Ophthalmology: the Practice Eligibility Route
Requirements as published by the Royal College. Last reviewed August 2026.
Ophthalmology at a glance
- Required time in training
- 5 yearsSTR: Five years of residency training in Ophthalmology
- 2026 exam timing
- Written in the Spring; Applied in the Spring (same year)
- Apply for assessment of training
- by April 30 of the year before your exam
- Register for the exam
- September 1 – November 4 of the year before
- Exam attempts
- Maximum 4 attempts per component within a 5-year eligibility period
The Royal College reads your postgraduate training and practice record in Ophthalmology against the published Specialty Training Requirements. Those requirements are set out in full below, so you can see how your own training compares before you apply.
What licence can I get, and when?
Certification is national. Licensure is provincial. You do not need Royal College certification (FRCPC) to be licensed. Several provinces license you at an earlier PER stage, and the earliest any province accepts is the eligibility letter alone. The table applies to every specialty that reached exam eligibility through the PER.
Full province table: MCCQE, job offer and licence type
| Province | MCCQE | RC written | RC applied | Licence issued | Job offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta | Required | Required | Required | Full | Not required |
| British Columbia | Not required | Required | Required | Provisional | Required |
| Saskatchewan | Required | Required | Required | Provisional | Required |
| Manitoba | Not required | Required | Required | Provisional | Required |
| Ontario | Not required | Required | Not required | Provisional, 3 years | Required |
| Nova Scotia (a) | Not required | Not required | Not required | Defined, 6 to 24 months | Required |
| Nova Scotia (b) | Not required | Required | Required | Full | Required |
| New Brunswick | Not required | Not required | Not required | Special, then Defined | Required |
| Newfoundland & Labrador, PEI | Required* | Not required | Not required | Provisional | Required |
* The MCCQE may be waived where the candidate has five or more years of independent practice abroad. Case by case, never guaranteed.
Educational only. Rules change, and each regulator decides on factors that may not be listed here; Filipe Santos MD does not make licensure decisions. Checked October 9, 2026 against each regulator's pages; Ontario confirmed with the CPSO in October 2026. Confirm with the regulator before you act.
Province notes (Alberta, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the MCCQE) are in the PER guide.
How training is structured
The Royal College sets out the training for Ophthalmology in the blocks below. An internationally trained specialist is assessed on whether their own training and practice record is comparable in structure and content.
Requirements document: 2012; Editorial Revision January 2019; Version 1.2 (applies to those beginning training on or after July 1, 2012)
Required experiences3
Specific experiences the Royal College names for this discipline.
- 1.1 A minimum of one month and a maximum of three months in each of the following: 1.1.1 Internal Medicine or its subspecialties; 1.1.2 Pediatrics or its subspecialties; 1.1.3 Neurology; 1.1.4 Emergency Medicine; 1.1.5 Neuroimaging/Radiology; 1.1.6 Plastic Surgery
- 2.1 A minimum of three months or equivalent longitudinal experience, collecting and interpreting data, carrying out diagnostic procedures, and making appropriate clinical decisions (including recommending appropriate therapeutic procedures), in all the following: 2.1.1 Cornea/external disease; 2.1.2 Glaucoma; 2.1.3 Neuro-ophthalmology; 2.1.4 Refraction and principles of optics; 2.1.5 Diseases of the retina/vitreous/uveitis; 2.1.6 Strabismus/pediatric ophthalmology; 2.1.7 Emergency eye conditions; 2.1.8 Oculoplastics and orbital disease
- 2.2 A minimum of three months or equivalent longitudinal experience in research
Flexible or selective components1
Where the requirements allow a choice.
- Not specified in this document (no explicit elective or selective blocks are listed; the section 2.1 subspecialty experiences may be fulfilled as equivalent longitudinal experience)
Common questions
More questions about specialists trained abroad, each answered once with its official source, are in the IMG FAQ Center.
What is the Practice Eligibility Route in Ophthalmology?
The Practice Eligibility Route (PER) is the Royal College process by which an internationally trained specialist can be assessed for eligibility to sit the certification examination in Ophthalmology without repeating a Canadian residency. The Royal College reads your postgraduate training and practice record against the published Specialty Training Requirements for the discipline.
What training does the Royal College expect in Ophthalmology?
The Specialty Training Requirements describe five years of residency training in Ophthalmology. The full block-by-block structure is set out on this page, taken from the Royal College document for this discipline.
Does meeting the training requirements guarantee eligibility?
No. Eligibility is a committee decision made on your individual file, and other factors are considered. This page reproduces the published requirements so you can see how your own training compares before you apply; it is not an eligibility ruling.
Where do I start?
Read the seven steps in the PER guide, then have your training mapped against the Specialty Training Requirements before you pay any fees. The free PDF for this specialty carries the steps, the document checklist, and the Ophthalmology requirements in one file.
The Ophthalmology guide as one PDF
The seven PER steps, your document checklist, and the Ophthalmology training requirements in a single file. Free. Not sure the PER is your route? The screener checks your file against every route in about two minutes.
Other specialties27
Canadian clinical fellowships in Ophthalmology are in the Fellowship Finder.
Adapted from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Specialty Training Requirements for Ophthalmology. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the Royal College; every application is reviewed individually and final decisions rest solely with the Royal College. Verify current requirements at royalcollege.ca.