re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners
 

speaking for myself we have just lost our GP in our village ,he did his time (sponsored by village)has newish build surgery and has now moved to the city..the nextdoor village is in the same boat old doctor(GP)surgery at local hospital wants to take it easier but no one wants tae move To rural Manitoba ,,just been told Altonna (town)about an hr away is advertising on internet for GP $200--250k(job bank canada.)
i really cannot understand why GPs do not want to move to rural Canada (manitoba) as it is a great lifestyle.,hell the village even tried to give the GP that left a house if he stopped.
jimmy:(:(

re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners
 

They can earn significantly more for less hours in a city practice.

re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners
 

aye recon so,,but quality o life must come into it somewhere .
The village tried sponsoring a doctor through his training at uni...let him come away from uni debt free but locked into the village for 5yrs..
he did his 5yrs but his wife pulled him away to the smoke:(she was not happy being a house frau ).
So now we have a lovely health clinic wi a dentist ,foot doctor,and no GP.,,
so is life!.jimmy.

re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners
 

Hi Guys,

I have not been here for a while but this particular thread was useful before I moved here last year. I echo a lot of what snoopdawg is saying and I have learned a huge amount about practice in BC. I have to admit that I see more UK and Irish trained GP's turning up than ever before so there must be some draw.

Some key points I would note since moving and working here:

1. I have generally had very good interactions with Healthmatch BC but I agree that the jobs are not vetted in anyway. I actually fed back a lot of my experiences via Skype chats with my recruiter when I had visited to check out clinics and warned them about some of the disreputable places I had seen.

2. It is imperative you come in advance, check out some BC communities (even in the lower mainland/Vancouver metro area). There are big differences even between places such as Burnaby, Richmond and Surrey in terms of ethnicities, language skills required to make life bearable. For example, in Surrey, if you have the ability to speak Punjabi you will do well in large parts of it. In Richmond, your ability in Chinese dialects will serve you well. Other parts are more mixed e.g. Burnaby/New Westminster.

3. As a follow on from point 2, I took two weeks to meet lots of people in various clinics, and immediately you get a sense of how people work here. So much of it was fuzzy to me when I started looking but I now have a clearer understanding of what is involved. I am relieved I ended up in a reasonable situation but look at the clinic, ask how many other doctors are working there, try to speak to them if possible (I actually exchanged contact details with doctors at several clinics who seemed very nice and then via email got the lowdown on what it was really like when the spokesperson/office manager/doctor-owner was not around snooping on the conversation). Some of the 'friendliest' clinics turned out to have the worst recommendations.

4. The fee split is CRUCIAL. It seems to range from 20-40% of your income (please feel free to correct me if this is incorrect). In effect, you bill the government for what you did for each patient and then the clinic will take a percentage as "overhead" for running the clinic on your behalf. It is harder to negotiate a good split when you are coming from the UK. This can change with time. This can take a significant chunk of your income. The more they need you, the favourable the split can be. In more competitive environments (e.g. the city of Vancouver), they will take more due to higher costs and the fact that desirability is on their side.

5. As snoopdawg has pointed out, you must learn to become savvy in managing your financial affairs. There is simply no equivalent of being 'salaried' as we know it. Forget unemployment/sick benefits, cover, annual leave and the like. When I talk to GP friends back in the UK I describe it as being a locum on a long term basis. You are responsible for your tax affairs (get a good accountant) and arranging financial cover as you see fit. You work, you get paid. You're not at work? No income. It is rare to see FP's working as "salaried doctors" in the community. The agreement you sign is often more to help CIC understand how to process your application - it is not a true employer-employee contract in that sense in most cases and there is a time period otherwise getting your immigration paperwork sorted out is a nightmare.

6. Incorporation: in effect, you can become a Ltd company the way many UK GP locums are. It can provide tax shelter and for many doctors here, it is their retirement fund since there is no pension provision whatsoever provided by the government. You need to have an honest discussion with your accountant/tax adviser regarding the point at which it makes sense to incorporate. I would advise against rushing this decision until you know what you are making and how much you are spending (bear in mind the costs of emigration and setting up a new home and the cost of any dependents). Talk to colleagues about who they use and trust.

