One of the final requirements for Canada’s immigration process is a medical exam report. Every applicant for permanent residence must undergo a medical exam before an immigration officer can approve their application. Medical exams play an important role in determining whether a candidate is admissible to Canada.
Medical inadmissibility can prevent an applicant from coming to Canada as a permanent resident, student, or temporary worker. There are two types of medical issues that could result in refusal:
*Excessive demand is defined as a condition where the expected cost of treatment would exceed five times the annual average health and social services costs for an individual in Canada.
Whether an applicant fulfills the health requirements is determined by a Medical Certificate or Medical Report based on a medical exam conducted by an authorized medical practitioner. Therefore, the medical report is an important immigration document that can have a significant impact on your chances of successfully immigrating to Canada.
Along with the principal applicant, all dependants, including those who are not accompanying the principal applicant to Canada, should undergo the immigration medical exam and obtain the medical report. An applicant’s eligibility depends on all his or her dependants fulfilling the health requirement.
To become eligible for permanent residence in Canada, the applicant and all dependants must not suffer from a condition that puts public health at risk or places excessive strain on the Canadian health system. This requirement comes into effect from the time the applicant files the application for Canadian permanent residence.
Certain foreign nationals applying to work or study in Canada may also require a medical exam. The best way to find out if a medical exam is required is by visiting IRCC’s dedicated page.
Depending on the immigration program they are applying to, applicants have two options for undergoing the medical exam.
The medical exam for Canadian immigration must be with an IRCC approved panel physician. In exceptional cases, IRCC may grant a dispensation and temporarily permit a non-panel physician to conduct the exam. However, the dispensation is very rarely granted to physicians outside Canada. This option is available primarily to immigration applicants who are physically present in Canada.
According to the government of Canada, an immigration medical exam will typically require any or all of the below:
The cost of a medical exam for Canadian immigration will vary depending on the panel physician visited. Applicants are responsible for paying all fees involved with the medical exam.
Your medical report will contain the following details:
In most cases, the panel physician will submit the report electronically directly to IRCC. IRCC only accepts paper-based reports when the physician does not have access to the ‘eMedical’ electronic submission facility.
It is important to note that the medical report is the property of IRCC and that you must specifically make a request to your panel physician if you wish to retain a copy for your records.
If you clear the medical exam and are not disqualified on health grounds, then this positive report will be valid for a period of 12 months from the date of the medical assessment. This validity period is the same whether the examination was done in Canada or a foreign country.
If the validity period has expired — more than 12 months have passed since you underwent the medical exam — then you and your dependents will have to undergo the examination again in order to continue to remain eligible. This is one reason why doing the exam after the file has begun processing may be beneficial. An upfront test may lapse if the processing period exceeds 12 months.
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