Here is my understanding of the available options for a Canadian graduate of an Australian medical school to return to Canada. I am just embarking down the IMG path myself, so my information may be incomplete and I certainly invite others to clarify, correct or add to the information below.
Path 1: Match to a Canadian Residency Program through CARMS
IMG's can apply to Canadian residency programs in the second round of CARMS (
www.carms.ca). To qualify, you must successfully pass either the Medical Council of Canada Evaluating Exam (
www.mcc.ca) or Part 1 of the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Exam.
This is a tough route to take as there is high demand for a very limited number of residency positions that are still open after the first round. Being acepted to a Family Practice residency program (especially in a rural area) is a little easier than the in-demand specialties which are nearly impossible.
Path 2: Match to a U.S. Residency Program
This is likely the most popular route back to Canada. The U.S. has thousands of residency positions which are made available to international graduates so the competition for positions is not nearly as competitive as in Canada.
The majority of positions are made available through the National Residency Matching Service (
www.nrmp.org); however, it is also possible to arrange for a residency directly with a program outside the match. To qualify for a U.S. residency program, one must pass the U.S. Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE - see
www.usmle.org).
For Canaidians, a visa is required to work in the U.S. as a resident. There are two options ... the J1 or H-1B. The J1 is easier to get; however, one of the conditions of this visa is that you must leave the U.S. immediately after your residency is completed for at least 2 years. It is possible (but not guaranteed) to obtain a waiver on this condition by working in a rural, underserviced area. The H-1B visa is the preferred visa as it does not require one to leave the U.S. after your residency; however, this visa is tougher to get.
Once you complete a U.S. residency, if you are on a H-1B visa, then you can practice in the U.S. while you pass your Canadian exams relevant to your area of specialty and secure licensure in a Canadian province. Then you can move back to Canada and practice. If you are on a J1 visa, then the best option would be to return to a provice that provides conditional licensure (e.g. Manitoba, Newfoundland) and practice in this province while you concurrently work on your Canadian examinations and full licensure. The Canadian exams that must be passed are the MCCQE Part I and Part II (
www.mcc.ca) and relevant specialty exams administered by either the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (
http://rcpsc.medical.org) or the College of Family Physicians of Canada (
http://www.cfpc.ca). Provincial Licensure is administered by the various provincial authorities (see
http://www.cfpc.ca/chapters/cps.asp).
Path 3: Complete post-Graduate Training in Australia
This used to be tough, and remains tough in the major urban centres (Sydney, Melbourne, etc.). However, it is becoming easier to be accepted to an Australian Residency Program and to obtain an appropriate Australian visa. As one would expect, the ability to take this path becomes easier if one is willing to consider locating to an underserviced area.
Australian credentials are recognized by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and deemed acceptable to allow one to write the relevant Canadian exams for their specialty (see
http://rcpsc.medical.org/residency/certification/img_e.php). For Family Practice, one would have to apply for "individual consideration" with the College of Family Physicians of Canada in order to secure permission to write the Canadian exams for Family Practice. Provincial Licensure would then be through the various provincial authorities.
Of course, one could also likely stay in Australia by obtaining PR status (given that you've probably been in Australia so long by this point that you've fallen in love with the country and grown roots). Medical Practitioners have recently been added to the list of professions in need which has eased the ability for doctors to obtain PR status.
Path 4: New Provincial IMG Assessment and Integration Programs
Some provinces have setup specialized programs for the integration of IMG's into Canadian practice. As an example, Ontario has recently established IMG Ontario
http://www.health.gov.on.ca/english/providers/project/img/img_mn.html) and Alberta also has a similar program (
http://www.aimg.ca). These programs are new, have limited enrollment and are often considered "trials". However, it is likely that over the next several years that these types of programs will become more popular as the need for doctors continues to grow, and provincial governments increasingly turn to IMG's to help increase the number of doctors practicing in their provinces - most especially in underserviced areas.