7. BC is harder on incoming FP's (as GP's are called) than many other provinces. They know this but also know that the weather and lifestyle will continue to draw doctors here. Alberta and the prairies are pretty much along the line of "get your MCCEE and we will get you in". See my previous posts regarding exams but briefly: you can get in without the MCCEE to BC but with a catch - you get between 3-5 years to take MCCQE 1 and 2 which are tougher exams and there is no getting out of these (unlike other provinces where if you behave and stay long enough, they will fully license you without them). Although there is a new integrated MCCQE Part 2 + CCFP exam, for most newer UK GP graduates this is no help whatsoever. You will need to take the traditional MCCQE Part 2 anyway. MCCQE 1 is a written one day exam and tests both primary and secondary care knowledge and I although I appreciate what snoopdawg is saying about taking it but I took it and it's no joke and I did prepare for this. I did reasonably well on it but I must admit, I took it quickly after a few months of practice and studying (I socially networked with a few Canadian med students and their insight was great). Part 2 is a clinical exam. As someone who took AKT not that long ago, I can say MCCQE Part 1 covers greater depth and is far more intense.

8. When you arrive, the College will insist you take the UBC IMG Integration Course (offered twice a year) - get on it at the first available opportunity. It will help you understand much of what is on this thread with clarity and more importantly, get there, talk to people and network with other incoming IMG's. Networking has helped me enormously.

9. I will point out that in my division of family practice (they have these, akin to regional BMA type GP groups) we have had an increase in the number of UK/Irish GP CV's being handed out to us who are looking for jobs and need a supervisor. The closer you are to Vancouver, the harder these are getting to find. Many of the health authorities are tightening their criteria in the recruitment process and now demanding that a supervisor also has to have hospital privileges (i.e. the ability to directly admit and care for patients in a hospital) and they want you to mirror this. This type of supervisor is getting harder to find in urban communities in Metro Vancouver since most abandoned their privileges due to lifestyle/income choices. In rural parts you will have no trouble with this since most FP's will cover hospitals as part of their work. The bottom line is that the two health authorities that will be hardest to work with because of this requirement are Vancouver Coastal (covering Vancouver/Richmond/Sunshine Coast) and Fraser Health Authority. I have met with the other health authorities who have a much harder time recruiting (e.g. Interior Health) and they rely much more heavily on South African doctors or other FP's who prefer those locations and they are much more active in their recruitment/support process.

In summary, as a UK trained GP you have several advantages: native English speaking ability, recognition of your MRCGP (equivalency given to CCFP and therefore MCCEE exemption) and a general sense of respect for your training and background country (Canadians can be very picky about this as colleagues from other countries have told me and my personal interactions). I am still shocked, however, at how many GP's I've met from the UK and Ireland or had questions from who just did not do their homework over such a huge move. Overall, I am enjoying the experience and it is different. Embrace that and you will do well.

I hope that helps some of you reading this!

re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners
 

I would like to point out couple of things in response to the post above
1.BC is not that hard to get, infact BC does not even require MCCEE, you just need the training requirements to be fulfilled. The foundation programme counts so thats really easy. MCCQE part1 and part 2 are not that hard, just needs time , like any other exam.
2.: fraser health authority still looking for GPs , there is no anticipitated lull in recruitment
3. South African doctors are in great demand, the only reason BC/canada stopped recruiting from there was that the SA government made an appeal to Canada to stop poaching their doctors as they are themselves facing an acute shortage but the college states that any doctor looking for registration individually wills till be considered, but the drive has stopped.
4.: I am coming to vancouver tow ork because I have family/cousins etc there but it is not necessarily the best place in canada. Places like calgary etc has higher income and better quality of life

re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners
 

and also if you all the steps of USMLEs(which I have), BC does not require the LMCC exams. Alberta would still require the LMCC for full license.

re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners
 

I am not saying it is hard - there is still a great need for GP's on the ground but the health authorities are having a harder time getting their GP's in due to this hospital privilege requirement that is coming into force; the lesson I have learned is be careful who you sign up with. You are right about exams - it takes time to prepare for them, just don't underestimate that when you are relocating and busy setting up house. I have also done some of my USMLE's and they way to gain exemption is by having all the steps (unfortunately if you don't have all of them, it doesn't count). I have met UK GP's who failed Part 1 because they didn't take enough time to prep (unlike the MCCEE which is more straightforward).

