By Dr. Bilal Akil, MD — Emergency Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University · founder of mccQbank
Short answer: To enter the CaRMS R-1 Main Residency Match you must be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada, and CaRMS adds that “some exceptions may apply”. Its summary of citizenship requirements says you must hold that status “at the time of application”. You prove it either by sharing your Identity Validity Period (IVP) from the Medical Council of Canada or by uploading a notarized document, and which documents count depends on the province.
This post sets out what CaRMS publishes on citizenship and legal status, which documents each province accepts, and the deadlines that apply to the 2027 R-1 match. One caution first: the CaRMS summary page is headed “2027 cycle information”, but it also says “the criteria on this page is from the 2026 match” and that “updated 2027 provincial criteria will be posted on this page in the upcoming months”. Read it again before you submit.
What CaRMS requires
The CaRMS R-1 eligibility criteria list the same first condition for Canadian medical graduates (CMGs) and international medical graduates (IMGs): “be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada. Some exceptions may apply.” The other basic conditions differ by applicant type. IMGs, for example, must also have written and passed the NAC Examination and the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Exam Part I (CaRMS’s name for the MCCQE), although CaRMS notes that some provinces may allow exceptions to either exam.
CaRMS also explains why rules differ between provinces: provincial governments and faculties of medicine manage health care in their province, so “individual provinces and residency programs may have specific requirements and restrictions”. Citizenship proof is one of those areas, and the province-by-province table below shows how far apart the rules are.
Not sure the rest of your file is ready? Our guide to NAC eligibility and application covers the exam side, and the CaRMS language proficiency guide covers the language tests some provinces require.
Two ways to prove your status
CaRMS gives two options.
- Share your IVP through CaRMS Online. When you schedule an MCC exam, the MCC reviews and accepts your identity documents. CaRMS’s help article “What is the Identity Validity Period?” says these remain valid on your physiciansapply.ca account “for up to 10 years, depending on the expiry of the document you submitted”. The IVP is only shared if the MCC accepted a Canadian passport, Canadian birth certificate, Canadian permanent resident card or Canadian citizenship card, and the IVP has not expired.
- Upload an accepted proof of citizenship or legal status document to your CaRMS account. CaRMS states: “Citizenship documents are required to be notarized.”
To use option 1, CaRMS’s article on transferring your IVP from the MCC says you must first have a physiciansapply.ca account, have applied for your MCCQE and have sent your documents to the MCC. In CaRMS Online you acknowledge your MCC candidate code (without the hyphen), connect to physiciansapply.ca and select “Share your identity information”. If that section does not appear, the IVP is not available to share and you upload a document instead. A green check mark next to “Citizenship status in Canada” confirms the transfer.
If you go with option 2, CaRMS lists who can notarize or certify your citizenship document, including a notary public, a lawyer, a commissioner of oaths and a medical doctor or dentist currently licensed in Canada.
Which documents each province accepts
The table summarizes the option 2 document grid on the CaRMS citizenship page, read again on 9 November 2026 (criteria from the 2026 match). “Yes” means CaRMS marks the document eligible for that province; a footnoted “Yes” carries a provincial note, summarized below the table.
| Document | NL | NS, NB, PEI | QC | ON | MB | SK | AB | BC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canadian birth certificate or Act of birth | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (photo ID) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Canadian citizenship card | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Certificate of Canadian Citizenship | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (photo ID) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Confirmation of Permanent Residence | Yes | Yes | Yes (PR by deadline) | Yes (photo ID) | Yes | Yes | Yes (Record of Landing if 2002 or earlier) | Yes |
| Passport page showing Canadian citizenship | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Permanent resident card | Yes | Yes | Yes (PR by deadline) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (Record of Landing if 2002 or earlier) | Yes |
| Proof of pending citizenship or pending PR | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Valid Canadian visa or permit | No | No | Yes (see note) | No | No | No | No | No |
| Protected person or Convention refugee status | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No |
| Certificate of Indian Status, Aboriginal status or Makivik card | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (note) | Yes (note) | Yes (note) | Yes | Yes (note) |
The provincial notes, in CaRMS’s words where it matters:
- Quebec: “You must have obtained your Canadian permanent residency (or a refugee status) by the application deadline.” The only exception is for MD students already enrolled in a Quebec faculty of medicine with a valid visa. MD visa students and U.S. citizens are eligible in the first iteration’s contingent régulier only if they are already studying in Quebec with a student permit; other candidates may be considered in the contingent particulier in the second iteration.
