Ontario - CaRMS

Updated June 17, 2025

University of Ottawa
Queen’s University
NOSM University
University of Toronto
Toronto Metropolitan University
McMaster University
Western University

2026 Cycle Information

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

Please note that the criteria on this page is from the 2025 match. Updated 2026 provincial 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 2026 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. U.S. Allopathic Medical Graduates (USMG) Medical students or graduates who have obtained or are in the process of obtaining a medical degree from an allopathic medical school in the U.S can either be considered Canadian Medical Graduates (CMG’s) or International Medical Graduates (IMG’s) within the residency application process, depending on their graduation date. This differentiation is due to changes made in the joint accreditation process of medical schools in the U.S and Canada. If you graduated from a U.S. allopathic medical school before July 1, 2025, you are considered a Canadian Medical Graduate (CMG). Refer to the CMG tab. If you graduated on or after July 1, 2025, you are considered an International Medical Graduate (IMG). Refer to the IMG tab.
LICENSING BODY	College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario
MATCH STREAMS	There will be two parallel streams – CMG and IMG – with designated positions for each stream.
RESTRICTIONS	All Candidates that have previous post-graduate training in the United States or Canada which would be creditable for Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada or College of Family Physicians of Canada certification are NOT ELIGIBLE for the first iteration. Physicians in practice are not eligible for the R-1 match in Ontario. Please be advised that graduates of United States Medical Schools (i.e. Osteopathic, Allopathic, or traditional programs) will be eligible for IMG positions only and will be required to complete both the MCCQE1 and NAC OSCE as standard Ontario entry criteria. Please be aware that most, if not all, hospitals in Ontario have mandatory immunization policies in place that require, in the absence of a valid medical or human rights exemption, proof of vaccination. Each university will have guidelines on mandatory health screening requirements and exemption request process. Please visit the individual Universities website for more information.
CITIZENSHIP REQUIREMENTS	See the Summary of citizenship requirements.
PROOF OF LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY	See the Summary of language proficiency requirements.
MEDICAL COUNCIL OF CANADA EXAMS	See the Summary of MCC examination requirements.

Additional criteria for CMGs

ADDITIONAL CRITERIA FOR CANADIAN MEDICAL GRADUATES
RETURN OF SERVICE (ROS) REQUIREMENTS	Applicants with a ROS agreement in another province should ensure they are aware of the commitments and requirements.
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, Universities, Research Excellence and Security. Matched applicants:CaRMS will provide their electronic data file to the matched university’s postgraduate education office and other relevant departments in the matching University. The postgraduate office will share the information as needed, but not limited to, the Ontario Physician Reporting 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
RETURN OF SERVICE (ROS) REQUIREMENTS	Return of Service Ontario’s International Medical Graduate (IMG) Return of Service (ROS) program is intended to improve access to physician services across Ontario, particularly in areas with limited physician supply. The IMG ROS program offers participants a postgraduate medical training position in return for a commitment to practise medicine in an eligible Ontario community. The ROS contract is between the Ministry of Health and the successful applicant, and it is the responsibility of the applicant to confirm eligibility with respect to ROS requirements of other provinces. Ontario PGME offices are not involved in this process. The Ministry requests all ROS agreements before July 1 of the year they were matched. All agreements should be returned to the Ministry prior to the start of residency training. More information for IMG ROS can be found here: Return of Service Program If you have further questions, please contact the Ministry of Health at PPUProgramOfficer@ontario.ca PLEASE NOTE: APPLICANTS ARE REQUIRED TO FULFILL A ROS COMMITMENT IN ONTARIO IMMEDIATELY UPON COMPLETION OF YOUR TRAINING.
MEDICAL EDUCATION	International Medical Graduates (IMG) must be graduates of an acceptable medical school on the World Directory of Medical Schools list. Candidates must submit to the Program a copy or printout of the website listing the medical school, which clearly states that the language of instruction is English or French. All International Medical Graduates (IMG) 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 translated into English. 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 International Medical Graduates (IMG) 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 International Medical Graduates (IMG) 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. For more information on the AVP policy, click here. 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. For those who have withdrawn from an AVP, you are eligible for the same or another specialty. For more information, review the CaRMS Applicant Release Policy. IMGs who have withdrawn from a program prior to completion of an AVP must declare so upon application. Please note that while every effort is made to accommodate a July 1st start date, there may be some applicants matched who cannot be accommodated for a July 1st start.  This information will be communicated to the matched applicants directly from the matched program. 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 of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security. Matched applicants: CaRMS will provide their electronic data file to the matched university’s postgraduate education office and other relevant departments in the matching University. The postgraduate office will share the information as needed, but not limited to the Ontario Physician Reporting 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.