As for Alberta, it is a different quality of life (I went in winter and it was brutal) but definitely better money. Everybody is different but I am surprised to hear that you still need LMCC since I have met UK GP's who took the MCCEE and then are told to stay on the provisional register for 5y and then are converted to a full licence without the need for any more exams.

re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners
 

Thanks for all the info! Its all really helpful. I am planning on moving to Calgary for GP - I am not cold friendly but it was the easiest province to get licensing in so thought I would give it a go!

When I was checking things out I contacted a guy who runs a practice in Calgary and had a position available for advice. He was really nice and he contacted me after I got my eligibility review and offered to sponsor me.

I have not visited the place yet and I am not exactly sure what it would mean if I agree to this. He says its normally a 70/30 split (I think this is about average?) and that is about all I know. He is also very keen - and this concerned me a little....however going with this would mean that the process will be a lot quicker otherwise I will have to wait for the recruiters to get back to be me and organise a trip out there to do the interviews which could add another few months and money to move things forward. Initially I thought it does not really matter if I do not see the place beforehand as I will be practising independently but after reading the posts it seems like the consensus is to see the place first.

I would love to chat to any GPs who work in Calgary and who would be happy to offer unbiased advice about what to do.

re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners
 

Try GPincanada (Hope this is allowed on here) just google it
It's a site set up by a UK GP now in Alberta for what you seem to be asking for

re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners
 

Thanks for the info. I have had a look at his site and it's very informative. I will def try and contact him.

He is not in a Calgary though. Is there anyone on here who works in Calgary?

re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners
 

Calling on all the forum friends here,
I had signed up with a wrong person and had contract + legal issues. But now its clear( had to spend £5000 to get out of it, the chap who hired me was not only mean and manipulative but also litiginous.
Its all behind me now, and i am coming to do quite a few interviews in BC( i have broadened my area now, and no longer focussed on fraser health, other places offer more incentives and seem to be more friendly).
But i needed some advice, my daughter is currently in year 2 but the schools in canada are saying she will have to start grade 2 in september 2014.
Is grade 2 in canada similar to year 2 or year 3 as per english curriculum?
Your thoughts would be highly appreciated, she is a bright girl and the thought of her repeating a year is not very pleasant.

re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners
 

http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/by_gra...n&gradelevel=2

http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/curric...curric_req.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Canada

:)

Hi Brainwave,

Sorry to hear about your experience so far.

I arrived in Vancouver with my family 2 and half weeks ago.
I have a 7 year old daughter who has done her formal schooling to date in Portugal(in Portuguese) where children start school at the age of 6.

We have been offered an assessment after speaking to the registrar at the DCRP to ascertain whether or not Grade 2 wold be appropriate for. She speaks and reads English.

https://www.vsb.bc.ca/schools/distri...nt-centre-drpc

They were very helpful-maybe you could speak to them and get your daughter assessed too.

Hope that helps.

re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners
 

Thanks for your helpful replies, i will certainly
explore these avenues .

re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners
 

Hi. I am still in go training, gpvt2. I have passed mccee, mccqe1&2, and has Canadian permanent residence already. I have all pcrc documents except the cct and mrcgp of course. My wife and I are interested to move to Halifax once I receive cct and mrcgp august 2015 - provided I can pass the CSA hopefully.

I am wanting to work in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

I am however puzzled by some posts here whereby gp applying for licence are asked to do some additional rotations? As far as I know, if I qualify for full registration licence with the nova Scotia regulatory body and cfpc , using my mrcgp and lmcc. Please correct me if my assumption is wrong..

My last question is- will I be unwise to leave and immigrate from the UK and move to Halifax right after I receive my mrcgp and cct documents? I assume job hunting and awaiting for ccfp should take about six weeks... I shall source verify them asap. Don't wish to extend my visa in the UK..

Any advice will be appreciated. Thank you guys.

re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners
 

I think you will be ok for halifax, the extra rotations were for BC, not nova scotia.

re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners
 

oh great, thanks Brainwave. I shall pray that I can get a job next year in Halifax, nova scotia...

re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners
 

Hello

I am undertaking the process for CPSA licensure and I have been shocked by the cost of registration and the annual fee.

I was wondering if anyone knows if there is possible to claim tax back when in Canada on these payments to soften the blow.

Thanks

re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners
 

Hello ONI

I haven't paid tax in Canada yet but I imagine that one would be able to claim tax back on all expenses related to keeping you in your profession, much like in the UK.
What I'm not sure about is when you would be deemed as tax resident in Canada since you're making these payments before you come to live and work here.

