By Dr. Bilal Akil, MD — Emergency Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University · founder of mccQbank
Short answer: yes. You can register for the CaRMS R-1 Main Residency Match and the NRMP Main Residency Match in the same year, and both organizations have written rules for exactly that case. But you cannot hold a match in both. In the 2027 cycle the CaRMS first iteration runs first, so a first-iteration match removes you from the NRMP Match. You also have to tell CaRMS that you applied to the NRMP before its rank order list deadline. This post sets out the 2027 dates side by side, what each contract says, and a simple rule for building two rank order lists that do not work against you.
What the CaRMS and NRMP contracts say
Both matches publish the rule in their participant agreements, so there is no need to rely on forum lore.
CaRMS. The 2027 Match Cycle CaRMS Applicant Contract covers applicants in both systems in section 3.3. If you match to a U.S. position through the NRMP, you are withdrawn from the CaRMS match. If you match through CaRMS, you are withdrawn from the NRMP “automatically and without notification”. Section 5.2 adds a reporting duty: you must tell CaRMS, inside CaRMS Online, if you apply to CaRMS and NRMP (or any other U.S. match) in the same year, “even if the programs to which they are applying commence in different years”. CaRMS must receive that notice by the rank order list (ROL) deadline, or you risk forfeiting your place in the CaRMS match.
NRMP. The 2027 Match Participation Agreement for Applicants deals with the same situation in section 8.3. In years when CaRMS has the earlier schedule, applicants who match through CaRMS “are ineligible to match and to participate in SOAP for concurrent year NRMP positions”, and the NRMP withdraws them after its Rank Order List Certification Deadline. In years when CaRMS runs later, an applicant who matches in the NRMP is withdrawn from the CaRMS match instead.
Both agreements also make a match binding. Under the CaRMS contract, listing a program on your submitted ROL “establishes a binding commitment to accept an appointment if a match results”, and it is your responsibility to avoid matching in more than one match at the same time. The NRMP agreement says the Match establishes a binding commitment that neither applicant nor program can release without an NRMP waiver or deferral.
CaRMS and NRMP 2027 Dates, Side by Side, side by side
This table merges the CaRMS 2027 R-1 first-iteration applicant timeline and the NRMP 2027 Main Residency Match applicants calendar, both read on 2 October 2026. CaRMS notes that its dates are subject to change, so check both calendars again before each deadline.
| Date | CaRMS R-1 (first iteration) | NRMP Main Residency Match |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Sep 2026 | CaRMS Online opens for applicants (12:00 noon ET) | |
| 15 Sep 2026 | Registration opens (12:00 PM EDT) | |
| 15 Oct 2026 | Program selection opens | |
| 26 Nov 2026 | Deadline to submit and assign applications and documents (12:00 noon ET); file review begins | |
| 21 Jan 2027 | Ranking period begins | |
| 29 Jan 2027 | Standard registration deadline (11:59 PM EST); $50 extra after this date | |
| 1 Feb 2027 | Ranking opens | |
| 18 Feb 2027 | Rank order list deadline (15:00 ET). Last day to withdraw, and the deadline for telling CaRMS you also applied to the NRMP | |
| 2 Mar 2027 | Match Day (12:00 noon ET) | |
| 3 Mar 2027 | Rank Order List Certification Deadline (9:00 PM EST); IMG deadline to meet ECFMG verification requirements | |
| 15 Mar 2027 | Applicants learn whether they matched; SOAP begins | |
| 19 Mar 2027 | Match Day (12:00 PM EDT) |
The row that matters most is the gap between 2 and 3 March. CaRMS results come out the day before the NRMP’s certification deadline. So in 2027 CaRMS is the match with the earlier schedule, and the first branch of the NRMP rule applies to you.
What happens on 2 March 2027
- You match through CaRMS. You are committed to that Canadian program. You are withdrawn from the NRMP Match (the NRMP does this after its 3 March certification deadline), and under the NRMP agreement you cannot match or take part in SOAP for concurrent-year positions.
- You do not match in the CaRMS first iteration. Your NRMP registration is untouched. If your NRMP list is not yet certified, you still have until 9:00 PM EST on 3 March to finish and certify it.
There is no point in the 2027 cycle where you see an NRMP result and then choose between it and a CaRMS result. In the first iteration, by the time the NRMP Match runs, a CaRMS match has already taken you out of it.
