Updated November 29, 2020

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

2021 Cycle Information

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

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 2021 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 There will be two parallel streams – CMG and IMG – with designated positions for each stream. There will be no crossovers or transfers between the two streams.
RESTRICTIONS All Candidates that have previous post-graduate training in the U.S. 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.

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.
CITIZENSHIP REQUIREMENTS
Accepted Citizenship types
Canadian citizen
Canadian permanent resident
Accepted Citizenship documents
Canadian Birth Certificate or Act of Birth
Passport page showing Canadian Citizenship
Canadian Citizenship Card (both sides of card)
Canadian Permanent Resident Card (both sides of card)
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:

  1. 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).
  2. Failure to provide proof of citizenship will result in the removal of your application. No other forms of verification are acceptable.
  3. Documents must be notarized/certified photocopies. Notarized/certified copies must not be older than two years from the application deadline; otherwise, a new notarized/certified copy is required.
  4. Confirmation of permanent residence must be accompanied by photo ID (must be a Canadian government issued photo ID).

As of the 2021 R-1 match cycle, CaRMS is partnering with third-party organizations to automate the citizenship/legal status verification completed by PGME offices. The above-mentioned criteria is still applicable; however, you may not be required to provide documentation directly to CaRMS. 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 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.
OTHER ASSESSMENTS Please review individual program descriptions
RETURN OF SERVICE (ROS) REQUIREMENTS N/A
MEDICAL EDUCATION A Canadian Medical Graduate (CMG) 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).
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
  1. 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
  2. Matched applicants: CaRMS will provide their electronic data file to the matched university’s postgraduate education office. The postgraduate office will share the information with 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, 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Failure to meet or provide proof of any of the stated requirements may result in applicant file not being reviewed and removed.

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 is 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).

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 Acceptable assessment date range Minimum score
 TOEFL-iBT Within 24 months before submitting application 93 with a minimum score of 24 on the speaking section
IELTS Academic Within 24 months before submitting application 7 in each component

Language Requirements

Applicants must be able to communicate in the language of instruction and patient care of the matching school.

Must provide proof of English or French language proficiency through ONE of the following:

  1. International English Language Testing System (IELTS) with a minimum score of 7 in each component, or
  2. TOEFL-lbt — passing score of 93 including a minimum score of 24 on the speaking section, or
  3. A pass result in the French proficiency test administered by the Collège des Médecins du Québec, or
  4. Candidates for whom their primary and secondary, or medical school education was conducted in English or French, the Ontario medical schools will accept Language Proficiency Attestations as follows:
    1. Primary and Secondary Education: Mailed directly from the Senior Academic Administrators of both schools to the program confirming that all of the candidate’s primary and secondary education was conducted completely in English or French.
    2. Medical School: Mailed directly from the Dean of the candidate’s medical school confirming that the language of instruction and patient care was conducted completely in English or French, or
    3. World Directory of Medical Schools Language Option: If the instruction and the language of patient care at the undergraduate medical school was conducted completely in English or French, then a candidate must submit to the program a copy or printout of the World Directory of Medical Schools website listing the medical school which clearly states that the language of instruction is English or French.

Please review specific program descriptions for more information.

Please note, for the 2021 R-1 Match cycle, the IELTS Indicator will be accepted as a substitute for the Academic Version of the IELTS.

Please note, for the 2021 R-1 Match cycle, the TOEFL iBT Home Edition will be accepted as a substitute for the TOEFL iBT.
MEDICAL COUNCIL OF CANADA EXAMS
Examination Date/milestone assessment submission required Requirement
MCCQE Part I File review opening Mandatory
NAC Examination File review opening Mandatory

For the 2021 CaRMS match IMGs must have written and passed the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination Part 1(MCCQE1). Exam results must be provided by the File Review Opening Date. Please review specific residency program descriptions for more information. For more information on the MCCQE Part 1 click on the following link https://www.mcc.ca/examinations/mccqe-part-i/

The National Assessment Collaboration (NAC) Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is mandatory for all IMGs including graduates of Osteopathic Medicine Schools. The results are required by the file review opening date. For more information click on the following link National Assessment Collaboration | Medical Council of Canada

For the 2021 CaRMS R-1 match Ontario requires the MCCQE1 for all IMGs. The MCCEE is no longer an acceptable substitution. Ontario also requires all IMG candidates to complete the NAC OSCE.  If this is not possible due to reasons beyond your control, you may use the MCCQE2 as a substitute for the NAC OSCE for the 2021 match. Please see the CaRMS National MCC Chart for more information.
PROVINCIAL ASSESSMENT N/A
OTHER ASSESSMENTS N/A
RETURN OF SERVICE (ROS) REQUIREMENTS Return of Service

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.

More information for IMG ROS can be found here: http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/pro/programs/hhrsd/physicians/international_medical_graduates.aspx

Information about the Ministry’s ROS programs is available at: http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/pro/programs/hhrsd/physicians/ros.aspx
MEDICAL EDUCATION IMGs 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 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.

A copy of medical school marks/transcripts and medical degree/diploma must be submitted. 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:

  1. 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.
  2. Matched applicants: CaRMS will provide their electronic data file to the matched university’s postgraduate education office. The postgraduate office will share the information with 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, 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Failure to meet or provide proof of any of the stated requirements may result in applicant file not being reviewed and removed.

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