CaRMS Interviews 2027: Dates, Format and What to Expect

The 2027 R-1 timeline, step by step

CaRMS has published every first iteration date for the 2027 match. The interview stretch is short, so most of the work happens before January.

• Before file review. Submit your application and assign documents by 12:00 noon ET on November 26, 2026. Programs see applications from 12:05 ET that day.
• Interview offers. Programs can update offer statuses from the start of file review and must finish by January 12, 2027.
• Interviews. Out-of-town Canadian graduates interview from January 16 to February 7, 2027. Interviews for international graduates and for applicants at their own school are coordinated separately.
• Ranking. Ranking opens January 21, 2027 and your list is due February 18, 2027 at 15:00 ET. You can withdraw from the match until that deadline.
• Second iteration. Unfilled positions go to a second iteration. Its file review starts March 16, 2027, rank lists are due April 8 and Match Day is April 20, 2027.

Are CaRMS interviews virtual?

Yes. The AFMC Board confirmed that R-1 match interviews will continue in the virtual format going forward, and the AFMC says virtual interviews should be held live, not recorded.

• Live video. Program descriptions name Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Kira Talent as the platform. UBC family medicine, for example, runs a live, synchronous MMI.
• Short days. Many programs pair the interview with an online information session or a Q&A with residents on the same day.

How CaRMS interview invitations work

Each program decides whom to interview. It posts your offer status in CaRMS Online, then sends the invitation and scheduling details to you directly.

• Check CaRMS Online and email. Status changes appear in CaRMS Online, and the real invitation comes by email within five days. Some programs warn their emails can land in junk mail.
• Programs schedule you. Programs book interviews with applicants directly. CaRMS posts each program's interview dates in an interview schedule in CaRMS Online.
• Some specialties invite together. Most core internal medicine programs send offers on the same day, January 8, 2027, and use a shared booking website that opens for booking on January 11.
• Clashes. If two invitations fall on the same date, CaRMS says you may contact the programs directly to arrange another time.

MMI vs panel at Canadian programs

There is no single CaRMS format. Each program says in its 2027 program description whether it uses a traditional interview, a panel or an MMI.

French-language programs

Québec's three francophone family medicine programs are at Université Laval, Université de Sherbrooke and Université de Montréal. Some programs outside Québec offer bilingual streams.

• Joint family medicine interviews. The three francophone family medicine programs in Québec hold joint virtual interviews. At Montréal, the two evaluators come from different universities and do not see your file.
• French is assessed. Montréal family medicine requires written and spoken French. Applicants without a recognized French education need level C1 in all four skills on the TCF or TEF.
• Test deadlines. CaRMS says language test results must be valid until July 1, 2027 and submitted by the application deadline. Québec programs list their accepted French tests in their descriptions.
• Québec streams. Québec fills R-1 positions through a regular stream in the first iteration. Its particular stream runs only in the second iteration.
• Bilingual streams. The University of Ottawa lists Montfort bilingual streams, and the University of Manitoba lists a bilingual French family medicine stream.

Notes for international medical graduates

In the first iteration, most positions are split into a CMG stream and an IMG stream.

• Who is an IMG. Graduates of international and osteopathic schools, and U.S. allopathic graduates who graduated on or after July 1, 2025, apply in the IMG stream.
• Exams. IMGs generally need to have passed the NAC Examination and the MCCQE Part I. British Columbia, Alberta and Québec also require an assessment before you apply.
• No national interview period. IMG interviews can take place any time between the start of file review and the rank order list deadline.
• Extra clinical stations. Some programs add a clinical part for IMGs. Laval family medicine adds a virtual OSCE session on January 26, 2027, and McGill internal medicine adds verbal clinical scenarios.

How to prepare for CaRMS interviews

Most Canadian interviews are short and structured, so a few clear stories matter more than long answers.

• Know CanMEDS. CaRMS interview criteria cover collaboration, communication, health advocacy, leadership, professionalism and scholarly work, which line up with the CanMEDS roles.
• Prepare 6 to 8 stories. Pick clerkship moments about teamwork, conflict, a mistake, advocacy and teaching. Each can answer several questions.
• Know why this program. Programs score interest in the discipline and in the program. Name something specific, such as a site, a rotation or a population it serves.
• Practice out loud on video. Time yourself. Many programs give 15 to 30 minutes per interview, so answers of one to two minutes fit best.

Frequently asked questions