Ministry is now demanding international medical graduates take two years of high school in Ontario to be eligible for first-round intake, a change the OMA say makes no sense
Many members of the Ontario medical community are worried that a new administrative rule from the Ministry of Health could make the shortage of family doctors in this province get worse.
The concern is a rule requiring at least two years of high school in Ontario to be eligible for the first round of residency placements.
The Section of General and Family Practice (SGFP) -- a group within the Ontario Medical Association -- is sounding the alarm about a recent change to Ontario's medical residency application process with the secondary-school two year completion rule for international medical graduates (IMGs).
"This change could have serious consequences for Ontario's health-care system. Family medicine programs in the province rely heavily on internationally trained doctors. In 2025, about 60 per cent of Ontario's family medicine residency positions were filled by IMGs," said the news release from SGFP. "Under the new rule, the number of eligible applicants in the first round is expected to drop from over 1,200 to just 170."
The change has also raised a concern among the Black Physicians' Association of Ontario (BPAO), which said it is deeply concerned about the new Ontario Ministry of Health policy.
"The policy limits first-iteration eligibility to Canadian Medical Graduates and narrowly defined Ontario International Medical Graduates (Ontario - IMGs) who attended an Ontario high school for at least two years. This change excludes many qualified Ontarians, including Black, immigrant and internationally trained physicians who have completed the necessary exams and are ready to serve in Ontario's communities," said a statement from BPAO.
More than 58 per cent of international medical graduates apply to practice family medicine each year. Restricting access for this group will worsen Ontario's family physician shortage and undermine efforts to build a more equitable healthcare system, said the BPAO news release.
BPAO is working with academic and advocacy partners to call for a fair, transparent and inclusive process that reflects Ontario's diversity and commitment to health equity, the release continued.
"Why are we talking about where they went to high school?" said Dr. David Barber, SGFP chair.
"We are in desperate need for more family doctors in Ontario. If a new doctor has completed medical school, I cannot imagine why we would prevent them from starting residency based on where they went to high school. I thought I had read this wrong at first," said Barber.
"We should be opening doors, not closing them. At a time when more than two million people in Ontario don't have a family doctor, we can't afford to turn away qualified physicians."
SGFP is calling on the Ontario government to pause this policy and work with medical educators, residency programs, and physician leaders to find a better path forward, one that supports fairness, transparency, and timely access to care for all Ontarians.
After the publication of this story, the Ministry of Health provided a statement regarding the change.
"Starting this year, the first round of the CaRMS (Canadian Resident Matching Service) match will be reserved for international medical graduates who completed at least two years of high school in Ontario," the statement reads. "To be clear, International medical graduates (IMGs) who do not meet the specified criteria will be eligible, as they currently are, to participate in the second round of the match, alongside remaining Canadian medical graduates and Ontario IMGs."