If you are wondering why you need to undergo a medical exam for immigration, the answer lies in “Universal Healthcare”. All citizens and permanent residents receive free healthcare. Because you will be eligible for free of cost treatment for the rest of your life, the government wants to ensure that you won’t be a financial burden on the taxpayer or a threat to the public.
Having a minor medical issue is totally fine but if you have a major concern then your application can get rejected. These three criteria can make you inadmissible to Canada:
- Danger to public health – If you have certain infectious diseases such as tuberculosis or syphilis, you could infect others with it
- Danger to public safety – If you have mental health conditions that can make you violent and endanger public
- Excessive demand on healthcare – If your medical condition needs prolonged and expensive care, then it will be a strain on public healthcare
Who needs to get it done
Not just you but your family (spouse and children) also need to get the exam done even if they are not coming with you.
Where to get your medical exam done
You can’t just go to any doctor you wish. You can only get it done through the doctors empanelled with IRCC. Check where you can find these physicians in your city on this page. Select your country and find the doctor closest to you from that list.
When should you schedule your exam
You can get your exam done as soon as you get your Invitation to Apply. However, I would suggest getting it done about a month before your deadline to submit the application. That’s because your medical exam has an expiry date of 12 months. If you get your PR, you will have to land before your medical exam expires or else you will have to do it again.
It’s also possible that your application takes much longer to process and your exam results may become invalid by the time you get your PR. By delaying it a little, you are buying yourself more time.
However, don’t delay it too much and don’t schedule it close to your deadline. If you miss your appointment or if it gets cancelled, you will be in trouble.
What happens during your medical exam
These exams are not complicated. They won’t throw you under a CT scanner. There will be some simple tests like a routine physical exam including your height, weight, hearing, vision, pulse, blood work, urine test, etc. For some applicants, depending on their age, they can also conduct an X-ray or some other lab tests.
At the end, you will receive a document confirming that your medical exam is done. You won’t see any test results. The doctor will send these results directly to IRCC. Save whatever you receive because you will need to upload the scanned copy while submitting your application. For us, everything was done on the same day and we got a copy of the confirmation of the tests on the very same day.
What to bring for your medical exam
When you visit the physician, bring:
- A government issued identification with your photo and signature, such as your passport
- Eye-glasses or contact lenses if you wear them
- Any medical reports for your pre-existing medical conditions
- A list of your current medications
- 4 recent photographs if your physician doesn’t use eMedical. Call them before your appointment to check that
Related Topics
Submitting your application
Process of PR application
Police Certificates
Proof of funds