Medical exams are an essential part of the Canadian immigration process, ensuring the health and safety of both newcomers and Canadian citizens. But navigating the specifics of these exams can be confusing.
This article will demystify everything you need to know about Canadian immigration medical exams.
Specifically, we are going to cover:
- Who needs to take a medical exam for Canadian immigration?
- Why do I need to take a medical exam for Canadian immigration?
- What is needed for a medical exam for Canadian immigration?
- And lots more.
So if you’re looking at migrating to Canada for any reason, this guide is a must-read.
Let’s get started!
Who Needs to Take a Medical Exam for Canadian Immigration?
If you’re planning on moving to Canada for the holidays, study, or work permit, there is so much that the IRCC (Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada) would ask you to complete.
One of these basic requirements is a medical exam prior to arrival – to ensure you’re not restricted access to the country for medical reasons.
The requirements are different depending on if the person is applying for temporary (which are workers, students, and visitors) or permanent residency.
For temporal residency of six months or less, a medical exam may not be demanded except you plan to work a specific type of job. These specific types of job positions are in line with public health and must be protected as such jobs bring you in close contact with different people. Examples of these kinds of jobs are:
- Clinical laboratory workers
- Medical students newly admitted to school in Canada
- Medical electives and physicians on short-term locum (a temporar medical substitute)
- Domestic workers that childcare, home for elderlies and disabled
- Healthcare workers and patient attendants in nursing and aged homes.
The list above is not thorough and other applicants with other job titles may be asked also to take these medical exams.
For temporal residency of six months or more, you would require a medical exam for one of these reasons:
- You are planning to work in a job where public health must be protected
- You are applying for a parent or grandparent super visa
- You have lived-in or visited one or more of these countries for at least 6 months in a row within the previous year.
For permanent residency, all immigrants are required to take a medical exam for Canadian immigration accompanied by their spouse or partner, alongside their dependent children.
Why Do I Need to Take a Medical Exam for Canadian Immigration?
The purpose of the medical exams is to make sure immigrants are medically acceptable for the country under the IRPA (Immigration and Refugee Protection Act).
A recent survey conducted in 2016 shows that the majority of hepatitis-related health cases in Canada came from immigrants from medium and low-risk source countries.
Thus, in any case where an immigrant poses a threat to the public’s health or safety, or if the immigrant’s medical condition might debilitate the Canadian health care system, then such an individual’s immigration application request would be denied.
What is Needed for a Medical Exam for Canadian Immigration?
The medical exam for Canadian immigration involves the examination of a potential immigrant’s health that’s often carried out by a panel physician that is well approved to do so by the IRCC.
This medical exam for Canadian immigration is used to check for any medical reason at all that may cause a denial of an immigrant’s status to Canada. The exam would include a personal medical history questionnaire, physical examination, and any other possible test that is ascertained to be relevant by the panel physician.
If in any case, your physician needs more information about your health, you may be redirected to a specialist for additional tests.
Some Canadian immigration programs can allow you to do your medical exams whilst in the process of applying for your VISA, while others would demand that you do your apply first, before conducting the exams; but in any of these cases, the IRCC would do well to contact you and give a deadline for the completion of the exam.
When you plan on going for your medical exams, make sure you carry your proper and correct identification such as a passport or/and other government-issued forms of identification, alongside any other information about your health.
How Much Does a Medical Exam for Canadian Immigration Cost in 2021?
The cost for the medical exams is not fixed as it varies from country to country. Please do well to consult your panel physician to relate to you how much the entire examination would cost.
You’ll be made to pay all fees related to the medical exam, noting that these fees are non-refundable. That is, you can not get them back should in case your application request gets denied.
But though, the IRCC medical exam result still remains valid for a period of 12 months, starting from the date of the exams. But, if you don’t visit Canada during this time frame, you would have to opt-in for a new medical exam.
In a medical exam for Canadian immigration, you are basically paying for:
- The doctor or radiologist.
- Aany other specialist you’ll need to see.
- Any special test, investigations and/or treatment that needs to be done.
Who Carries Out a Medical Exam for Canadian Immigration?
Take note: Your personal doctor can not conduct a medical exam for Canadian immigration for you. You must find a panel physician approved by the IRCC to do the medical exams.
And it’s also important to note that the panel physician does not make the final decision about your medical but the government of Canada. If there is any trouble with your medical exams, you’ll be contacted in writing.
