Fellowship Education Advisory Committee Guidelines for the Remuneration of Clinical Fellows
Beginning September 2010, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC; formerly CIC) waived the requirement for the issuance of a positive or neutral Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) for foreign national medical residents and fellows, prior to the issuance of a work permit to a foreign national seeking to occupy one of these positions in Canada.
In place of the LMIA, the PGME Office must provide appointees with a supporting LMIA- exempt offer of employment. Compliance with the following IRCC requirement is a condition of the issuance of the LMIA-exempt offer of employment:
The foreign national receiving remuneration as a medical resident, clinical fellow or research fellow is being remunerated at a rate commensurate with that of a Canadian performing the same duties in the same location of work as the foreign national.
Because of the variety of fellowships that the Faculty of Medicine offers in its affiliated hospitals, as well as the variation in fellowship responsibilities, skill level and educational objectives, there is no established standard for the remuneration of clinical fellows.
The Fellowship Education Advisory Committee (FEAC) recommends that, for all clinical fellows, including foreign nationals (”visa trainees”) with non-departmental funding, departments consider whether the proposed funding arrangement would be acceptable for a Canadian in the same fellowship position.
In view of the advanced level of training that a clinical fellowship represents, the FEAC recommends the remuneration of clinical fellows at a rate at least equal to that of a PGY1 trainee (per the “Annual Salary Scale” accessible at http://www.myparo.ca/your- contract/#annual-salary-scale) and urges departmental review of all funding arrangements that do not meet this threshold.
The FEAC also recommends that departments consider the impact on clinical fellows of the cost of living in Toronto. The accompanying tables identify estimated first-year expenses for a visa trainee (Appendix 1) and for a visa trainee with an accompanying spouse and two children (Appendix 2).
Appendix 1
Estimated cost of living for a single adult in Toronto, for the first year of a clinical fellowship
The following table (May 2018) is an estimate of basic living expenses for a single adult (international clinical fellow, first year) in Toronto:
| First Year Expense | Amount ($) | Rationale/Source |
|---|---|---|
| Canadian Embassy Work Permit Application Fees | 255 | Temporary Resident Visa , Work Permit |
| PGME Visa Processing Fee | 160 | One-time fee, unless fellowship renewal requested at a later date coverage (effective July 1, 2018) |
| One-Way Flight to Canada | 1,461 | Dubai – Toronto; Source: British Airways |
| CPSO Fees | 996 | Non-refundable Application Fee = $436.25, Membership Fee = $345, includes Optional Expedited Assessment Fee = $215.50 |
| CPIC Requirement Criminal Record Check | 20 | CPSO requirement Online application with the Toronto Police Service |
| Source Verification of Medical Degree (physiciansapply.ca) | 450 | CPSO requirement. Account Fee = $285, Medical Document Fee = $165 for each medical credential document submitted for source verification. |
| CMPA Annual Premium | 2,700 | Clinical Fellow monthly rate = $225 |
| UHIP | 156 | Single 3-month rate until OHIP coverage (effective September 2018) |
| PGME Registration Fee | 735 | Annual fee (pro-rated) |
| Conferences, symposia, other educational activities | 1,500 | Estimated cost of fellowship-related educational activities outside of PGME enrolment |
| TTC Monthly Pass (e.g. TTC Metropass or PRESTO Card) | 1,755 | Monthly rate = $146.25 PRESTO cost subject to variation (i.e. one way transferrable ride in Toronto: $3) |
| Rent - 1 Bedroom Apartment | 25,224 | Monthly rate = $2,102 average Toronto Central (per Toronto Real Estate Board, Q1 2018, http://www.trebhome.com/market_news/rental_reports/) |
| Telephone + Internet (including Long Distance) + Cable | 1,620 | $65 Phone (basic), $37 Internet (basic), $33 Cable (basic), monthly; Source: Rogers |
| Food | 5,550 | Source: U of T (CIE) |
| Clothing | 2,500 | Source: U of T (CIE) |
| Miscellaneous Expenses | 4,000 | Source: U of T (CIE) (Includes laundry, entertainment, supplies) |
| TOTAL ANNUAL EXPENSES1 |
$49,082 |
1Fellows receiving remuneration from Canadian sources should consult Canada Revenue Agency (http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca) regarding the taxable status of their remuneration
Appendix 2
Estimated cost of living for a single adult and three accompanying family members in Toronto, for the first year of a clinical fellowship
| First Year Expense | Amount ($) | Rationale/Source |
|---|---|---|
| Canadian Embassy Work Permit Application Fees | 555 | Temporary Resident Visa , Work Permit, plus accompanying family members ($100 x 3) |
| PGME Visa Processing Fee | 160 | One-time fee, unless fellowship renewal requested at a later date (effective July 1, 2018) |
| One-Way Flight to Canada 2 | 5,692 | Average $5,692/one-way, Dubai– Toronto; Source: British Airways |
| CPSO Fees | 996 | Non-refundable Application Fee = $436.25 996 Membership Fee = $345, includes Optional Expedited Assessment Fee = $215.50 |
| CPIC Requirement Criminal Record Check | 20 | CPSO requirement Online application with Toronto Police Service |
| Source Verification of Medical Degree (physiciansapply.ca) 3 | 450 | CPSO requirement. Account Fee = $285, Medical Document Fee = $165 for each medical credential document submitted for source verification. |
| CMPA Annual Premium | 2,700 | Clinical Fellow monthly rate = $225 |
| UHIP | 468 | Family 3-month rate until OHIP coverage (effective September 2018) |
| PGME Registration Fee | 735 | Annual fee (pro-rated) |
| Conferences, symposia, other educational activities | 1,500 | Estimated cost of fellowship-related educational activities outside of PGME enrolment |
| TTC Monthly Pass (e.g. TTC Metropass or PRESTO Card) | 2,630 | Monthly rate = $146.25, Weekly pass = $43.75 (20 weeks). PRESTO cost subject to variation (i.e. one way transferrable ride in Toronto: $3) |
| Rent - 2 Bedroom Apartment | 35,820 | Monthly rate = $2,985 average Toronto Central (per Toronto Real Estate Board, Q1 2018, http://www.trebhome.com/market_news/rental_reports/) |
| Child Care 1 | 22,838 | Monthly rate = $1,903 average (1 toddler); Source: City of Toronto |
| Telephone + Internet (including Long Distance) |
2,112 | $65 Phone (basic), $78 Internet (option above basic), $33 Cable (basic), monthly; Source: Rogers |
| Food 1 | 7,200 | Monthly rate = $600 average, Source: City of Toronto |
| Clothing 1 | 4,000 | One-time outlay for winter clothing |
| Miscellaneous Expenses 1 | 5,500 | Includes laundry, entertainment, supplies |
| TOTAL ANNUAL EXPENSES4 |
$93,376 |
2 Please note that estimated expense may vary depending on the age of the children.
3 Expense may vary depending on number of documents (e.g. translations) required.
4 Fellows receiving remuneration from Canadian sources should consult Canada Revenue Agency (http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca) regarding the taxable status of their remuneration.