The second iteration runs the other way round. Its rank order list deadline is 8 April 2027 at 15:00 ET and its Match Day is 20 April 2027 (CaRMS second-iteration timeline), after the NRMP Match Day on 19 March. If you are in the second iteration, for example because you have prior postgraduate training, an NRMP match withdraws you from CaRMS under section 3.3 of the applicant contract, and your section 5.2 notice is due by the rank order list deadline for the match you are in, 8 April 2027 at 15:00 ET.
A Decision Rule for CaRMS and NRMP Rank Order Lists
Because a first-iteration CaRMS match decides the outcome first, your CaRMS list is in effect ranked above your entire NRMP list. Build both lists with that in mind:
- Rank a CaRMS program only if you would take it over every program on your NRMP list. If you would rather have any program on your NRMP list, leave it off. Listing it is a binding commitment, and a CaRMS match to it ends your NRMP Match.
- If Canada is your clear first choice, rank your CaRMS list as usual and treat the NRMP as your fallback if you do not match on 2 March.
- If the United States is your clear first choice, ask whether you should be in the CaRMS match at all. Withdrawing from CaRMS is open until 18 February 2027 at 15:00 ET.
- Whatever you decide, declare your NRMP application in CaRMS Online before 18 February 2027 at 15:00 ET.
Rule 1 is the one people miss. They rank a Canadian program they would only accept as a last resort, it matches on 2 March, and their NRMP list never runs.
Exam requirements are different on each side
Running both matches means meeting two sets of exam rules. On the U.S. side, the NRMP calendar sets 3 March 2027 as the IMG deadline to meet ECFMG verification requirements. On the Canadian side, the Medical Council of Canada states that passing the MCCQE is a requirement for international medical graduates applying for entry into a Canadian residency program. Some provinces accept other exams in its place, and those rules are listed in the CaRMS summary of MCC examination requirements. Check each province you plan to rank. For how the two exam paths compare, see MCCQE vs USMLE Step 2 CK: which one an IMG should write.
Timing matters too. The MCC says the MCCQE is offered in four sessions a year. If you need a pass on file for CaRMS, work backwards from the 26 November application deadline and the province’s own requirements, not from match day.
One more thing if you match in the U.S.
CaRMS’s match overview says the first iteration is open to graduates “with no prior postgraduate training in Canada or the US”. If you have any postgraduate training in either country, you can only enter the second iteration. So if you match in the U.S. and start training there, a later move into Canadian residency through CaRMS goes through the second iteration, not the first.
Where this fits in your plan
If you studied medicine in the United States, note that U.S. MD graduates now apply to CaRMS as IMGs if they graduate on or after 1 July 2025. If you are an IMG weighing both countries, start with the full Canadian route in how an IMG gets licensed in Canada. If you trained in the Caribbean, Caribbean medical school to Canadian residency covers the exams and matches most relevant to you. Canadians studying abroad can read returning to Canada after medical school abroad.
If the MCCQE is still ahead of you, our MCC question bank has 2,400+ bilingual questions written to the MCC objectives. Try 30 free questions before you decide how to split your study time between the two exams.
FAQ
Do I have to tell CaRMS that I applied to the NRMP?
Yes. Section 5.2 of the 2027 CaRMS applicant contract requires it, through CaRMS Online, by the rank order list deadline for the match you are in (18 February 2027, 15:00 ET, for the first iteration; 8 April 2027, 15:00 ET, for the second).
Can I keep a CaRMS match and still match in the NRMP?
Not in the 2027 first iteration. Its schedule is earlier than the NRMP’s, so a first-iteration match makes you ineligible for the NRMP Match and SOAP for concurrent-year positions (NRMP 2027 Match Participation Agreement).
If I go unmatched in CaRMS, is my NRMP list still used?
Yes. Going unmatched in CaRMS does not withdraw you from the NRMP. The NRMP’s certification deadline is 3 March 2027 at 9:00 PM EST, the day after CaRMS Match Day (NRMP applicant calendar).
Can I withdraw from CaRMS if a U.S. offer looks likely?
You can withdraw through CaRMS Online until the rank order list deadline. After 18 February 2027 at 15:00 ET, your submitted list stands (CaRMS match overview; CaRMS R-1 timeline).
Sources read 2 October 2026 and re-checked 4 October 2026: CaRMS 2027 applicant contract, CaRMS 2027 R-1 timeline and match overview, NRMP 2027 Match Participation Agreement for Applicants and applicants calendar, MCC MCCQE page. Check both calendars again before each deadline.
