Program Overview

Canadian Medical Residency

Canadians who have trained in medical schools outside Canada and the US can compete for and obtain medical residency positions in Canada. Medical residency positions are very limited, so candidates must use available resources for the best chance at success. Candidates for medical residency are matched to universities through an electronic service called CaRMS (the Canadian Resident Matching Service). To access the match and be successfully selected for a medical residency position, candidates need to establish eligibility at several points.

Who Can Apply

When applying to CaRMS, candidates will be asked to demonstrate their citizenship status. Canadian citizens and permanent residents can apply. To demonstrate citizenship status, candidates will be required to submit a copy of one of the accepted documents to CaRMS by the Rank Order deadline.

Academic Requirements

Candidates will be required to demonstrate:

• They have earned a medical degree from a school listed on the World Directory of Medical Schools.
• They meet English Language Proficiency requirements.

Examination

Students who plan to begin residency in 2019 are the last class who need to complete the National Assessment Collaboration Examination (NAC) and the Medical Council of Canada Evaluating Examination (MCCEE) to meet basic eligibility requirements. November 2018 is the last MCCEE session. Going forward, International Medical Graduates (IMGs) will not be responsible for the above preliminary tests. Instead, they will need to proceed directly to completing the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination (MCCQE) Part 1 before applying to residency programs. This means future IMGs will enjoy a more streamlined process.

Match to Residency (CaRMS)

Candidates will apply for residency positions using the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS). Though they can start selecting programs before gathering all materials, everything must be completed by a specific date in November to be considered on time. The CaRMS has a timeline that candidates may find useful for staying on track.