Medical Exam Exemptions

Ottawa, December 24, 2021—Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is renewing a temporary public policy exempting some foreign nationals in Canada from having to complete an additional immigration medical exam as part of their application for a permanent program if they already recently completed one and were found to pose no risk to public health. Originally set to expire on December 28, 2021, the exemption will be extended until March 31, 2022.

This public policy, which was announced in June 2021, helps streamline application processing for low-risk, in-Canada applicants, while effectively managing public health risks. It supports faster application processing and helps foreign nationals who are here already to transition to permanent resident status more quickly.

When applying for permanent residence or for a permanent resident visa, applicants must provide an immigration medical exam or a unique medical identifier number from their previous medical exam. IRCC will contact individuals who are not eligible for the exemption to discuss the next steps.

This exemption allows them to not have to do an additional medical exam if they have already completed one and they meet the following criteria:

• they have applied for permanent residency and have not completed a new immigration medical exam;
• the have completed a medical exam within the last five years and were found to pose no risk to public health or safety, or complied with a requirement to report to health authorities for monitoring; and
• they have not left Canada for more than six months in the last year to live in a country that is on the federal government’s list of countries requiring an immigration medical exam.

Family members of applicants may be eligible under this policy if they are also in Canada and meet the above criteria.