Location and Amenities

Schools & Education Opportunities in Surrey 

• 30 minutes from Downtown Vancouver
• 20 minutes from Vancouver Airport (YVR)
• Rapid transit access (Skytrain)
• Well connected bus networks and major highways (Hwy 1, 91, 99)

In Surrey-North Delta Surrey is served by Surrey School District 36 , while Delta is served by The Delta School district 37. Surrey is the largest public school district in B.C., with more than 130 elementary and secondary schools, while Delta has 31 elementary and secondary schools. The two districts offer a variety of programs to meet the needs and interests of all students, including French Immersion, International Baccalaureate (IB), Advanced Placement (AP), Fine Arts Programs, and Career, Trades & Technology Education.

Surrey North Delta is one of BC's fastest growing communities, and that growth is matched by a strong, inclusive education system designed to support students from kindergarten to post=secondary and beyond. 

Surrey School District is one of the largest in BC, with:

• Newcomer welcome centers
• Multilingual support programs
• Strong public, independent, and faith-based school options
• French Immersion programs

• Numerous childcare centers and early learning programs

  In addition to public schools, Surrey and Delta also offers many independent and private schools. These include Montessori programs, faith-based schools, and alternative learning options recognized by the BC Ministry of Education.

Housing Options

• Detached family homes
• Townhouse
• Modern condos
• Quiet suburban communities
• Walkable urban neighborhoods

Popular newcomer-friendly areas include:

• Fleetwood
• Clayton Heights
• Panorama Ridge
• Sunshine Hills
• Guildford/North Surrey

Post-Secondary Education in Surrey 

Delta and Surrey are home to top tier post-secondary institutions offering flexible, high-quality programs for both students and adult learners.

Childcare 

To find childcare options available in Surrey, Delta and White Rock, the Child Care Resource and Referral program, supported through Options, can help! https://www.childcareoptions.ca/parent-families/find-a-child-care-provider/

The Province of British Columbia has made significant investments to lower the cost of childcare for families. To learn more about the initiative and to understand the fees for the locations you are considering visit: ChildCareBC programs - Province of British Columbia

Parks, Recreation & Lifestyle

• Bear Creek Park
• Holland Park
• Delta Nature Reserve
• White Rock Beach (15-20 minutes away)
• Recreation centers, arenas, libraries, and cultural hubs.
• Year round festivals and a thriving multicultural food scene 

SND is a region where physicians can enjoy a high quality of life while serving a diverse and growing population

A high demand for family physicians

• Strong community support through PCNs
• Many clinics looking for long-term colleagues
• A youthful, dynamic patient population
• Excellent schools, transit, parks, and neighborhoods
• • Fastest growing community in BC
  • Diverse and multicultural
  • Young families and growing neighborhoods
  • Strong Primary Care Network and Division support

What family physicians are saying: 

I did feel a warm welcome. I did not feel marginalized, I felt included and heard and listened to. No question was taken as a silly question. Family Physicians around me showed patience and guided me whenever I needed their help. I was lucky to be in a clinic with a supportive team, from the front desk to the senior Family Physician. On top of that, there were two Family Physicians already on NTP contracts which was a huge advantage of being in that setting. They helped me with questions about billing and other logistics of being on this contract.

Interview with Dr. Uzma Mashood

"As a solo physician new to the community, I find the physician WhatsApp group to be an invaluable resource. It provides a friendly and supportive platform for timely clinical questions and professional discussions. The group's members are always responsive, offering accurate and thoughtful answers that contribute to effective decision-making and patient care" 

Surrey-North Delta Division of Family Practice

The Heartbeat behind the Division:

Imagine a place where the world's cultures, languages, and life stories converge, where families start new chapters, students pursue dreams, and professionals bring skills to serve others. That is Surrey-North Delta, one of BC's fastest growing, most multicultural regions. It is the heart of a quietly powerful story: the story of physicians who choose to practice and start a new life here AND a Division dedicated to supporting them through that journey. 

Long before a newcomer walks into a clinic, there is a coordinated network of teams working relentlessly behind the scenes, family doctors, clinic teams, system partners, and community organizations, each aligned around a shared purpose:
Strengthen primary care, build stronger and healthier community, while providing genuine support for those people who provide that care. This is the foundation of the Surrey-North Delta Division of Family Practice: a physician-led organization created to ensure that every physician has the guidance, resources, and community support necessary to thrive personally and professionally. 

As a member driven, physician led organization, the Division was created by doctors who understand the realities of serving a large and diverse community. Their Mission: "to enhance delivery of health services by offering professional support, connecting physicians across clinics and teams, and collaboration to improve patient access. 

The Division is more than a professional association, its a collective that brings people together to make the local healthcare system work better for both patients and physicians. JOIN today to be part of the team. The complementary membership offers a plethora of resources and support as well as opportunities to connect with your local colleagues.

From individual practice to connected care

The Division's vision expands beyond any single practice. Its about connecting family doctors to each other and to the Primary Care Networks, to specialist, and to community partners. Its about streamlining referrals, sharing knowledge, and ensuring every physician has access to clinical tools, resources, and peer support when they need it. Weather a physician is doing locums, joining and established clinic, or starting a new practice, the Division network strives to make the journey smoother and the work more sustainable.

These connections matter more than ever in a fast-growing region. As new residents arrive, families, students, professionals, the demand for primary care and family doctors rises. The Division's role is to ensure physicians can meet that demand with confidence, teamwork, and access to the right resources at their fingertips.
 

