Immigration, PR and citizenship

For residency through CaRMS, usually yes. For a family medicine practice-ready assessment (PRA), usually no: Practice Ready Ontario is the only one that requires it.

The CaRMS match

CaRMS requires Canadian citizenship or permanent residence, with a few exceptions. Its citizenship summary also accepts proof of protected person or convention refugee status for Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and PEI, Quebec, Ontario and Alberta. Quebec also accepts MD students already enrolled in a Quebec faculty of medicine with a valid visa.

A CaRMS help article for students at a Canadian medical school on a study or work visa (updated 2023) says that to obtain a licence to practise in residency, provincial rules require you to be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, or to be in the process of obtaining Canadian citizenship or permanent residency.

For an IMG with none of these statuses, the one route since the 2025 R-1 match is Quebec's particular stream, in the second iteration only. You first need degree equivalence from the Collège des médecins du Québec. The particular stream is for IMGs without PR or citizenship, and for IMGs of any status who have already done accredited postgraduate training in Canada or the United States (a residency or a fellowship). Canadian citizens and PR holders without previous postgraduate training in Canada or the US are not eligible for it: they apply in the regular stream, in the first or second iteration. If you were already in a Quebec residency program, you are eligible for the particular stream only if 12 months have passed between the end of that training and the start of the new program. Residents currently training in Quebec cannot apply. New for the 2027 match, candidates who are neither citizens nor permanent residents are considered only in a limited number of programs, and only in specialties where positions remained unfilled after the first iteration.

Practice-ready assessment programs (family medicine)

• PRA-BC: no. Its pre-screening requirements do not include Canadian citizenship or permanent residence. Candidates who are selected and sponsored by a BC health authority are supported to apply for permanent residence through the BC Provincial Nominee Program Skills Immigration Health Authority stream.
• PRA Alberta (PRA-AB): no. Neither Canadian citizenship nor permanent residence is listed as a requirement.
• SIPPA (Saskatchewan): no current SIPPA or Health Careers Saskatchewan page lists Canadian citizenship or permanent residency as a requirement. If you are not a citizen or permanent resident, you are responsible for obtaining a work permit.
• PRA Manitoba (PRAMB-FP): no. Canadian citizenship or permanent residency is not a requirement. Separately, preference goes to people already living in Manitoba (established Manitoba residents). This is about where you live, not about permanent residence.
• Practice Ready Ontario (PRO): yes. Canadian citizenship or permanent residency is required at the time of application. This is the strictest immigration requirement of any PRA program in Canada.
• Quebec: candidates who do not hold permanent residency or Canadian citizenship must obtain a temporary work permit before starting the assessment period.

More on this site: PRA Programs in Canada Compared: All 9 Provinces

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This answer is my reading of the official source, not official or legal advice. It may be incomplete, out of date or wrong, and I take no responsibility for decisions made on it: confirm on the official page before you act. Disclaimer

Quebec divides its residency positions into two main streams. The regular stream is where Canadian citizens, permanent residents, people with Indian status and refugees apply. The particular stream, filled in the second iteration, is for IMGs without one of those statuses, and for IMGs of any status who have already done accredited postgraduate training in Canada or the United States.

Before either stream, an IMG first needs degree equivalence from the Collège des médecins du Québec (CMQ).

The two streams

The Government of Quebec defines several streams (contingents) for admission to postgraduate medical education, and the two main ones are the regular stream and the particular stream. In the R-1 match, particular stream positions are offered in the second iteration, and have been filled there since the 2025 R-1 match. In the subspecialty matches Quebec programs also run a regular and a particular stream, and there the regular positions are available to applicants who are currently doing their residency at a program in Quebec.

Who applies where in the R-1 match

• IMGs with no previous accredited postgraduate training: citizens, permanent residents, people with Indian status and refugees apply in the regular stream, first or second iteration. People with any other status, or no status, apply in the particular stream, second iteration.
• IMGs with previous accredited postgraduate training in Canada or the United States: whatever their status, or with no status, they apply in the particular stream, second iteration.
• Canadian citizens and permanent residents without that previous training are not eligible for the particular stream.
• Residents now training in Quebec cannot apply to the particular stream.

Fellowships

In Quebec only, fellowship experience that took place in Canada or the United States counts as postgraduate training. CaRMS defines fellowships as non-accredited specialized training offered by a postgraduate training institution, with supervised patient contact, that does not lead to certification or licensure. CaRMS gives this in answer to applicants who cannot apply to Quebec's regular stream because they have a fellowship.

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This answer is my reading of the official source, not official or legal advice. It may be incomplete, out of date or wrong, and I take no responsibility for decisions made on it: confirm on the official page before you act. Disclaimer

Citizenship or legal status is required for entry into residency. You either share a verification through your CaRMS Online account, or you upload a notarized copy of an accepted document.

