Canadian newcomers who need a medical exam might be shocked to know that they cannot visit any doctor to have their immigration medical exam (IME) completed.
Considering the continuous importance of medical exams for many Canadian newcomers, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) explains that not all doctors are approved to perform IMEs for Canadian temporary residence (TR) and permanent residence (PR) applicants.
Specifically, only a panel physician approved by [IRCC] can do the immigration medical exam. In other words, unless the applicant’s family doctor is named on IRCC’s list of panel physicians, they cannot be selected to administer an IME.
It is very important to know that, Panel Physicians are defined in IRCC’s glossary as medical doctors appointed by IRCC to perform immigration medical examinations also be aware that this is not a legal definition and is only intended to provide explanations for different words which is used online by IRCC.
IRCC notes that all over the world, panel physicians can be found. According to IRCC, the medical exam recipient must the physician of where their application will be processed, so that the medical results can be sent to the right office.
Additionally, the applicant is required to pay for the medical exam themselves, a cost that can differ from one doctor to another.
The tool above allows users to filter through IRCC’s list by country, noting also that if a specific Panel Physician is not available when making an appointment, an alternate Panel Physician or authorized replacement might be recommended to you by the clinic.
Though policy amendments dating back several years have changed the medical exam requirements for some Canadian newcomers, many foreign nationals seeking entry into Canada still need a medical exam as part of the PR or TR process.
For instance, last October, IRCC removed the upfront medical examination requirement for Express Entry candidates.
This does not mean medical exams are no longer required for PR in Canada. This policy change simply means that Express Entry candidates do not need to have them completed before they submit their application.
The difference between a candidate and an applicant is that candidates are still in the pre-submission stage of the process. A candidate becomes an applicant once they submit their application to IRCC.
On the other hand, however, certain work permit applicants are still required to get a medical exam to work in Canada. The same is true for some study permit applicants.
