Ontario (Second Iteration)

Updated January 11, 2023

University of Ottawa
Queen’s University
Northern Ontario School of Medicine
University of Toronto
McMaster University
Western University

2023 Cycle Information

Criteria applicable for all medical graduates; for specific information, please see tabs.

The 2023 provincial criteria is currently under review.

Please note that the criteria on this page is from the 2022 match. Updated criteria will be posted on this page in the upcoming months, once it has been reviewed by the province.

Second Iteration

First Iteration

Criteria for all medical graduates

CRITERIA APPLICABLE TO ALL MEDICAL GRADUATES

GENERAL INFORMATION

The Ontario Faculties of Medicine and Ontario Ministry of Health have agreed to the following policies for the 2023 PGY1 match. It is important to note that individual residency programs may have additional specific criteria that are used to review applications. Please carefully review the program specific criteria as well as the provincial criteria listed below. All matched applicants must meet the criteria for registration with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) for postgraduate medical education.

ANY DELAYS IN PROVIDING ALL REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION TO CPSO MAY RESULT IN A DELAY IN ISSUANCE OF A CERTIFICATE OF REGISTRATION AND A DELAY IN START OF POSTGRADUATE TRAINING BEYOND JULY 1ST.

LICENSING BODY

College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario

MATCH STREAMS

All positions unfilled after the first iteration will be blended into a single stream for the second iteration. The second iteration positions will not have separate CMG or IMG streams and will be open to all eligible candidates. Residents in current PG positions can access the second iteration as a way of changing programs or specialties. Please review the national transfer guidelines for more information National Transfer Guidelines.

RESTRICTIONS

Please be advised that graduates of Osteopathic Medical Schools will be eligible for IMG positions only, and will be required to complete both the MCCQE1 and NAC OSCE as standard Ontario entry criteria. For more information on accredited Osteopathic programs visit COM Accreditation

Only Residents currently registered in Canadian accredited residency training programs are eligible to access the second iteration as a way of changing programs or specialties. Please review the national transfer guidelines for more information AFMC national transfer guidelines.

Applicants who have completed Canadian Residency training and have their RCPSC/CFPC completion of training forms signed off are not eligible.

COVID-19 vaccination

Please be aware that most, if not all, hospitals in Ontario have mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policies in place that require, in the absence of a valid medical or human rights exemption, proof of vaccination. Acceptable vaccination must be in accordance with Health Canada. You will be required to provide an attestation that you meet this requirement as part of the CaRMS application process and any actual documentation will be collected by the appropriate institution if matched. These guidelines could change at any time in accordance with future direction from the Ministry of Health or the Universities based on information from Public Health.

CITIZENSHIP REQUIREMENTS

Accepted Citizenship types

Canadian citizen

Canadian permanent resident

Accepted Citizenship documents

Canadian Birth Certificate or Act of Birth

Certificate of Canadian Citizenship

Canadian Citizenship Card (both sides of card)

Canadian Permanent Resident Card (both sides of card)

Confirmation of Permanent Residence in Canada

Passport page showing Canadian Citizenship

Deadline for providing Citizenship documents

File review opening

Legal Status

Proof of valid current citizenship or permanent resident status must be provided by submitting one of the following verifications to CaRMS by the File Review Opening deadline. Failure to provide valid proof will result in your application being removed. No other forms of verification are acceptable:

Notarized/certified photocopy of Birth Certificate/Act of Birth issued by an authority in Canada accompanied by photo ID (must be Canadian government issued photo ID).
Failure to provide proof of citizenship will result in the removal of your application. No other forms of verification are acceptable.
Documents must be notarized/certified photocopies. Notarized/certified copies must be dated and not older than two years from the date of application submission deadline; otherwise, a new notarized/certified copy is required.
Confirmation of permanent residence must be accompanied by photo ID (must be a Canadian government issued photo ID).

CaRMS is partnering with third-party organizations to automate the verification of citizenship/legal status required by postgraduate offices for entry into residency. Third-party verification simplifies the process for applicants and programs. All applicants who do not receive third-party citizenship verification will be required to upload and assign an acceptable proof of citizenship document. Please see additional information here.

Additional criteria for CMGs

ADDITIONAL CRITERIA FOR CANADIAN MEDICAL GRADUATES A Canadian Medical Graduate (CMG) or U.S. Allopathic Medical Graduate (USMG) is an individual who received their medical degree from a medical school accredited by the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS) or the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME).
PROOF OF LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY	Applicants must be able to communicate proficiently in the language of instruction and patient care of the matching school and training site.
MEDICAL COUNCIL OF CANADA EXAMS	Please review individual program descriptions.
PROVINCIAL ASSESSMENTS	N/A
RETURN OF SERVICE (ROS) REQUIREMENTS	N/A
MEDICAL EDUCATION	Please review individual program descriptions.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION	Permanent Residents: Successful applicants who hold Permanent Resident status in Canada will be required to disclose their Country of Citizenship to the postgraduate medical education office in order to comply with current reporting requirements of the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities Matched applicants: CaRMS will provide their electronic data file to the matched university’s postgraduate education office. The postgraduate office will share the information as needed, but not limited to, the Ontario Physician Human Resource Data Centre, Canadian Post-MD Education Registry, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, the College of Family Physicians of Canada, the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada, the Professional Association of Residents of Ontario, teaching hospitals and other training sites, Touchstone Institute and the Ontario Ministry of Health. Changes: The Ontario Faculties of Medicine and Ontario Ministry of Health reserve the right to make changes to the information published on the CaRMS website pertaining to Ontario postgraduate training without prior notice. Failure to meet or provide proof of any of the stated requirements may result in applicant file being removed at any point during the match.