I'm sure other more knowledgable people will soon be along to advise further.

re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners
 

This is a great forum. It's gone a little quiet but hoping someone might be able to answer some questions I had. We're very early in the process of thinking about moving to Canada. My wife is from Nova Scotia, but I have no residency status in Canada and we're thinking about moving to Alberta at least for the beginning. I have all the rotations I need for Alberta from my F1/F2 years and GPVTS but don't have any ER experience which looks like it will rule out BC.

I have only just started the physiciansapply process. They have received my passport, and my CCT, MRCGP and medical school certificates which are being source verified, and I have applied to do the MCCEE in October. I've also looked at CPSA website and am pretty sure I have all the necessary qualifications to get in. I lift this from their website regarding information I need to apply for eligibility to gain a provisional license:

------------------------

Review of Qualifications

The Review of Qualifications includes the following information:

Canadian medical examinations completed (ie: LMCC, MCCEE, CCFP, CCFP (EM), FRCP(C), FRCS(C))
Evidence of English language proficiency
Medical education history
Documents related to all postgraduate medical training
Medical certifications
Other medical qualifications
Practice history

NOTE: Graduates of international medical training programs will need to have their credentials source verified by physiciansapply if granted access to the complete application.

------------------------

My questions were specifically:

-Will the certificates I have asked to be source verified above be sufficient for proof of postgraduate training and medical school training for the CPSA? Should I also submit my full registration certificate for the GMC? I chose the above certificates as these seem to be the ones which were required to later apply for exemption from examination for the CFPC later down the road.
-Is it absolutely necessary to have other documents of optional courses source verified, e.g. DRCOG, post graduate certificates, joint injection courses etc. I know snoopdawg, you submitted everything to be on the safe side, but has anyone been successful without doing this?
-After reading this forum I believe my question about whether I need to provide proof of my F1/F2 and GPVTS rotations is necessary, and it looks like it is, so I am now contacting the course administrators/ coordinators of those courses to get official letters. However, do you need to provide details of your medical school course if the medical school is listed in the International Medical Education Directory (IMED) and your medical certificate has been accepted? Or would this be done through an Educational Credential Assessments (ECA) via the MCC?
-When is it necessary to provide a certificate of good standing from the GMC and who does this get sent to? - the CPSA or the MCC? If the MCC and it needs to be source verified, how would this work as it looks like the GMC send it direct or email it direct to the regulatory body, so I wouldn't be able to send a cover sheet direct with it.
-When is it necessary to get references - is this after the review of qualifications - do these need to be source verified?
-Lastly, apart from just me listing my practice history, will the CPSA require further source verified proof?

I have emailed the above questions to the college, but after reading the forum I expect a long waiting time for any reply, and then probably an incomplete answer! The costs do add up so trying to economise if possible. I have already found the following websites somewhat instructional:

http://www.cpsa.ab.ca/Services/Regis...ractice-permit
Requirements for Practice for Canadian and International Graduates

Many thanks in advance to anyone who may want to reply, and apologies for the essay! Hopefully others may have similar questions so any answers may be helpful to others too.

re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners
 

Hi Dr.matt!

Congratulation on starting the process. I am also going through the process at the moment myself but for Ontario. and still in UK. awaiting CPSO outcome by end of Oct 2014. So all I know is correct for ontario/CPSO. Each province has its own rules for registration.

Alberto is one of the least restrictive.

It seems you will be around when next BMJ career fairs is going to happen. Do go to it as BC/Alberto college/Sachecatchewan college do come there and you can ask all your questions.

but in Summary there are 3 legs to your registration as GP in the Canada:

1. getting your documents verified. the CCT (that is proof of your postgraduate education)/MRCGP/MBBS is enough and that is what you have done. I did my BSC but no use so far! when i did source verified I have to do ID certified documents too - a form with my details and photo being notarised as well as my passport - british but that was when i applied under PCRC the old system.
once this is done then the next 2 stages you can start simultaneously that if if you want to get out quickly.

2. you need to register with CFPC (equivalent of RCGP) in canada. For this registration, to get registered without examination you need to have MRCGP(source verified - will become handy), UK post graduation training counts etc. you can read here the criteria:
Recognized Training | Alternative Pathways to Certification in Family Medicine | Education | The College of Family Physicians Canada
Then you will get CFPC letter of eligibility which you can use as part of registration with province college. in your case with Alberto regulatory.

