Eligibility criteria

First iteration - general

First iteration

To participate in the first iteration of the R-1 match, you must be a medical student or graduate who has obtained, or is in the process of obtaining, a medical degree by July 1 of the match year from an institution that meets one of the following criteria:

A Liaison Committee on Medical Education/Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (LCME/CACMS) accredited school;
A school of osteopathic medicine; or
An international medical school listed with the World Directory of Medical Schools (World Directory) published by the Foundation for the Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER) and the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME).

You must also be a Canadian citizen or hold a valid Canadian permanent resident card and have your Medical Identification Number for Canada (MINC).

International medical graduates and graduates of osteopathic medical schools*

If you are an international medical graduate who is attending or has graduated from a school listed with the World Directory, or who is attending or has graduated from a school of osteopathic medicine, you must have:

Written and passed, or be scheduled to write the National Assessment Collaboration (NAC) Examination by September 2020

And also one of the following:

Written and passed the Medical Council of Canada Evaluating Examination (MCCEE)
or
Written and passed, or be scheduled to write the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Exam Part I by November 2020*

Note: This requirement will grant you access to participate in a CaRMS match but does not automatically make you eligible within all provinces. Provincial eligibility updates are submitted periodically throughout the match year. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that they meet the requirements. If provincial eligibility changes after you have registered to participate to a match and you are no longer eligible, please contact help@carms.ca.

Postgraduate training

Only applicants without previous Canadian or US postgraduate training** are eligible to attain a position through CaRMS in the first iteration. If you have previous Canadian or US postgraduate training or plan to participate only in the second iteration of the match, please review the second iteration eligibility information.

* See the “Summary of MCC examination requirements” for each province’s requirements and exceptions
** Preliminary training in the US is considered accredited postgraduate training for the purposes of R-1 match first iteration eligibility. Applicants with previous preliminary training in the US are therefore not eligible to participate in the first iteration.

Second iteration - general

Second iteration

To participate in the second iteration of the R-1 match, you must be a medical student or graduate who has obtained, or is in the process of obtaining, a medical degree by July 1 of the match year from an institution that meets one of the following criteria:

A Liaison Committee on Medical Education/Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (LCME/CACMS) accredited school;
A school of osteopathic medicine; or
An international medical school listed with the World Directory of Medical Schools published by the Foundation for the Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER) and the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME).

The second iteration is open to eligible applicants who fit one or more of the following categories:

Applicants who submitted a rank order list for the first iteration but went unmatched.
Applicants who participated in the first iteration but later withdrew participation.
Applicants who did not participate in any way in the first iteration.
Applicants who are only eligible for the second iteration based on the provincial criteria and previous postgraduate training.

Please note that to participate in the second iteration you must be a Canadian citizen or hold a valid Canadian permanent resident card and have your Medical Identification Number for Canada (MINC).

International medical graduates and graduates of osteopathic medical schools*

Written and passed, or be scheduled to write the National Assessment Collaboration (NAC) Examination by March 2021

And also one of the following:

Written and passed the Medical Council of Canada Evaluating Examination (MCCEE)*

Written and passed, or be scheduled to write the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Exam Part I by February 2021.

* See the Summary of MCC examination requirements for each province’s requirements and exceptions.

Provincial criteria

In addition to being eligible to participate in the match, each province has additional criteria that must be met by applicants applying for positions. Eligibility requirements differ from province to province, so you should carefully review the provincial criteria below when preparing to apply to programs. In addition, you should be sure to review the Association of Faculties of Medicine in Canada (AFMC) motion and specific program descriptions to learn more.

Summary of intake criteria for international medical graduates (IMGs) by province

Summary of intake criteria for United States medical school graduates

Summary of intake criteria for Canadian medical graduates

Summary of intake criteria for Osteopathic school graduates

Summary of intake criteria for visa holders

Newfoundland and Labrador

Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island

Summary of MCC examination requirements

Last updated November 4, 2020

For detailed information regarding Medical Council of Canada (MCC) examinations, please consult the MCC website. Exam-related questions should be directed to the MCC.