Additional criteria for IMGs

ADDITIONAL CRITERIA FOR INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL GRADUATES An International Medical Graduate (IMG) is an individual who received their medical degree from a medical school that 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). In Ontario, an International Medical Graduate (IMG) is an individual who received their medical degree from a medical school not accredited by the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS) or the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). A U.S. Osteopathic Medical Graduate (USMG- Osteo) is an individual who received their medical degree from an accredited Osteopathic medical school.
PROOF OF LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY	Language assessment document accepted: TOEFL-iBT Document validity (not expired) by: Must be valid up to the assignment of applications and documents deadline Minimum score: 93 with a minimum score of 24 in the speaking section Language assessment document accepted: IELTS Academic Document validity (not expired) by: Must be valid up to the assignment of applications and documents deadline Minimum score: 7 in each component Language assessment document accepted: Occupational English Test (OET) -Medicine Document validity (not expired) by: Must be valid up to July 1, 2023 Minimum score: Minimum grade of B in each component Language assessment document accepted: Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) – General Document validity (not expired) by: Must be valid up to July 1, 2023 Minimum score: Minimum score of 9 in each component Language assessment document accepted: Letter of language proficiency* Alternatively, candidates can submit a printout from the World Directory of Medical Schools which clearly states that the language of instruction is English or French. The IELTS Indicator* will be accepted as a substitute for the Academic Version of the IELTS. The TOEFL iBT Home Edition will be accepted as a substitute for the TOEFL iBT. Applicants must be able to communicate proficiently in the language of instruction and patient care of the matching school and training site. Please review specific program descriptions for more information.
MEDICAL COUNCIL OF CANADA EXAMS	Examination: MCCQE Part I Date/milestone assessment submission required: File review opening Requirement: Mandatory Examination: NAC Examination Date/milestone assessment submission required: File review opening Requirement: Mandatory with exceptions* * MCCQE part II can be used to apply instead of the NAC Visit the Medical council of Canada for more information on the MCCQE Part 1. Visit the Medical council of Canada for more information on the NAC Examination.
PROVINCIAL ASSESSMENTS	N/A
RETURN OF SERVICE (ROS) REQUIREMENTS	The Ministry requests all ROS agreements before June 1 of the year they were matched. All agreements should be returned to the Ministry prior to the start of residency training. It is the responsibility of the applicant to confirm eligibility with respect to ROS requirements of other provinces. Information about the Ministry’s ROS programs is available at: Return of Service Program A letter of release from existing return of service agreements must be submitted as part of the application.
MEDICAL EDUCATION	IMGs must be graduates of an acceptable medical school on the World Directory of Medical Schools list. All IMGs need to have their documents verified through physiciansapply.ca. This process can take several months to complete. Individuals are advised to visit physiciansapply.ca at the point of application. Documents that are not in English must be accompanied by a notarized/certified translation. Students applying in the last year of medical school will need to submit their most recent marks/transcripts, and will need to provide proof of their MD to CPSO prior to the start of residency training.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION	Pre-residency Orientation Programs All IMG candidates accepted to all residency programs will be required to complete either the Pre-Residency Program (PRP) or the Pre-Residency Program for Family Medicine (PRPFM) prior to entering into a residency program. Matched IMGs will be expected to attend these programs in Toronto, several weeks in advance of the start of their residency program. In some cases, this may result in a delay of the start date of the residency. Additional information on the PRP and PRP FM programs can be found at the following link: Touchstone Institute. Assessment Verification Period All IMG candidates accepted to residency training programs will be required to undergo an Assessment Verification Period (AVP). This assessment period is normally 12 weeks in length and is required by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario to obtain an educational license to enter a residency program. CPSO – International Medical Graduates (IMGs). IMGs that have failed an AVP and are reapplying through CaRMS are ineligible to apply for training in the same specialty in Ontario, but may apply to a different specialty in the first and/or second iteration. IMGs who have withdrawn from a program prior to completion of an AVP must declare so upon application. Additional Ontario Information: Permanent Residents: Successful applicants who hold Permanent Resident status in Canada will be required to disclose their Country of Citizenship to the postgraduate medical education office in order to comply with current reporting requirements of the Ontario Ministry. Matched applicants: CaRMS will provide their electronic data file to the matched university’s postgraduate education office. The postgraduate office will share the information as needed, but not limited to the Ontario Physician Human Resource Data Centre, Canadian Post-MD Education Registry, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, the College of Family Physicians of Canada, the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada, the Professional Association of Residents of Ontario, teaching hospitals and other training sites, Touchstone Institute and the Ontario Ministry of Health. Changes: The Ontario Faculties of Medicine and Ontario Ministry of Health reserve the right to make changes to the information published on the CaRMS website pertaining to Ontario postgraduate training without prior notice. Failure to meet or provide proof of any of the stated requirements may result in applicant file being removed at any point during the match.