Citizenship:

Or are you looking for

Or do you want to find pharmacist jobs in Canada?

You are eligible to work as a pharmacist anywhere in Canada.

However, you must be licensed in the province or territory in which you would like to work. Individual provinces/territories are responsible for issuing their own license to practice, and general information is provided below for your convenience. Applicants are encouraged to contact the licensing body in the province in which they wish to work to confirm the specific requirements for that province.

The basic process to licensure involves: completing a pharmacist educational program; passing the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada's (PEBC) two-part Qualifying Exam (held in May and November of each year) to receive the PEBC's Certificate of Qualification; and receiving a license from a provincial or territorial regulatory authority. Note that the Certificate of Qualificationis one requirement for licensure – other requirements include practical (internship) experience and a jurisprudence exam. For specifics about the jurisdiction in which you'd like to work, contact the relevant licensing body.

If you hold a license to practice in one Canadian province, licensure by endorsement is often possible. Again, please contact the appropriate licensing body for specific details.

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For detailed information regarding the pharmacist licensing process in Canada, please visit the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC).

In general, pharmacy graduates who possess a first professional undergraduate degree in pharmacy from a program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), may apply directly for the Qualifying Examination (see below) without having to undergo a document evaluation and without having to complete the Evaluating Exam. Otherwise, a pharmacist must first have her/his documents evaluated by the PEBC, and if favorably evaluated, write the PEBC Evaluating Exam (held in January and July of each year).

If an applicant graduated from a pharmacy program accredited by the ACPE, or has successfully passed the Evaluating Exam, then s/he must write:

Additionally, the individual must complete an internship which varies in length (four to 48 weeks) from province to province.

Visa information: Pharmacists are covered under NAFTA. If you are a citizen of the USA or Mexico, you are eligible for a visa. Permanent Residents of the USA or Mexico are not eligible under NAFTA.

You can obtain an Employment Authorization (NAFTA Professional Status) from any Canadian port of entry, US-Canadian border crossing, or Canadian Consulate (or in Canada, if you are already in the country as a visitor). No sponsorship is required. Job Offer Validation is not required. However, you will still need to provide proof of an offer of employment from your employer in Canada. You must also meet the minimum education, experience, and licensing Requirements set for your profession.

Your documentation* you present must indicate:

*This documentation can include: a signed contract between you and an employer; a letter from your prospective employer confirming that employment has been offered and accepted; a letter from your current employer stating that you are entering another NAFTA member country to render services pursuant to a signed contract between your employer and an enterprise in that country.

The duration of the Employment Authorization is set for an initial period of one year. An unlimited number of one-year extensions may be subsequently obtained so long as you can show that the employment remains temporary, and that you continue to be qualified to work in your profession.

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You'll need to contact the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC), because you will have to complete the same credential evaluation/exam procedures as described above for Americans and Mexicans.

Visa information: You are required to have a Canadian Employment Authorization before being allowed entry and employment in Canada. Sponsorship is often required. The process is often lengthy, but for some jobs and locations, it may be somewhat easier.

Example 1: When hiring international applicants who are not covered by NAFTA, typically an employer must first apply to Human Resources and Social Development Canada/Service Canada (HRSDC/SC) for a "Labour Market Opinion" (LMO) to assess how hiring the foreign worker would affect Canadian jobs. This could normally take weeks to months to obtain. However, HRSDC/SC launched an Expedited Labour Market Opinion Pilot Project to accelerate the application process to hire temporary foreign workers in certain occupations in the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. Pharmacists are included among those "certain occupations." Under this pilot project, an employer can have the LMO in up to five days after the government has received the required documentation/information. Once the LMO is in hand, and a person has a written employment offer and proof s/he meets the job requirements, the person can apply for his/her work visa.

Example 2: HRSDC/SC also maintain regional lists of occupations under pressure. What this means is that if an occupation is on the list for the region, employers in the region will not be required to undertake lengthy or comprehensive advertising efforts before being eligible to apply to hire a qualified foreign worker, which saves them time. However, the employer will still have to apply for a Labour Market Opinion (also known as an employment confirmation) from SC, which can take weeks. So in a case in which a few provinces have a certain career listed as an "occupation under pressure," but the others do not, a person would more likely find success in finding a job if s/he were to apply for licensure in one of the provinces in which their career is an "occupation under pressure." As of when this was last updated (see date below the box), pharmacists are included on the lists for Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec.

Please contact the nearest Canadian Embassy or Consulate to inquire about obtaining an Employment Authorization.

You can also find more information on the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website.

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