Graduates of USA Medical Schools

The only route to a specialty program (entry level) for new U.S. medical graduates is via CaRMS. Candidates should visit the CaRMS website for further details.

Provincial regulations prevent medical graduates from obtaining their own funding (hospital or other organization) to enter a residency program. 

Practicing physicians are not admissible to apply to the CaRMS match to pursue a new specialty; refer to the Re-Entry section for options.

Residents currently enrolled in Internal Medicine who wish to apply to the R4 Medicine subspecialty match must apply through CaRMS. Residents currently enrolled in Family Medicine who wish to apply for the Emergency Medicine subspecialty match must apply through CaRMS. Also, residents currently enrolled in Pediatrics who wish to apply to the Pediatric subspecialty match must apply through CaRMS.

Provincial regulations prevent Canadian medical graduates from obtaining their own funding (hospital or other organization) to enter a residency program or transfer to another residency program if already registered in a residency program. 

Candidates interested in another subspecialty other than the ones listed above must apply directly to their program of choice and meet each program’s admissions criteria. Candidates must be currently registered in a postgraduate program in the United States and must not have practiced as an independent physician. Candidates are encouraged to communicate with the relevant program for application details and deadlines. 

An employment authorization from Immigration Canada will be required if the candidates do not have Canadian legal status. Because of the need to obtain an employment authorization, the admission process can take up to six months. 

Practicing physicians wishing to pursue a new specialty: refer to the Re-Entry section below for options.

Graduates of American accredited medical schools without Canadian citizenship or permanent resident status in Canada must have financial sponsorship by a health-related not-for-profit organization to apply for residency education. Please refer to the section on foreign medical graduates for details on applications.

Currently practicing physicians may wish to undergo a clinical fellowship program (six months to three years) to learn a new skill or simply to obtain added competence to enhance their practice. Candidates must apply directly to the program of their choice and are encouraged to communicate with the relevant program for application details and deadlines. An employment authorization from Immigration Canada will be required if the candidates do not have Canadian legal status. Because of the need to obtain an employment authorization, the admission process can take up to six months.

Application to be sent directly to the program of choice; candidates are encouraged to communicate with the relevant program for application details and deadlines. 

There is a three-year limit of licensure for all clinical fellowships. Please note that a clinical fellowship does not lead to any type of Canadian certification.

Physicians currently practicing in Canada who wish to change their area of specialty and undergo a new residency for eventual certification may be admissible to apply to the Ontario Ministry of Health & Long Term Care Re-entry Program (MOHLTC). This program is specifically designed for practicing physicians wishing to change specialties and willing to sign a return to service agreement in an under-serviced area with the MOHLTC. Candidates must communicate directly with the Ministry of Health for information. Details are provided on their Central Forms Repository webpage. 

Please read through the instructions sheet, complete the application form and Location/Specialty Selection form. Together with all the other required documents, please submit your application to the MOHLTC Health Workforce Policy Branch. 

Canadian, U.S. or International medical school graduates who have completed or partially completed a residency program outside Canada may qualify for the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care Repatriation program. This program is designed to attract medical graduates who have Canadian Citizenship or permanent resident status in Canada to complete their residency program toward Royal College certification. The Ministry of Health and Long Term Care may fund six months to two years of specialty training if the candidate agrees to sign a return to service commitment to an under-serviced area. Please see the Ministry of Health and Long Term care website for more information. Please submit the documents listed below to: 

Postgraduate Medical Education
Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa
2115-451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5
Email: pgmeReg@uOttawa.ca

In your application, please also include the following: 

• letter of interest noting the Repatriation program and indicating the discipline for which you wish to be considered
• CV
• copy of letter from Royal College ruling on your application for assessment of training indicating the number of months (or years) required to qualify for specialty exam
• list of three referees (name, university, address, contact information) who will be sending a letter of recommendation/reference