First iteration

	Examination Requirements		Exceptions
	Is the NAC required for International medical graduates (IMGs) and for United States Osteopathic Medical Graduates for the 2021 R-1 Main Residency Match?	Is the MCCQE Part I required for International medical graduates (IMGs) and for United States Osteopathic Medical Graduates for the 2021 R-1 Main Residency Match?	Will the province accept the MCCEE instead of the MCCQE Part I for the 2021 R-1 Main Residency Match?	Will the province accept the MCCQE Part II instead of NAC for the 2021 R-1 Main Residency Match?	Are there any other exceptions?
Newfoundland and Labrador	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No
Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island	Yes***	Yes	Yes	No	No
Québec	Yes or MCCQE part II*	Yes*	No	Yes	Yes**
Ontario	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No
Manitoba	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Saskatchewan	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Alberta	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
British Columbia	Yes	Yes	No	No	No

* Graduates with the diploma of doctor of osteopathy awarded by a school of osteopathic medicine situated in the United States providing that the school is accredited by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation of the American Osteopathic Association do not have to obtain the recognition of the equivalence of the medical diploma by the CMQ. These graduates do not require the MCCQE Part I or NAC in order to apply.
** Candidates who have already received their equivalence from the CMQ.
*** Due to the pandemic, candidates who have graduated in 2020 or 2021 are not required to have completed the NAC exam.

Second iteration

	Examination Requirements		Exceptions
	Is the NAC required for International medical graduates (IMGs) and for United States Osteopathic Medical Graduates for the 2021 R-1 Main Residency Match?	Is the MCCQE Part I required for International medical graduates (IMGs) and for United States Osteopathic Medical Graduates for the 2021 R-1 Main Residency Match?	Will the province accept the MCCEE instead of the MCCQE Part I for the 2021 R-1 Main Residency Match?	Will the province accept the MCCQE Part II instead of NAC for the 2021 R-1 Main Residency Match?	In second iteration are applicants that were matched prior to 2021 who were not required to take the MCCQE Part I, now required?	In second iteration are applicants that were matched prior to 2021 who were not required to take the NAC, now required?
Newfoundland and Labrador	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	No
Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island	Yes*	Yes	Yes	Yes **	No***	No
Québec	Yes****	Yes****	No	Yes	N/A*****	N/A*****
Ontario	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Manitoba	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Saskatchewan	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes
Alberta	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	No
British Columbia	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes

* for NEW IMGs in second iteration, NO for IMGs currently in training or already licensed in Canada. Due to the pandemic, candidates who have graduated in 2020 or 2021 are not required to have completed the NAC exam.
** for IMGs currently in training already licensed in Canada.
*** Applicants must have passed the MCCEE or USMLE 1 & 2.
**** Graduates with the diploma of doctor of osteopathy awarded by a school of osteopathic medicine situated in the United States providing that the school is accredited by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation of the American Osteopathic Association do not have to obtain the recognition of the equivalence of the medical diploma by the CMQ. These graduates do not require the MCCQE Part I or NAC in order to apply.
***** Please note: The examinations are not the only conditions that must be met in Quebec. Please consult the CMQ website for more details.

AFMC motion

The Association of Faculties of Medicine (AFMC) is the academic partnership of Canada’s Faculties of Medicine and is the national voice for academic medicine in Canada. The resolutions outlined below partially inform the eligibility criteria for the match.

AFMC motion

Since Canadian medical schools are the principal source of the physician workforce for Canada

Be it resolved by the AFMC Board of Directors:

That all graduates of Canadian medical schools be assured access to a residency position in Canada to complete training necessary to enter practice,
That access to postgraduate training organized by the Residency Match in Canada be through a defined and transparent process for eligible graduates of LCME/CACMS accredited medical schools and also for eligible graduates of international medical schools,
That these processes must be defined by July 1 of the calendar year to ensure proper implementation can occur,
That we affirm that eligibility for a postgraduate training program is determined by each Canadian medical school,
That participation in the first iteration of the Canadian Residency Match be restricted to eligible graduates of LCME/CACMS accredited schools or international medical schools, who have had no previous RCPSC/CFPC/ACGME accredited postgraduate training.

Approved by AFMC Board, May 2nd, 2006.
London, Ontario