Returning Trainees: International MDs (on a Work Permit) | School of Medicine

We are pleased to welcome you back to the next year of your postgraduate program!

Before you begin the registration process, please review the information below. You will need to complete all criteria to register with the Postgraduate Medical Education Office. Please note that you must be registered by June 2.

You will not be allowed to continue in your program in the next academic year until you satisfy the registration requirements. All inquiries about registration with the Postgraduate Medical Education Office are to be directed to pgme@queensu.ca or (613) 533-2543.

If you are not registered by June 2, notifications will be sent to the following people that your return may be delayed. Failure to comply may result in a delay in your pay for the next academic year.

Notification List:

Chief of Medical and Academic Affairs, Kingston Health Sciences Centre
Associate Dean, Postgraduate Medical Education
Your Program Director
Financial Services - Payroll, Kingston Health Sciences Centre
University Registrar

Steps to Follow:

1. Log into the Postgraduate Registration & Information Management System (PRIMS) - Complete Now

Please use Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox for optimal performance when accessing PRIMS. Mobile devices (smartphones and tablets) are not supported by PRIMS.

Log into PRIMS
Enter your NetID as the Username
Enter your password used to log into your @queensu.ca email account (if you have forgotten your password, you will need reset it by clicking on “Forgot Password” on the Queen’s NetID platform)

2. Accept your e-Letter of Appointment (e-LOA)

Login to PRIMS
Confirm that your CPSO number entered is correct.
Click on “Accept e-LOA”
Review your e-LOA. If there is an error with the information in your e-LOA, do not accept the e-LOA but instead contact the Postgraduate Medical Education Office at pgme@queensu.ca.

An e-LOA only reflects training in the upcoming academic year (July 1- June 30). If your training continues past June 30, you will receive a new e-LOA next Spring.

The Postgraduate Medical Education Office will automatically receive a copy of your e-LOA from PRIMS once it is accepted. The PGME Office will inform the CPSO of your accepted e-LOA. Do not submit the e-LOA directly to the CPSO as they will only accept confirmation from the PGME Office as a part of your CPSO license application.

The CPSO begins to accept e-LOAs in mid-April each year. PGME will automatically forward your signed LOA in mid-April, which is part of your CPSO licence application.

3. Renew with the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) - Complete Now

Login to your CPSO account and RENEW your licence.
PGME automatically forwards your accepted LOA directly to CPSO in mid-April. Please allow CPSO sufficient time to process (CPSO processing time can take 3-5 weeks)
Regularly check on your application status in your CPSO Member Portal.
If your CPSO account does not reflect the LOA by the end of May, please email pgme@queensu.ca to resend.

Do not begin medical practice or postgraduate training in Ontario until you have received confirmation from the CPSO that you are renewed. It is an offence under the Regulated Health Professions Act for a person to practice medicine in Ontario, postgraduate training included, until such time as an appropriate certificate of registration has been renewed or issued.

Do you currently hold a postgraduate training licence as a resident or a clinical fellow?
Log in to your CPSO Member Portal for specific requirements.

If you currently hold an Independent Practice licence, CPSO renewal opens each year in early April. Please consult the CPSO Annual Membership Renewal page.
Log in to your CPSO Member Portal for specific requirements.

4. Confirm Annual Renewal with the Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA) - Complete Now

CMPA medical liability protection is mandatory for all Queen’s University trainees (Residents and Clinical Fellows). You cannot begin your training without CMPA medical liability protection.*

Confirm your annual renewal online with the CMPA for malpractice protection. Please contact CMPA if required.
The CMPA provides membership renewals on a calendar cycle (Jan-Dec). You must have membership renewed until the end of December, of the academic year you are registering into i.e., Academic year 2026-2027 CMPA must be renewed until December 31, 2026

*For trainees sponsored by the Canadian Forces, your medical liability protection is provided by the Forces, exempting you from CMPA. However, if you have elected to get CMPA, please advise pgme@queensu.ca of this decision.

5. Complete KHSC Application for Reappointment to House Staff - Complete Now

Found within PRIMS
Complete electronic form
Once completed hit the submit button

This form will be automatically sent to the KHSC Medical Affairs Office for credential purposes. If you have questions regarding this application, please email them to medicalaffairs@kingstonhsc.ca.

6. Pay Registration Fee - Complete only after Steps 2-5 have been completed

A provincial postgraduate registration fee of $1015 is required and will be requested upon the completion of all PGME registration steps within PRIMS.

Please note that if you are sponsored by a Postgraduate training agreement, i.e., Saudi Arabia or Kuwait you will not be requested to pay the registration fee as it is a part of the agreement.

This is the final step in the online PGME Registration process. You cannot complete this step until the PGME Office has confirmed that you have been issued a Certificate of Registration from the CPSO, and you have CMPA (or equivalent) coverage.

Do not pay the $1015 Registration Fee through the Queen’s SOLUS system. You must submit payment by Visa or Mastercard through PRIMS via Chase.

You should print a copy of Chase payment receipt as the Postgraduate Medical Education Office is not able to issue receipts. This may be important for you during tax season.

An email confirming the successful completion of your registration will be sent to you and the PGME Office once payment is approved.

Personal Information is collected in accordance with Ontario’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and other applicable legislation, including the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and is used for the purpose of university activities. If you have question about the information collected or how it will be used, please contact Queen's PGME. More information on our privacy policy, including tracking of web interactions, can be viewed here https://www.queensu.ca/accessandprivacy/privacy

All transactions involving credit cards are secured using industry standard TLS encryption as specified by PCI-DSS. More information regarding how those transactions are processed can be found here https://www.queensu.ca/secretariat/policies/finance/payment-card-acceptance-policy

7. Verify Work Permit and Passport Status - If Renewal is required, begin process six months in advance of Expiry Date

Check the dates of expiry on both. your work permit and passport and be aware if renewal is required; if either expire during the academic year, please ensure you work with the PGME Office to ensure proper processes/documentation is provided to assist you with renewal. Please do not submit your work permit application until you receive new approvals from the PGME Office.
The renewal process should start six months in advance of the expiry date.

8. Change to Mailing Address and/or Name Changes - Complete Anytime

If your address changes after you have registered on-line, you will need to update your personal information in three places as follows:

Log into the PRIMS system, and change your address
Email KHSC People Services at residents@kingstonhsc.ca
Log into your SOLUS Student Centre and follow the appropriate instructions.

If your name changes during registration or after you have registered in PRIMS, you will need to complete the following steps:

Inform the CPSO
Inform the CMPA
Email the following form, along with the appropriate documents as defined under #3, “Name Changes (In-course Students), to the Queen’s Registrars’ Office and the PGME Office.

Once confirmed that your name has been changed with the above (1-3) organizations, the PGME Office will inform KHSC People Services of the name change so they can communicate this change with several departments at KHSC, i.e., payroll, security office and ITS.