So... the story of Surrey North Delta isn't only about the place itself, its about the network of people, organizations, clinicians, families, all working together to make a community where newcomers are truly welcomed, where physicians can thrive, and where healthcare is a shared responsibility with a human face. We believe, that story isn't just being told, its being lived, one new physician, one new patient and one neighborhood at a time. 

-Surrey North Delta Division of Family Practice Team 

Surrey North Delta Division Of Family Practice 

Note: Practicing physicians relocating to British Columbia should become licensed in this province before relinquishing any existing licenses of the current jurisdiction in which they practice. 

TIPS:

Every physician’s relocation journey is unique. Getting licensed to practice in the province of British Columbia ranges, on average, between 6 to 18 months, depending on your specific situation. Physicians should take this timeline into consideration when planning their relocation to BC

• Before relocating to BC, physicians should access the resources provided herein to learn more about the process of licensure in BC. If you have not already done so, registering with Health Match BC is a great first step in your journey to practicing in BC. Health Match BC is a free resource.
• Health Match BC
• Health Match BC will be able to provide progress updates and estimated wait times as you go through the verification process. After your documents are verified, your file will be directed to the BC College of Physicians and Surgeons, which will issue your registration package.

It is recommended that you review the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC requirements for registration and licensure eligibility. 

Again, the process time of your package will vary. Your case manager will be able to provide an estimates timeline leading up to licensure. The Division can support your case if you experience delays outside of the regular processing time.

Physicians seeking to practice in British Columbia must adhere to the Practice Standards and Professional Guidelines published by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia (CPSBS). 

* Practice standards and professional guidelines |College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC.

For general information and questions or to learn more about practice opportunities in Surrey North-Delta, contact Megan @ megan.shymanski@snddivision.ca

Finding a place to practice

In parallel to applying for licensing and immigration, you will also want to secure a clinic to open your family practice in. You can find a breadth of practice opportunities by accessing the Surrey-North Delta Division website and the BC Health Careers website to view the practice opportunities that are available.   

PRACTICE OPTIONS:

Whatever your situation, the Division can help find a family practice model that suits you!

Preparing to Practice

You’ve found a practice, you understand the compensation model, and now you’re reviewing your practice agreement and waiting for licensing or other approvals to start your family practice. What can you do to prepare while you wait?

The Division has created an onboarding checklist to 

Onboarding Checklist for New Physicians of some of the systems that will assist you in managing your family practice. Review this checklist to learn and prepare ahead of your start date, so that you’ll be able to hit the group running on day one!

Practice Level Agreement

The practice level agreement is an opportunity for the host clinic and the new provider to discuss specific terms and document their agreement on the working arrangements in the clinic. Leverage the interview questions provided above to think through the details about how the new provider will work with the existing team. In addition to outlining how the team envisions the working relationship, there should also be information included about how the team should approach problem solving as challenges arise, and what everyone can expect when the provider eventually leaves the clinic. 

The division has compiled a sample practice level agreement that may assist clinics and new providers as they work on their specific agreement. Doctors of BC provide some further information and templates regarding group practice agreements, including group governance, data sharing, and cost sharing. 

Note: If a conflict arises, the division is able to provide limited guidance for providers and can also arrange third-party conflict resolution support. Doctors of BC also has resources and services that can support conflict resolution

Building the panel of your dreams!

Surrey–North Delta offers strong panel-building support through the Provincial Attachment System (PAS).

B.C.’s Provincial Attachment System, announced in July 2023, streamlines the process for connecting patients who do not have a primary care provider (either a family doctor or nurse practitioner) with a provider who can take on new patients.

PAS comprises of 3 key registries: 

1. Health Connect Registry (HCR) - People who live in B.C. can register to be matched with a family doctor or nurse practitioner. Patients who are seeking family doctors are asked to register on this site.

2. Panel Registry (PAS) - Doctors attaching new patients will register to view their current panel, accept patients sent to them through the Division, and if needed, delegate responsibilities to the office manager.

3. Clinic and Provider Registry - Tracks clinic capacity, provider availability, and attachment workflow for clinics and medical directors to provide accurate, up-to-date clinic information such as what team-based health professionals support patients at what location, and The Ministry of Health's expectation is that all providers on PCN contracts or receiving the Community Longitudinal Family Physician payment will be using PAS to build and manage their panels. 

OUR team at the Division will assist you to;

• Set up your PAS access
• Help you understand your EMR panel management
• Assist you manage early panel growth sustainably and monitoring

Panel Management & Quality Care 

The Practice Support Program | FPSC at Doctors of BC is available to Family Physicians to guide them through panel management, the process of using the physician’s electronic medical record (EMR) data to identify patients’ chronic and preventative care needs and then plan their proactive preventative care.

Through Doctors of BC’s Practice Support Program (PSP), you have access to:

• EMR optimization
• Chronic disease registries
• Preventative care tools
• Quality improvement coaching
• Panel clean-up support

Contact: psp@doctorsofbc.ca

Deciding on a payment model:

Additional Billing Resources:

Settle In Surrey-North Delta, British Columbia

Finding a place to live

We recommend looking at a variety of options when considering your housing needs: 

MLS® & Real Estate Map | REALTOR.ca; Facebook Marketplace is another popular avenue to find rentals in the local area. 

BC Services Card

The BC Services Card allows you to access health care and other government services. This card is often linked with the BC Driver’s License. BC Services Card - Province of British Columbia.

*You will need the BC Services Card in order to access the Provincial Attachment System, which is essential for panel building and management. Once you have your BC Services card, we recommend that you and your family sign up on the Health Connect Registry to find a primary care provider who is accepting new patients.*

Driver’s License

Find information about obtaining a driver’s license and identification in British Columbia. 

Driver licensing & ID