3. Register with regulatory body i.e. CPSA.
I suggest you email college and ask them to email you the registration for after you have explained you are qualified from uk and blah blah....in that email or registration form then you can see what else they require from you. GMC good standing - takes 10 days/references or referee names/letter of eligibility or license with CFPC/job offers. most of these stuff has 6 months expiry for these canadian such as letter or good standing from GMC or references so act according.

it is good that you booked your MCCEE - it is really easy and most of stuff is related to most of what you do in GP but some involve basic science like acid base. do this exam because it is easy and then you don't need to do MCCQE1 and QE2 if you choose to stay in Alberto and by 5 years you will get your full license as i understand it. it is not the case for Ontario!

oh! for Ontario they did not ask for certificate in english as being thought in english in uk was enough evidence so it may be the same in Alberto!

At the moment i think you need just to email the college and ask the application. and slowly look at jobs because you will need a job offer under supervision very likely to get licensed. There are agency set up by gov to help with relocation so find for Alberto.
which part of Alberto are you relocating to?

regarding experience- for instance ontario ask i have to have obs and gynae experience which i don't so i submitted my CV and so far not being asked that i need to provide some other evidence i have the experience...so i think you ask such specific questions like that directly to Alberto physician registration enquires!

good luck.....

re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners
 

Thanks for the quick reply Hasan. That information is useful, especially regarding applying for the CFPC simultaneously. I suppose all the documents they require would need to be source verified before you can do that though?

From what I can gather, Alberta and Nova Scotia are currently the only two provinces where you apply to the college directly through physiciansapply. Alberta require a pre-screening 'review of qualifications' which you have to apply for through the physiciansapply portal and assesses whether you may be eligible to apply, and if so then gives you access to the full eligibility application. Pre-screening itself costs $200, so I am quite keen to make sure I pass it! The following outlines what is involved in pre-screening, though still leaves open some of the questions above:

Applying for a Practice Permit - Registration - Licence

I would definitely need a pass in the MCCEE before starting pre-screening, for example.

Your comment on the BMJ careers fair was very useful. I have now emailed the recruiters at Alberta Physician Link to see if they might also be able to clarify some of the above for me.

Good luck with your application as well!

re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners
 

From what I gathered, Alberta can be quite keen to "help" you across as long as you are prepared to stay, so will fly you across to visit area and will also help with relocation costs. We didn't really fancy Alberta from our research so opted for Ontario instead but something to think about..

re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners
 

My Pleasure! dr.Matt...

Thank you! Just patiently waiting for my app 2.....:0)

No! you don't have to wait but why open an active account with CFPC now and pay for it while you have to wait 3-4 months for source verification is taking place. Once you open your account with CFPC it takes about 2-4 weeks to have it processed. it is easy and quick! All online.

From what i read online about ontario, I found the info always confusing..it seems the same with Alberto website while doing a quick pick.

I know another colleague who is going to Calgary - if you like i can try to put you in touch with him but need to ask his permission to see if he is ok. He is just about to complete the whole process and got a job...

Tirytory is correct! Alberto need FP/GP especially in Rural area.


I heard that Alberto introduce some kind of Locum programme, allowing physician to Locum for 6 to 9 month as a taster and then complete the registration process...

oh! another way of you finding some info is via doctors.net if u are registered...

re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners
 

Thanks Hasan. Do you mean to say you applied to the CFPC without first waiting for the documents to be source verified?

We are also thinking about Calgary, and if your friend doesn't mind being contacted that would be great! You could PM me his details if he was happy with that.

re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners
 

Yes! I did apply with CFPC while awaiting source verification. it was processed once source verification completed but you have to share it with CFPC on the physicianapply - you will be told how...

no problem...If you don't mind...can you pm me your email address then I will email my colleague directly and ask him if he wants to then he can email you directly!:)

re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners
 

Does anybody know the best person/ numbers to contact at the RCGP and GMC to check about how far they might have gotten on with source verifying certificates?

re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners
 

I thought with source verification you had a login and could actively check with that particular organisation as to how progress was being made.

re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners
 

I can see that the documents have been sent off on physiciansapply, but it doesn't give any contact details for the organisations. Apparently they send it off, wait 60 days, then if no reply send it off again. Failing that I believe you can pay extra to have it looked into/ organise for signed delivery to the organisation in question. But it may also be useful to call the organisations to check they are not sitting on the request - I just don't know who is best to call.

