Ontario Moves to Prioritize International Medical Graduates With Provincial Ties
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Ontario is moving ahead with a legislative change that could reshape access to medical residency positions for international medical graduates, giving priority to applicants who have a clear connection to the province.
According to The Canadian Press, the proposed rule would create a dedicated first-round stream for international medical graduates who meet one of several Ontario-connection criteria. That includes attending an Ontario high school for at least two years, attending an Ontario university in person for at least two years, or living in the province for at least 24 weeks in the year before applying.
Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones said the government wants to give priority to Ontarians, including people who left the province to study medicine abroad and now want to return home to practise. She said placing the measure in legislation would make the government’s direction clearer than a policy directive alone.
The move comes shortly after Ontario rescinded an earlier policy that would have required international medical graduates to complete two years of high school in the province to qualify for first-round Ontario residency positions in the 2026 R-1 Main Residency Match. CaRMS confirmed on April 10 that the province officially withdrew that earlier direction on March 23 and that related court proceedings had been discontinued.
The issue has drawn strong attention from medical groups and internationally trained doctors, particularly because the earlier rule was introduced during an active application cycle. Critics warned that sudden changes could disrupt family medicine programs and create new barriers for qualified doctors who already live in Canada as citizens or permanent residents.
Ontario says the revised approach is closer to systems used in provinces such as Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. The practical impact will be closely watched by immigrant physicians, Canadian students who studied medicine abroad, and communities facing shortages in access to primary care.
