Updated September 7, 2023

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

2024 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 2024 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 Unites 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.

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

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. Residents matched to any Ontario residency program must ensure they are able to comply with Hospital  mandates in order to start training on July 1, 2024.
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.
PROVINCIAL AND OTHER ASSESSMENTS See the Summary of provincial and other assessment requirements.

Additional criteria for CMGs

ADDITIONAL CRITERIA FOR CANADIAN MEDICAL GRADUATES
RETURN OF SERVICE (ROS) REQUIREMENTS N/A
MEDICAL EDUCATION Please review individual program descriptions.
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 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.
  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 being removed at any point during the match. 

Additional criteria for IMGs

ADDITIONAL CRITERIA FOR INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL GRADUATES
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.

More information for IMG ROS can be found here: Return of Service Program

Information about the Ministry’s ROS programs is available at: Return of Service Program

A letter of understanding must be submitted as part of the application indicating your understanding that the Ontario return of service obligation must be fulfilled prior to completing any other provincial return of service obligation.
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.

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 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.
  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 being removed at any point during the match. 

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