Having said that, I just received an email out of the blue from an RCGP administrator today saying they had received the request and emailed it back (to Philadelphia in the US, who are apparently handling the request for the MCC).

re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners
 

Ah sorry, my husband did it all himself rather than using an agency, so I guess he knew all that stuff before. Like I said though, if you can the relevant source I'm sure you have your account and therefore can check progress online.

re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners
 

Hi dr Matt, did you ever find out from the cpsa whether you needed to get documents from all your previous jobs proving postgraduate training for source verification before applying for a review of qualifications or whether the cct, mrcgp and medical degree documents were enough as it's not terribly clear on the website

re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners
 

hi dr.matt
there is no particular person. i did email GMC and they reply to your request.

re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners
 

Hi Cecile, from what I understand from Alberta Health Services after I emailed them, once you've passed the MCCEE then you can apply for the review of qualifications. That process takes 2 weeks. It may well be worth applying for membership of the CFPC before applying as it will add weight to your application (they ask about it in the application for review of qualifications), and I understand only takes a couple of weeks to come through as long as you have your CCT/ MRCGP/ Medical degree documents source verified already. The CPSA then do a review of your qualifications which they say takes about 2 weeks, and then at that point tell you what proofs you need to get for them in order to apply for provisional licensure, which as far as I understand would normally only include a document from the deanery where you trained outlining your training rotations other than your CCT/ MRCGP/ Medical degree documents. Applying for the review of qualifications is relatively cheap I believe - around $200? Application for a provisional license is much more expensive I think, around $1600 for annual renewal from what I have read!

I haven't actually gone ahead with much of the above process yet - I have passed the MCCEE, but we are not yet ready to make the leap, probably a year away. However, I have contacted my deanery and am in the process of getting my document for postgraduate training source verified, in anticipation.

re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners
 

Good evening all,
Do any ex-pat Physicians (Segs? Snoopdawg?)have any thoughts on what to do about their NHS pension?
I found out today that after April 2015 we'll be unable to transfer UK pension overseas.
Just interested in hearing all your opinions-it is probably too late make any changes now.

re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners
 

We have just done it, took ages for various reasons. I applied for a transfer value about June last year, due to vacation actually started to try to arrange the move late August but my bank switched us to Scotia Macleod as they be able to offer a better cheaper service.
We were also querying with the NHS the amount of one pension, we felt it had been worked out wrong
Finally we gave in and sent papers end October, mine "arrived too late"" only it hadn't!! I had proof they had received in time, so argued a bit and they relented.
OH's did arrive too late but guess what, they then realised they had worked it out wrong!!!!
New papers arrived, Scotia Macleod were amazing at filling in again, and back they went, pretty quick.
We finally got our money early January. it's safely invested now, with a good team, feel pretty confident we had done the right thing.The spouse only getting half on death really worried me.
But no way have you got the time to arrange now, NHS works on mañana time except for GPs

re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners
 

Argh what implications does that have?

Presumably you can still draw it in the UK but can't transfer it to invest over here? We both have NHS pensions...

re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners
 

I think you are stuck with current and future rules as subsequent governments decide to change things, too uncertain for us.They seem to be determined to devalue GPs pensions whilst asking for ever higher contributions and longer working life, presumably to stem the hemorrhage!! Plus once here , in the event of death (!!) , money can be transferred to the survivor, in the UK, you just get a spouse pension, which I believe is half.I presume , but don't know, that you only get taxed in Canada, but it would also apply to the lump sum, which would be annoying.
Have you asked for a transfer value? Just wondering if you started the process before the deadline, would they let you complete?

re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners
 

No... Hubble off this week so will mention it to him. Tbh we have been tackling one thing at a time... To stay or go? Exam, PR app, incorporation/exam etc etc... New baby in there somewhere 😉

re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners
 

I know, even without a baby the first year or two was chaotic at best, so much is different work wise, tax wise, general living wise. Took us 5 years to get round to moving our pensions, when we had the time!!

re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners
 

oh!
can we still transfer our nhs pension? i thought the deadline for changes to become effective was 16 March. At least the letter i have says to decide by 16 March if i want to change from pre-1995 scheme or 2008 scheme or something along that line...:(