On November 27, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Divisional Court) ordered on an interim interim basis that the policy of the Ontario government requiring international medical graduates (IMGs) applying to Ontario-based positions in the first iteration of the 2026 R-1 Main Residency Match to have completed two years of high school in Ontario is stayed. This court order temporarily restores eligibility to all IMGs to apply in the first iteration of the R-1 match in Ontario, until such a time as the Court makes a final decision on the matter. Judicial proceedings are expected to resume on Monday, December 1.
Pending a final eligibility decision, the seven Ontario medical schools, supported by the AFMC, have jointly agreed to open a supplementary application window to allow affected individuals to proceed with submitting applications to Ontario programs on a provisional basis. Interested applicants will have until Thursday, December 4 at 17:00 ET to submit applications to Ontario IMG programs. Applicants will receive a communication from CaRMS containing additional guidance on how to proceed.
Faculties have made this decision to give affected individuals the best chance of success in the event that the Court’s final decision is to override the Ontario high school requirement. However, if the Ontario high school requirement is restored, applications submitted to Ontario programs by applicants that do not meet that criteria may not be eligible in the first iteration. In this case, applicants whose first iteration applications are rendered ineligible will be provided with equivalent credits for use in the second iteration so they will not be subject to any additional fees.
We understand this is an uncertain situation for applicants, and we will keep you informed of process changes as decisions get made.
