On October 7, 2026, Health Canada announced $20 million over four years to expand Practice Ready Ontario, a 12-week assessment of whether internationally trained family doctors are ready to practise in Ontario. It adds 50 spots a year, for up to 200 new family physicians by 2028-29. The catch: you must already be a permanent resident or citizen.
What is Practice Ready Ontario, and what changed on October 7?
Practice Ready Ontario is a 12-week clinical field assessment for family doctors who trained outside Canada, run by the Touchstone Institute. The new federal money pays for 50 extra spots a year for four years. Ottawa says the aim is better primary care in northern, rural and Francophone parts of Ontario.
Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones said the province is putting in over $25 million to support 150 participants a year starting in 2026/27. The federal money also creates a separate stream for French-speaking family physicians. That matters if you trained in French, since the program is aimed partly at Francophone communities.
Other provinces run their own versions of this kind of test. Our practice-ready assessment guide for international medical graduates walks through how they compare.
Who can apply to Practice Ready Ontario?
You must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident on the day you apply. The Touchstone Institute’s FAQ says people still waiting for PR cannot apply, and a work permit alone does not meet the rule. So for most doctors abroad, the order is fixed: get PR first, then apply for the Ontario test.
There is a second commitment. If you pass, you owe a three-year return of service in an approved Ontario community. A family settled in Toronto may be placed somewhere much smaller, so talk about it at home before you apply.
How do internationally trained doctors get PR first?
Express Entry now holds draws just for physicians with Canadian work experience. IRCC ran three of them in 2026, with 891 invitations in total and cut-offs between 169 and 223 CRS points. By contrast, the Canadian Experience Class draw on September 29 needed a score of 518.
| Draw | Date | Invitations | CRS cut-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| 397 | February 19, 2026 | 391 | 169 |
| 421 | June 24, 2026 | 271 | 223 |
| 440 | September 3, 2026 | 229 | 198 |
| Total | 3 rounds | 891 | 169 to 223 |
Source: IRCC Express Entry rounds data, checked October 9, 2026.
The low scores come with a condition written into the draw name: Canadian work experience. A doctor who has never worked here will usually need another route, such as a provincial nomination or the general draws. Our page on Express Entry for physicians explains who fits, and the CRS calculator shows your score.
On December 8, 2025, Ottawa also announced 5,000 new Provincial Nominee Program spaces and 14-day work permit processing for eligible physicians. Ontario’s nominee program has its own physician route, covered in our OINP update for physicians. You can also check which occupations count in the physicians category.
What else did the October 7 announcement fund for foreign-trained doctors?
Five smaller projects share the rest of the more than $31 million. The College of Family Physicians of Canada gets $2,046,648 for Re-IMGine, which plans to expand the list of countries whose family doctors are automatically eligible for certification. The Medical Council of Canada gets $4,645,700 for navigation help and an upgraded Physicians Apply platform.
The other three projects help nurses, physiotherapists and occupational therapists with licensing. None of them change immigration rules. They make the licensing side easier to follow once you are here.
What should you do now if you trained abroad as a family doctor?
Start with your immigration status, because Practice Ready Ontario will not consider you without PR or citizenship. Work out which PR route fits your work history and where you are living today. Then gather your medical degree, internship and licensing records, since you will need proof of training for both files.
Official program rules and forms are on the IRCC website. If you are not sure which route comes first in your case, Book a Strategy Consultation with Amir Ismail, RCIC #R412319, and we will map it with you.
