Ford government planning ban on international students at Ontario medical schools

The Ford government intends to effectively prohibit international students from attending Ontario’s medical schools, instead reserving nearly all available spots for local applicants.

This initiative was announced in Oshawa on Friday morning, with officials stating that it aims to retain more medical graduates in Ontario and address the shortage of family doctors for approximately 2.5 million residents without access to primary care.

“Today’s announcement is the latest step in our plan to connect every person in Ontario, no matter where they live, to primary care,” Premier Doug Ford stated.

“We’re training more family doctors than ever before, helping them live, learn, and stay in Ontario, and we’re supporting Ontario students by prioritizing them for medical school seats in our province.”

The change will be implemented through legislation that has not yet been introduced, requiring Ontario medical schools to allocate 95 percent of their spots to students from within the province. The remaining five percent will be reserved for students from other parts of Canada.

The government indicated that these new restrictions are set to take effect in the fall of 2026. Health Minister Sylvia Jones emphasized the importance of prioritizing local residents, as domestic taxes significantly contribute to the cost of educating new doctors.

“We are going to prioritize Ontario residents because those are our taxpayers that are paying those students to go to school,” she explained.

This announcement follows Ford’s earlier comments about his frustration with the number of Ontario students studying medicine abroad and the international students who leave the province after graduation. At an event in April, he noted that around 18 percent of students at Ontario colleges and universities are international students.

“Get rid of the 18 percent,” Ford remarked. “I’m not being mean, but I’m taking care of our students, our kids first.”

Additionally, the province plans to cover the cost of medical school for 1,000 students, provided they commit to remaining in Ontario and working as family doctors upon graduation.

This grant program, which will also commence in 2026, is expected to cost $88 million and will be available to 1,360 eligible undergraduate students. The province claims that this initiative should enable an additional 1.36 million Ontarians to access primary care.

In a seemingly spontaneous comment, Ford also vowed to find ways to assist current medical students with their education costs.

“I’m trying to backdate this for a year or two because I’m sure some of you have debt from medical school,” Ford said, addressing a group of students gathered behind him during the announcement in Oshawa.

He mentioned he would urge his finance minister—whom he referred to as “Mr. Moneybags”—to explore options for covering some of their expenses.