IMG residency in Canada: eligibility and return of service by province
Where international medical graduates (IMGs) can apply in the CaRMS R-1 match, province by province: eligibility rules, return of service, and which programs have IMG-stream positions. Each fact links to where it was published.
Which route is yours?
CMG and IMG streams
CaRMS groups residency positions into application streams. Most are open only to Canadian medical graduates (CMGs); IMG streams are open only to international medical graduates who meet that province’s requirements. The provinces set the streams and how many positions each gets.
To enter the R-1 match as an IMG you need Canadian citizenship or permanent residence, and passes in the NAC Examination and the MCCQE Part I. Provinces add their own rules, below.
Quebec faculties use their own streams (“Regular”), and B.C.’s Competitive ROS stream is open to both CMGs and IMGs. Those aren’t counted as IMG streams on this page.
Observerships: fees, and the programs that say they don’t count, are on the practice-ready page.
Province by province
Summarised by residency.fyi from the CaRMS provincial pages, ministry return-of-service documents and program agreements. The chips hold the exact wording. “Not found” means the item was searched for and isn’t in the published sources. Each row shows two facts; open a province for its full rules.
British Columbia
A B.C. Supreme Court decision reported on 15 Sep 2026 found the province can’t require IMGs to work in underserved areas; the court suspended its ruling while the ministry makes changes. The province says all existing ROS agreements remain in effect while it reviews. These terms may change before the 2027 match.
No B.C. residency or high-school rule on the CaRMS page.
UBC’s Clinical Assessment Program (CAP) is mandatory for IMGs applying to first-year positions at UBC and SFU.
After matching: a week-and-a-half IMG orientation in Vancouver, June 2027.
None stated.
All IMG-stream positions and the Competitive ROS stream. None for CMG-stream positions.
2 years for Family Medicine, 3 years for Royal College specialties, full time, starting after residency.
A community of need chosen by the designated regional health authority.
Family Medicine (UBC) 2027 contract: $165,000 before residency starts, $330,000 in year 1, $660,000 from year 2 until the service is done, each plus interest. Not pro-rated. The Internal Medicine contract goes up to $1,045,000 plus interest.
Alberta
IMGs must first be found eligible by the Alberta International Medical Graduate (AIMG) Program to apply to Alberta IMG positions.
AIMG requires an Alberta connection: 2 years of full-time Alberta senior high school, 2 years in person at an accredited Alberta post-secondary school, or living in Alberta for a set 24-week period.
The AIMG Program is a competitive assessment process held before the CaRMS match.
2026 cycle: eligible if graduating by 1 Jul 2026. The 2027 date wasn’t on the page when checked.
No provincial return of service.
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
Saskatchewan
No Saskatchewan residency or high-school rule on the CaRMS page.
No pre-match assessment program on the CaRMS page.
None stated.
IMGs who match to Family Medicine or Royal College positions in the first iteration.
Year for year: months of service equal months of training.
A Saskatchewan community approved in writing by the Minister. Communities listed in the agreement’s Appendix A are excluded.
Pro-rated: the training funding received, less the share of service completed, plus interest. The published agreement is a template with the rate left blank.
Manitoba
No Manitoba residency or high-school rule on the CaRMS page.
After matching: a mandatory two-week IMG orientation, June 2027.
None stated.
All IMGs sign a return-of-service contract with Manitoba Health, in the specialty they train in.
As long as the training program.
Not found in published sources.
Not found in published sources.
Ontario
None for the 2027 match. Ontario’s rule requiring 2 years of Ontario high school was rescinded on 23 Mar 2026, and CaRMS says no new IMG eligibility requirements apply to the 2027 match.
After matching: an Assessment Verification Period (AVP) of at least 12 weeks.
After matching: the Pre-Residency Program (PRP, or PRP-FM for Family Medicine).
None stated.
All ministry-funded IMG positions, including subspecialty positions and out-of-province transfers.
7,200 clinical hours (at least 120 hours a month) for agreements from 2026. The ministry’s web page still says 5 years.
Anywhere in Ontario except Ottawa and the Toronto area (Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, Markham, Pickering).
Training cost per year × years of training, plus $4,000, plus interest if paid late.
The province said on 17 Apr 2026 that it intends to legislate priority for IMGs from Ontario. CaRMS’s Ontario page still shows a banner about the 2026 rule.