Sharing a verification instead of uploading

CaRMS has partnered with three third-party organizations to automate its verification: the Alberta International Medical Graduate Program (AIMG), the British Columbia Clinical Assessment Program (BC-CAP) and the Medical Council of Canada (MCC).

If you are an IMG or a USMG (Osteo) and you have not been identified as an eligible applicant in either the AIMG or the BC-CAP assessment program, you have two options. You can share your Identity Validity Period (IVP) through your CaRMS Online account, or you can upload an accepted proof of citizenship or legal status document.

If a third-party organization or PGME has verified your Canadian citizenship or legal status and it was successfully shared with CaRMS, a green check mark appears next to the 'Citizenship status in Canada' field under "My Information -> Personal Information".

Which document to upload

Only Canadian citizenship documents should be uploaded to the Canadian Citizenship section. When a program's Canadian citizenship requirements ask for a birth certificate, this means a Canadian birth certificate.

What has to be notarized, and who can do it

CaRMS says the only documents that require notarization are proof of citizenship documents and Permanent Resident Cards. The same applies to documents you upload yourself: only citizenship documents need to be notarized. If a program description asks for notarization of any other type of document, CaRMS asks you to let it know.

The Canadian government maintains a list of professionals who can certify or notarize documents.

A later match

For a later match, such as a subspecialty match, you can re-use your proof of citizenship from a previous match if the document and the notarization have not expired.

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This answer is my reading of the official source, not official or legal advice. It may be incomplete, out of date or wrong, and I take no responsibility for decisions made on it: confirm on the official page before you act. Disclaimer

Health care and social services occupations category: To be eligible, you must have at least 6 months of full-time continuous work experience (or equivalent part-time experience) within the past 3 years in an occupation listed in this category—either in Canada or abroad. The occupation of physician is listed in this category.

Official source: Medical Council of Canada: Supporting internationally trained physicians before arrival in Canada Checked 2026-09-29

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Quoted from the official source on the date shown, trimmed and selected by me. Rules change: confirm on the official page before you act. This is not official or legal advice, and I take no responsibility for decisions made on it. Disclaimer

An Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) confirms that an international medical degree is comparable with a Canadian one. The Medical Council of Canada (MCC) issues ECAs only for medical degrees and diplomas.

Immigration

If you are applying for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) programs such as the Federal Skilled Worker Program or the Canadian Experience Class, you may need an ECA report to complete your Express Entry profile.

Licensure

An ECA does not let you practise medicine in Canada. Although an ECA report may confirm that a medical degree or diploma is comparable, you still need to meet other requirements, such as additional postgraduate training, before provincial and territorial medical regulatory authorities award full licensure.

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This answer is my reading of the official source, not official or legal advice. It may be incomplete, out of date or wrong, and I take no responsibility for decisions made on it: confirm on the official page before you act. Disclaimer

$130.00 a copy, non-refundable. Your medical degree has to be through source verification first. The MCC puts the report in your physiciansapply.ca account within 14 business days of your request, and it is valid for immigration purposes for 5 years.

What you need before you can request one

An international medical graduate can request an ECA report from the MCC on meeting one of two options.

• Option one: your final medical degree or diploma has been source verified by the MCC with a status of verification returned - passed.
• Option two: your medical school transcript has already been source verified by the MCC with a status of verification returned - passed, and that transcript confirms that the degree was awarded and the date it was awarded, and your final medical degree or diploma has been submitted for source verification and has a status of sent for verification or resent for verification.

What it costs

Educational Credential Assessment: $130.00 per copy. The fee is non-refundable.

How long it takes, and how IRCC gets it

The MCC generates your ECA report and makes an electronic copy (PDF) available in your physiciansapply.ca account within 14 business days of your request. Allow up to 8 weeks for delivery by regular mail, depending on your mailing address. Once your ECA report is in your physiciansapply.ca account, it is accessible to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

How long it is valid

Your ECA report is valid for immigration purposes for 5 years from the time it is issued. You can request a new ECA report, if needed, 4 years following your original report date.

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This answer is my reading of the official source, not official or legal advice. It may be incomplete, out of date or wrong, and I take no responsibility for decisions made on it: confirm on the official page before you act. Disclaimer

The IMG-L framework includes four essential requirements to prepare for relocating to Canada: I – Immigration; M – Medical licensing; G – Gap or currency of practice; L – Language requirements.

Official source: Medical Council of Canada: Supporting internationally trained physicians before arrival in Canada Checked 2026-09-29

Want this read against your own training and practice history? In a 60-minute call I review it with you. Book a consultation

Quoted from the official source on the date shown, trimmed and selected by me. Rules change: confirm on the official page before you act. This is not official or legal advice, and I take no responsibility for decisions made on it. Disclaimer