In order for an International Pharmacy Graduate (IPG) to become a licensed pharmacist in Canada, the following steps must be completed:

STEP 1
The starting point is to have your degree evaluated by the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC). The Board will ask you to send in various documents relating to your education and will evaluate them in comparison to Canadian pharmacy degrees. This step is called “Document Evaluation”. You should review the PEBC website in detail and you will be able to obtain all required applications and instructions on-line. Those seeking to register for the next sitting of the PEBC Evaluating Exam (STEP 2 below) must submit all documents for both STEP 1 + 2 to the PEBC before the deadline, in order to successfully register for the next Evaluating Exam. The PEBC website is www.pebc.ca

STEP 2
Once your documents have been evaluated by the PEBC, you must then sit an Evaluating Exam to determine whether or not you have the knowledge equivalent to someone who has completed a pharmacy degree in Canada. This exam is held twice a year, in January and July. The deadline to register for the exam is at least 3 months before the exam so careful attention should be paid to the PEBC website for the deadline dates for each exam. Those seeking to register for the next sitting of the PEBC Evaluating Exam must submit all documents for both STEP 1 + 2 to the PEBC before the deadline, in order to successfully register for the next Evaluating Exam. This exam can be written in various cities in Canada or it can be written in London, England.

STEP 3
Only after successful completion of the PEBC Evaluating Exam, you can sit the PEBC Qualifying Exam. This exam has two parts (written: MCQ and clinical: OSCE) and is held twice a year, in May and November. This exam can only be taken in Canada. The deadline to register for the exam is at least 3 months before the exam so careful attention should be paid to the PEBC website for the deadline dates for each exam.

STEP 4
Before starting your internship, you must complete a recognized Language Proficiency Exam. Details of the English language fluency tests and level required by each provincial licensing body can be found at www.napra.ca or on the appropriate provincial licensing board website.

Once all of the above steps have been completed you can then begin your internship (in Ontario IPGs must first complete a 4-8 month period of studentship before moving on to internship). To determine the specific internship hours required by each province, please contact the local Provincial or Territorial Licensing Body in the Province or Territory in which you would like to settle.

STEP 5
At some point prior to becoming licensed, you must complete a Provincial jurisprudence exam.