses, return-of-service grants, locum top-ups, rural retention premiums, and student loan forgiveness. We map every available incentive against your target community and surface only the roles that meet your compensation floor.
What language requirements apply?
+
All provinces accept English-language certification (IELTS Academic, OET Medicine, CELPIP-General, or Canadian, US, UK, Irish, Australian, or NZ training). Quebec additionally requires functional French. We provide free French screening and bridge training to candidates targeting Quebec placements.
Get started
Brief us on your community, compensation floor, and timeline. We will come back within one business day with a realistic plan. Or book a 20 minute discovery call. We listen, ask sharp questions, and point you in the right direction, no pitch.
Start with a 20 minute discovery call
Tell us what you need. We listen, ask sharp questions, and point you to the right next step.