Medical exams for visitors, students and workers

On this page

• Who needs a medical exam
• Types of medical exam
• Who can do your medical exam
• When to get your medical exam
• What to bring
• What you need to pay for
• What to expect during your exam

Who needs a medical exam

If you plan to stay for 6 months or less

You generally don’t need a medical exam unless you plan to work in certain jobs in which public health must be protected.

Examples of such jobs are

1. jobs that bring you into close contact with people, such as
   • workers in health care settings
   • clinical laboratory workers
   • patient attendants in nursing and geriatric homes
   • medical students admitted to Canada to attend university
   • medical electives and physicians on short-term locums
   • workers in primary or secondary school settings, or workers in child-care settings
   • domestics
   • workers who give in-home care to children, the elderly and the disabled
   • day nursery employees
   • other similar jobs
2. agricultural workers who’ve visited or lived in one of these countries for 6 months or more in a row in the year before they came to Canada

If you plan to stay for more than 6 months

You need a medical exam if at least one of these applies to you:

• You have lived in or travelled to one or more of these countries or territories for 6 months or more in a row in the year before you come to Canada.
• You’ll come to Canada to work in a job in which public health must be protected.
• You’re applying for a parent and grandparent super visa.

If you need a medical exam, the visa office will tell you what to do next.

Types of medical exams

There are 2 types of immigration medical exams:

• the standard medical exam
• the streamlined medical exam

Streamlined medical exam

The streamlined medical exam is a simplified medical exam that we may request during certain urgent operational situations, like a humanitarian crisis, and in other exceptional situations as determined by IRCC.

You cannot request a specific type of medical exam. We’ll let you know which exam you need.

Who can do your exam

You must see a doctor on the list of panel physicians. Your own doctor can’t do the medical exam.

The panel physician doesn’t make the final decision about your medical exam. We make that decision. If there’s a problem with your medical exam, we’ll contact you in writing.

Find a panel physician to perform your exam.

When to get your medical exam

You can either get your medical exam before or after you apply.

Before you submit your application

You have the option of getting an exam before you apply. This is called an upfront medical exam.

You can get one if you apply to

• visit (including parent and grandparent super visa)
• work
• study

To get one, contact a panel physician directly. If you present yourself for an upfront medical exam, the panel physician will conduct a standard medical exam.

After you submit your application

We’ll send you instructions on how to get your medical exam done. Please read these instructions to find out

• when to book your appointment
• the type of medical exam you need to get

If you don’t follow these instructions, we may refuse your application.

What to bring

When you go to your appointment for the medical exam, you must bring

• proper identification
  • We strongly recommend you bring your passport as your identification document. You can also use other approved identification documents, including
    • a national identity (ID) card
    • a driver’s license issued from one the following countries (if you’re still in that country)
      • Australia
      • Canada
      • New Zealand
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
    • an original birth certificate (if the child is under 18 years old)
    • a refugee travel document
    • a Red Cross travel document
    • a UN laissez-passer
    • a seaman’s book
    • an Organization of American States travel document
    • a refugee protection claimant document
• eye glasses or contact lenses, if you wear them
• any medical reports or test results that you have for any previous or existing medical conditions
• a list of your current medications
• the Medical Report form (IMM 1017E or IMM1020E), if you don’t get an up front medical exam
  • We’ll send you this form
• 4 recent photographs, if the panel physician doesn’t use eMedical
  • Contact the panel physician before your appointment to find out.

If you’re referred for an X-ray or other tests, you may be asked to present your identification again when you go for those tests.

What you need to pay for

You must pay all fees related to the medical exam when you’re there, including

• the fee for the doctor or radiologist
• any special tests, investigations or treatment needed
• any specialists you need to see

If you choose to get any of the vaccines the panel physician offers you, you may have to pay for them. This depends on the panel physician’s fees and local jurisdiction practices.

If we refuse your application after your medical exam, we won’t refund those fees.

What to expect during your exam