Understanding the Immigration Medical Exam process and timelines is essential to help students and workers avoid delays and complications with their applications. Our Ottawa and Orleans immigration physicians share valuable information you'll need.
What should students and workers know about Immigration Medical Exams?
Are you a visitor, student or worker who plans on staying in Canada for less than 6 months? Generally, you won't need to take an Immigration Medical Exam (IME) unless you plan to work or study in certain industries such as healthcare. If you're a visitor, student or worker who needs to stay in Canada for more than 6 months, you'll require a medical exam if you've:
- Lived in one or more of these countries for at least 6 months consecutively within the last year, or
- Come to Canada to work in a position in which public health must be protected, or
- You've applied for a Parent or Grandparent Super Visa
Only a Panel Physician (a doctor approved to complete Immigration Medical Exams) can perform your medical exam. These professionals are also the only ones authorized to submit the results of your medical exams to Immigration Canada (IRCC).
This means that your own family doctor any doctor not impanelled by the IRCC cannot complete the medical exam for Immigration Canada. An officer with Immigration Canada (not the Panel Physician) makes the final decision about your medical exam.
Visitors, students and workers can get their medical exams either before or after they apply for a visa.
An Upfront Medical can be completed before you apply for your visa if any of the following apply to you:
- Individuals who are visiting (including parent and grandparent super visa; with a super visa, people can visit their children and grandchildren for up to 2 years at a time. A super visa allows multiple entries to Canada for up to 2 years at a time. With a super visa, an individual can enter Canada multiple times for up to 10 years)
- Individuals who are working, or studying in Canada, or:
- Come to Canada using the Express Entry Permanent Residence program.
You must have your medical exams done within 30 days after:
- Applying for Permanent Residence and receiving instructions from Immigration Canada on how to schedule and complete their medical exam
- Making a refugee claim at a point of entry into Canada and receiving instructions from a border service officer to have a medical exam done.
Sometimes, a person may complete medical exams for their visitor visa, work or student visa application. Months after this application is submitted, the person applies for a permanent residence visa and Immigration Canada again requests medical exams. Since their previous medical exam has been valid for 12 months, this visa applicant would have 2 options:
- Call Immigration Canada and give the unique identifier number associated with the previous medical case, along with the unique identifier number of the new medical case. Ask an Immigration Canada officer to lin the two medical cases together. Or
- Get and pay for a new medical exam specifically for the Permanent Residence application that Immigration Canada has asked for.
Choosing the first option would save you the cost of getting another medical exam, but you'd need to reach out to Immigration Canada client representatives and request that your two medical cases be linked.
Despite the fact that they would pay the cost for another medical exam, some clients still opt for the second option to avoid any risk of potential mistakes or delays through manually connecting (linking) the old and new media cases. Just keep in mind the above scenario assumes your initial medical exam was done within 12 months of receiving Immigration Canada's request for another medical exam.
Immigration Medical Exams for Students & Workers
Anyone applying for a visitor, student, work or Permanent Residence visa must follow all rules and regulations set by Immigration Canada.
You may find yourself in many situations that can have a significant effect on your medical exam results and as such, have an impact on your visa application. This is why it's critical to choose an experienced Panel Physician to complete your exam.
If you need a medical exam for immigration purposes, our Panel Physicians are prepared to perform yours and guide you through the exam process. We are also prepared to answer any questions or concerns you may have.
For those who require an Immigration Medical Exam and live near Ottawa, we offer 2 convenient locations where you can take your one-stop Immigration Medical Exam (you may also come to Ottawa to take the exam, even if you do not live close to the city). You'll find all the services you need to complete your exam at our clinics, including X-rays and tests.