Quebec
No Quebec residency or high-school rule on the CaRMS page.
IMGs need recognition of MD equivalence from the Collège des médecins du Québec (CMQ), and upload the CMQ letter.
MD, residency or independent practice within the 4 years before applying.
Quebec-funded positions: no return-of-service terms on the CaRMS page. Eight New Brunswick-funded positions (Sherbrooke–Moncton) carry a New Brunswick commitment.
New Brunswick-funded positions: at least 5 years in New Brunswick.
New Brunswick-funded positions: New Brunswick.
New Brunswick-funded positions: $400,000 plus interest if the resident doesn’t practise in New Brunswick.
Quebec ministry (MSSS) return-of-service terms for Quebec-funded positions: not found in published sources.
Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island
The Nova Scotian IMG and New Brunswicker IMG streams require a “proven connection” to the province. The CaRMS page doesn’t define it.
No Prince Edward Island stream or rule found.
No pre-match assessment program on the CaRMS page.
Not considered if your skills will have been inactive for 3 years or more before 1 Jul 2027.
Dalhousie positions in the IMG stream.
Not found for Dalhousie positions. (New Brunswick-funded Sherbrooke–Moncton positions: see Quebec.)
Not found in published sources.
Not found in published sources.
Newfoundland and Labrador
No Newfoundland and Labrador residency or high-school rule on the CaRMS page.
Minimum core clerkship rotations: 8 weeks each of medicine and surgery, 6 of pediatrics, 4 each of obstetrics/gynecology and psychiatry.
Not considered after more than 3 years away from medical school, training or practice at any point after starting medical school.
The IMG Family Medicine and IMG Internal Medicine streams.
Family Medicine: 2 years in the Labrador-Grenfell Health Zone or 5 years elsewhere in the province. Internal Medicine: 5 years.
Newfoundland and Labrador.
Family Medicine, default after graduating: $300,000 less a credit for each full month served, plus interest at prime + 2%.
Funding carve-outs in resident agreements
Resident pay and benefits are set by provincial collective agreements. Six of them have a clause that limits some terms by how a position is funded. The chips quote each clause in the agreement’s own words; ask the program how your position is funded.
B.C. (RDBC): Some benefits may not apply to sponsored, foreign-funded or out-of-province residents.
Alberta (PARA): Some benefits may not apply to sponsored, foreign-funded or out-of-province residents.
Saskatchewan (RDoS): Some benefits may not apply to sponsored, foreign-funded or out-of-province residents.
Ontario (PARO): Some benefits may not apply to sponsored, foreign-funded or out-of-province residents.
Quebec (FMRQ): Some benefits may not apply to sponsored, foreign-funded or out-of-province residents.
N.S., N.B. and P.E.I. (MarDocs): Some benefits may not apply to sponsored, foreign-funded or out-of-province residents.
IMG-stream programs
204 programs have IMG-stream positions, with 415 positions in total (quota as published on each program’s CaRMS page, 2027 match).
| Province | Programs | Positions |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario | 123 | 225 |
| British Columbia | 21 | 63 |
| Alberta | 21 | 60 |
| Manitoba | 14 | 32 |
| Nova Scotia | 12 | 17 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 5 | 7 |
| Saskatchewan | 4 | 7 |
| New Brunswick | 4 | 4 |
IMG matches over time
IMGs matched in the R-1 match: 671 (2024) → 851 (2025) → 931 (2026), first and second iterations combined.
Family Medicine made up 69.8% of first-iteration IMG positions in 2026 after reversions (54.2% before).
A reversion moves a position that didn’t fill to another program or stream. In 2026, 249 positions were reverted into IMG Family Medicine.
| Year | IMGs matched |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 411 |
| 2018 | 398 |
| 2019 | 391 |
| 2020 | 418 |
| 2021 | 410 |
| 2022 | 439 |
| 2023 | 555 |
| 2024 | 671 |
| 2025 | 851 |
| 2026 | 931 |
| Group | Quota | Reverted in | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Family Medicine | 260 | 249 | 509 |
| Internal Medicine | 72 | 0 | 72 |
| Non-surgical disciplines | 114 | 0 | 114 |
| Surgical disciplines | 34 | 0 | 34 |
| All | 480 | 249 | 729 |