FAQ

The annual membership fee is $50.00.

AIMGA has a variety of programs and services dedicated to supporting IMGs through the licensure process. We have exam preparation courses for IELTS and the MCC exams, application support programs, study groups, and lectures, workshops, and Lunch & Learns throughout the year on various topics. Your membership also covers access to online study materials such as UWorld and Canada Qbank.

You can renew your membership as follows:

• Login to your user account on the website
• Click on your name in the website header
• Click the "Membership" link in the sidebar
• Click the "Renew your membership!" link in the Status section of the page
• Click the "Click here to purchase a membership!" link in the My Memberships section of the page
• Click the "Renew" button
• Fill out your payment information, then click the "Submit" button

That's it! Your membership will be renewed for the next year.

Unfortunately, we cannot issue refunds for cancelled memberships.

We welcome all those who wish to learn more about AIMGA to attend a New Member Orientation session. The orientation is typically held on the first Wednesday of each month and is an excellent opportunity to get to know more about AIMGA, the licensure process, and how to determine your next steps. If you wish to become a member after the orientation, please advise one of our staff members. You will be asked to register online and submit the annual membership fee. Once your account is activated, we can note in your profile that you attended a New Member Orientation session. Note that attending the orientation is mandatory for all new members before they are able to register for our other programs and services.

To view a list of upcoming sessions, visit our Programs, Courses & Events page.

If you do plan to attend an orientation session, please ensure that you send an email to Thaea (thaea@aimga.ca) so you can be placed on the attendance list. Additionally, in the event that the session needs to be cancelled or rescheduled, we will then have a method to contact you to advise of updates/changes.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is a department of the Government of Canada which facilitates the arrival of immigrants, provides protection to refugees, and offers programming to help newcomers settle in Canada. IRCC provides funding to AIMGA for their programs and services, therefore AIMGA must abide by IRCC Funding Guidelines.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) administers the Settlement Program and Resettlement Assistance Program to help newcomers settle and adapt to life in Canada, setting them on a path to integration and full citizenship. Through these programs, IRCC works with many partners to deliver services to newcomers.

The Settlement Program assists immigrants and refugees to overcome barriers specific to newcomers’ experiences so that they can fully participate in social, cultural, civic and economic life in Canada and acquire citizenship.

Eligible clients

Only the following persons are eligible to receive IRCC settlement services:

• Permanent residents of Canada
• Protected persons as defined in Section 95 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
• Individuals who have been selected to become permanent residents (pending verifications) and who have been informed, by a letter from IRCC
• Temporary foreign workers who hold or received approval of a work permit under section 112 or received initial approval for permanent residence under section 113 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations

Restrictions

• Canadian citizens and non-permanent residents are not eligible persons.

The 6 service types are:

• Needs assessment and referrals
• Information and orientation
• Language training
• Employment-related services
• Support services
• Building community connections

No, you are not ineligible for all our programs and services. Specific programs have limited seats, thus a selection process and/or set criteria are in place to ensure seats are given to the right person, at the right time in their pursuit to seeking licensure. Attempts will be made on behalf of AIMGA to seek additional funding. Where possible, AIMGA may offer some programs and services on a fee-for-service basis in order to accommodate members who are Canadian citizens. AIMGA acts on behalf of its membership and has the interests of the membership at heart. We do our best within the funding guidelines set by IRCC.

Yes, the New Member Orientation is mandatory for all new members and is a prerequisite that must be completed before you are able to register for other courses and workshops. This session is an excellent introduction to AIMGA and how we can help support your journey to licensure or into an alternative career in healthcare. It is also a great opportunity to network with fellow IMGs and to learn more about the licensure process in Canada in a group setting.

Your profile may not be complete. Please ensure that you log into your AIMGA account and complete your profile. You are required to complete at least 75% of your profile before you are able to sign up for our programs and services. Please note that we will require 100% profile completion as of the end of January 2020.

Simply click on the “Click here for lost password” link and enter the email address associated with your account. You will automatically receive an email with a link to reset your password.

You can book an appointment with some of our staff members using our online booking tool. Simply go to the Consultations and Appointments page to view the scheduler. Please ensure that you review the location and staff member bio so you can choose the appropriate person for your consultation.

Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate walk-in appointments. Please use the online appointment scheduler to book a time to meet with a member of our staff.

If you are no longer receiving emails from AIMGA, it may be the following reason(s):

1. You recently changed your email address, but your profile still has your old email address. Please ensure that you regularly update your profile so that we have your up to date information.
2. You unsubscribed from our mailing list. Most of AIMGA’s email communications are sent from a third-party email marketing site called Mailchimp. If at any time you opted out of these email communications by clicking on the unsubscribe link, you will no longer receive any emails from AIMGA. Please note that this mailing list is separate from your AIMGA account; even if you are an active member of AIMGA, you will not receive emails because you are unsubscribed in Mailchimp. If you would like to opt into these communications again, please send an email to info@aimga.ca and we can send you a subscription request.
3. Our emails may be getting caught in your spam/junk mail folder. To ensure that future emails are not marked as spam or junk mail, please add info@aimga.ca to your approved email list.

Some of our workshops may be targeted specifically to members who are studying for an MCC examination or are at a specific point in their licensure journey. Additionally, we have limited seats available for many of our programs. Therefore, it is crucial that seats are given to the right person at the right time in their pursuit to seeking licensure.

AIMGA has a variety of materials such as exam preparation guides and medical textbooks (e.g., Toronto Notes) to support our members through the licensure process. As many of these resources can be costly to purchase, members in good standing of AIMGA can borrow these resources free of charge.

You may borrow up to three books at one time.

You can borrow books for an initial period of two weeks. After that time, you can renew for a further two weeks for a total of four weeks per book. This is to allow other members to have access to these materials as they can be in high demand during certain times of the year (i.e., during exam season).

Our Calgary and Edmonton offices are open Monday to Friday from 8:30AM to 4:30PM. We typically close from 12:30 to 1:00PM for lunch, and we are also closed on Statutory holidays and over the Christmas holidays. Our office may also be closed from time to time due to staff development sessions or other events.

CALGARY OFFICE: We do not have a dedicated parking lot; however, we do have some 2-hour street parking directly adjacent to the building (Crescent Centre). Some streets close to the building have unrestricted parking available as well.

EDMONTON OFFICE: The parking stall marked AIMGA is for staff members only. Also, please note the patient parking stalls are for patients of the clinic and not for AIMGA members. Do not park in these stalls during clinic hours. There is free 2-hour street parking available or daily parking in the Impark Lot or Diamond Parking Lot close to the Stratica Medical Building.