- Ontario: a birth certificate, Certificate of Canadian Citizenship or Confirmation of Permanent Residence “must be accompanied by a Canadian government-issued photo ID”. Citizens of Indigenous nations whose Treaties allow work and training across the USA–Canada border are eligible once their Indigenous citizenship is verified, though a work visa may be needed before training starts.
- Manitoba: if you use a Certificate of Indian Status, Aboriginal status or Makivik card, you will also be required to provide proof of eligibility to work in Canada.
- Saskatchewan: the Certificate of Indian Status and Secure Certificate of Indian Status are accepted as proof.
- Alberta: proof of permanent residence from 2002 or earlier must come with the Record of Landing showing the landing date.
- British Columbia: proof of citizenship is due by the program rank order list deadline. If you use a Certificate of Indian Status, Aboriginal status or Makivik card, it must be accompanied by government-issued documentation verifying your eligibility to work in Canada.
A quick decision rule
- Citizen or PR, and you have applied for the MCCQE with a Canadian passport, birth certificate, PR card or citizenship card: check whether “Share your identity information” appears and transfer your IVP. It only needs to be transferred once.
- Citizen or PR, no IVP available: upload a notarized document from the table that every province you are applying to accepts. If you are applying to Quebec, do not rely on the passport page; if you are applying to Ontario with a birth certificate, Certificate of Citizenship or Confirmation of PR, add Canadian government-issued photo ID.
- Protected person or Convention refugee: per the grid, this status is eligible in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and PEI, Quebec, Ontario and Alberta, and not in Newfoundland and Labrador, Manitoba, Saskatchewan or British Columbia.
- Citizenship or PR still pending: CaRMS marks “proof of pending” as not eligible in every province, so plan your match year around the date your status is granted.
Deadlines for the 2027 R-1 match
The CaRMS first-iteration timeline (updated 13 May 2026) sets these dates:
- 16 October 2026, 17:00 ET (passed): deadline for Canadian medical graduates verifying status through the MCC to have registered on physiciansapply.ca, applied for their MCCQE examination and sent their documents, so verification is done by the application deadline.
- 26 November 2026, 12:00 noon ET: applications and all required documents submitted and assigned to programs. The citizenship page says proof is due by this deadline “unless otherwise indicated”.
- 18 February 2027, 15:00 ET: rank order list deadline, which is the British Columbia deadline for proof of citizenship.
- 2 March 2027, 12:00 noon ET: match day.
CaRMS notes that “dates are subject to change”, so check the timeline itself. For the full sequence from registration to match day, see our CaRMS 2027 timeline for IMGs.
Frequently asked questions
Can I apply to CaRMS without Canadian citizenship or permanent residence?
The basic rule is no: CaRMS requires citizenship or permanent residence, with “some exceptions”. CaRMS does not list the exceptions in one place, but its document grid (2026-match criteria) accepts protected person or Convention refugee status in some provinces, has a Quebec rule for MD visa students already studying there, and an Ontario provision for citizens of certain Indigenous nations.
Can I use proof that my permanent residence is pending?
No. The CaRMS document grid marks “Proof of pending Canadian citizenship/pending permanent residency” as not eligible in all eight provincial columns.
Do my citizenship documents need to be notarized?
Yes, if you upload them. CaRMS states that citizenship documents are required to be notarized, and its help centre lists who can notarize or certify them. Sharing your IVP from the MCC avoids the upload.
When is proof of citizenship due for the 2027 match?
By the 26 November 2026 noon ET deadline for submitting and assigning documents, unless the province says otherwise. British Columbia allows proof up to the 18 February 2027 rank order list deadline.
Next step
Citizenship proof is paperwork; the exam side of an IMG file needs more lead time. If you are still preparing for the MCCQE, try 30 free questions from our 2,600+ question bank.
