International Medical Graduates in Canada: physiciansapply.ca, MCC Translation Rules and Provincial Colleges

A diploma translation that IRCC would accept with a sworn affidavit, and that a university registrar would accept on sight, can still be refused on physiciansapply.ca. The Medical Council of Canada's rule for international medical graduates is unusually narrow: documents in other languages "must be translated by one of the translation service providers listed" on the MCC's website. There are three, and the MCC does not refund a translation that fails its rule.

Below is who may translate what for international medical graduates (IMGs) as of October 2026, from physiciansapply.ca to the provincial colleges, CaRMS and IRCC.

How does licensing work for international medical graduates in Canada?

Three organizations split the work. The MCC verifies credentials and runs the national exams, a provincial or territorial college decides whether you may practise, and CaRMS runs the residency match.

1. physiciansapply.ca. You open an account, have your identity documents certified, and submit a source verification request (SVR) for your medical degree. MCC staff review the upload and pass it to ECFMG, a division of Intealth, which asks your medical school to confirm it.
2. Exams. The Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination (MCCQE, called the MCCQE Part I until April 1, 2026) and, for residency applicants, the National Assessment Collaboration (NAC) Examination. You may apply for the NAC "as soon as you have submitted and paid for the SVR of your medical degree."
3. The LMCC. Since January 26, 2026, the Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada requires a pass on the MCCQE and a successfully source-verified medical degree. The twelve months of postgraduate training once required were dropped, and the LMCC is now issued digitally.
4. Licensure by a college. Your provincial college decides the route: residency, a practice-ready assessment (PRA) or another pathway.

For the LMCC, an IMG's school must also be listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools with a sponsor note indicating it is acceptable in Canada.

Who can translate documents for physiciansapply.ca?

Only the providers the MCC lists. Its document translation page, last updated in January 2026, says: "Documents stored in your physiciansapply.ca account must be in English or French," and documents in other languages "must be translated by one of the translation service providers listed below." The list names ITC Global, NATIONS Translation Group and Straker, and adds: "You must work directly with one of these providers to have your document(s) translated."

A translation from any other source does not meet the requirement. That includes a certified translation from Official Translations, a sworn translation made in your home country, and a translation carrying an IRCC-style affidavit.

The rule is not new. In October 2016 the MCC made its in-account translation service mandatory and announced: "The option to supply your own translation is now discontinued." When it closed that service on February 15, 2023, it pointed candidates to outside providers on its list, and using one of them is now a requirement.

What the MCC expects in the upload

• Two files: a copy of the original-language document you sent to the provider, and "The translation file exactly as provided to you," which contains the translation, the original-language document and the translator's information.
• No editing: "Do not modify the file by adding or removing pages."
• Back pages only when they carry something. "However, the back page must be translated if it includes vital information or official stamps/seals," such as a graduation date, exam marks or a dean's signature.
• No apostille: "The MCC does not require apostilles."
• Passports: none needed if the passport already shows English or French. If the MCC asks, only the certified pages with your name, photo, signature, date of birth and expiry date are translated.
• School-issued English versions: if your school's English or French copy "is not a literal, word-for-word translation of the original-language document," the original must be translated.

Which documents does the MCC source verify?

Six kinds of international credentials: the medical degree or diploma, the medical school transcript, internship documents, postgraduate training documents, specialty certificates, and a medical licence or proof of registration. It will not verify employment letters, recommendation letters, certificates of ongoing training, association memberships, language training documents, statements of exam results or CVs; if a college asks for those, they go to the college under its own translation rule.

Details that catch people:

• The diploma copy must be "a copy of the one used for framing and wall-hanging purposes." If it lacks the school's full name, add a document that shows it, such as the final transcript.
• Licence cards need both sides; specialty certificates do not need the back.
• Earlier ECFMG verification through EPIC or USMLE can be reused, but you still create and pay for the SVR.
• Schools answer on their own schedule. The MCC warns that responses can take three months or longer; if a school has not answered after two months, ECFMG sends another request, up to three requests in all.

What the MCC charges

Translation is priced by the listed providers, and the MCC is not responsible for "any costs associated with having your documents translated or retranslated." MCC fees are subject to change without notice.

Do provincial colleges accept other translations?

Some do, and the answer often depends on whether a document passes through physiciansapply.ca or goes to the college directly.

In Quebec, traducteur agréé is a title reserved for members of the Ordre des traducteurs, terminologues et interprètes agréés du Québec (OTTIAQ), and the CMQ wants a separate translation attached to each document.

Ontario differs again: the CPSO "does not require the use of physiciansapply.ca for either application or document verification," and sets out what it needs in a Schedule of Requirements that can change during the application. Read yours first.

Certificates of professional conduct are not yours to send. Nova Scotia "will only accept original CPCs received directly from the issuing authority," valid for 90 days from issue on a first application, and the CMQ wants each one to arrive "directement de l'organisme qui l'émet". If one is issued in another language, ask the college how to handle its translation first.

What about Express Entry, work permits and the rest of the file?

IRCC applies its own translation rule, but the MCC still owns your degree assessment.

• The ECA. IRCC says that if your primary occupation is specialist or family physician (NOC 31100, 31101 or 31102), "You must get an ECA report for your primary medical diploma from the Medical Council of Canada." The MCC issues it once your diploma passes source verification (or your transcript has passed and the diploma is still out). The PDF typically arrives within 14 business days, IRCC reads it from your account, and it is valid for five years. Its translations are the listed providers' translations.
• The doctors category. On December 8, 2025, IRCC announced an Express Entry category for doctors with "at least one year of Canadian work experience in an eligible occupation, gained within the last three years." It now appears on IRCC's category list as "Physicians with Canadian work experience", covering NOC 31100, 31101 and 31102.
• Everything else. Birth and marriage certificates, police certificates, employment reference letters and a spouse's documents follow IRCC's rule: a translation by a certified translator whose seal shows a membership number, or a translation with the translator's sworn affidavit. Applicants, relatives and representatives may not translate. See IRCC translation requirements and certified translation vs sworn affidavit.

For the rest of the immigration paperwork, see Express Entry and permanent residence documents and police certificate translation.

Why IMG files get stuck

An unlisted translator's work uploaded to physiciansapply.ca. It fails the requirement, and the fee is not refunded.

A provider's file edited before upload. Removing the original-language pages or merging files breaks "exactly as provided."

A skipped back page that carried the graduation date or the dean's signature.

A school's "English version" that is really a summary. If it is not word for word, the original needs translating.

Names that drift between diploma, passport and account. If your name has changed, use the MCC's name change request process.

A certificate of professional conduct sent by the applicant, or one that expired before the file was complete.

Checklist: before you order any translation as an IMG

Questions people ask