Medical Exam for Canadian Immigration
The immigration medical exam for Canada must be done by an IRCC-approved panel physician, never your own doctor. It includes a physical exam, a chest x-ray from age 11 and blood tests from age 15. The physician sends the results straight to IRCC, and they stay valid for 12 months. Every permanent residence applicant needs one.
12 months
How long exam results stay valid, from the day the panel physician completes the exam
Age 11
From this age, a chest x-ray screens for tuberculosis
Age 15
From this age, blood tests for syphilis, HIV and serum creatinine
Who needs an immigration medical exam?
Not every Canadian immigration application requires a medical exam. The IRPR sets out specific categories of applicants who must complete an immigration medical exam (IME). Generally, an exam is required for:
- All permanent residence applicants, in all streams (IRPR s.30(1)(a)(i)). Your family members need one too, even if they are not coming with you.
- Applicants for a Super Visa (parents and grandparents). A medical exam and mandatory health insurance are both required.
- Visitors, students and workers staying more than 6 months who lived in or travelled to a country or territory on IRCC’s list for 6 months or more in a row in the year before they come. The rule is based on where you lived or travelled, not on citizenship.
- Workers in jobs in which public health must be protected (for example health care, child care, primary or secondary schools), even for a stay of 6 months or less.
- Agricultural workers who spent 6 months or more in a row in a listed country in the year before coming, even for a stay of 6 months or less.
Visitors, students and workers staying 6 months or less generally do not need an IME, unless one of the last two cases applies. If you need an exam, the visa office tells you what to do next.
The rule
The IRPR sets out specific categories of applicants who must complete an IME.
Who can do the exam?
The IME cannot be done by your regular family doctor or any doctor of your choosing. It must be performed by an IRCC-designated panel physician, a doctor IRCC has authorized to conduct immigration medical exams and submit results directly to IRCC. Results submitted by non-designated physicians are not accepted.
The panel physician does not make the final decision about your exam: IRCC does.
What does the exam include?
The IME is a standardized assessment. The parts required depend on your age and application type.
- Physical examination
- A medical history questionnaire, including your current medications, then a physical exam: weight, height, hearing and vision, heart and lungs, abdomen, how your limbs move, and skin. IRCC says the exam does not include your genitals or rectal area.
- Chest x-ray
- Generally required for applicants 11 years and older. It screens for active pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), a communicable disease that can be a ground for inadmissibility under IRPA s.38. Tell the physician before the x-ray if you are or may be pregnant.
- Blood tests
- Generally required for applicants 15 years and older. The routine tests are syphilis, HIV (unless you have already reported that you are HIV positive) and serum creatinine. Counselling is given before and after HIV testing.
- Further tests or a specialist
- Depending on the results, you may be referred to a specialist or for more tests. You pay for these as well.
How do you get the exam done?
Check when your application needs it
Express Entry: after you receive your invitation to apply, but before you apply (an upfront exam). Other permanent residence applications: wait for IRCC’s instructions after you apply, then get the exam within 30 days of them. Visitors, students and workers: before you apply (an upfront exam).
Find a panel physician
Use IRCC’s list of approved panel physicians to find one closest to you, and book early. Contact the physician before your appointment to find out what to bring.
Bring your documents
Bring your passport (IRCC strongly recommends it as your identification), glasses or contact lenses if you wear them, any medical reports or test results for previous or existing conditions, and a list of your current medications.
Have the exam and pay the physician
At your appointment you pay the physician, and any x-rays, special tests or specialists the exam needs.
The physician sends the results
The panel physician sends the results to IRCC, through the eMedical system where it is in use, and gives you a document confirming the exam. If you want a copy of the results, ask the physician at the appointment.
IRCC reviews them
The physician will discuss any abnormal results with you. If there is a problem with your exam, IRCC contacts you in writing.
What does it cost, and how long are the results valid?
IME costs are set by each panel physician and can differ from one doctor to another, so there is no single official price. IRCC does not refund these fees if it refuses your application.
The IME fee is paid directly to the panel physician. It is not included in your IRCC application fees, biometrics ($85 per person, with a family maximum), or other government charges. Ask the clinic for its full price list, including children, before you book.
Results are valid for 12 months from the date the panel physician completes the exam, for both permanent and temporary residence applications. For students and workers, the letter of introduction shows the date the results expire.
If you don’t come to Canada within the 12 months, IRCC may ask you to repeat the exam, and you pay the physician again.
What happens if the exam finds a health condition?
Under IRPA s.38, a foreign national is inadmissible on health grounds if their health condition is likely to be a danger to public health or to public safety, or might reasonably be expected to cause excessive demand on health or social services.
IRPA s.38(2) provides limited exceptions. The excessive demand ground does not apply to a person found to be a member of the family class who is the spouse, common-law partner or child of a sponsor, to someone applying as a Convention refugee or person in similar circumstances, to a protected person, or to prescribed family members of those people. Sponsored parents and grandparents, for example, are still assessed for excessive demand.
IRCC says no health condition automatically leads to inadmissibility. The Medical Inadmissibility guide explains the grounds, the excessive demand threshold and the procedural fairness letter.
Which free tool checks your own case?
- Admissibility ExplorerThe IRPA admissibility grounds, one question at a time
- Document ChecklistTypical documents by application type
- Fee CalculatorCurrent government fees, itemized
Free, with no account. What you enter in a tool stays in your browser.
What do people ask?
What does the immigration medical exam for Canada include?
A physical exam and a review of your medical history, a chest x-ray to screen for tuberculosis for applicants 11 and older, and blood tests for syphilis, HIV and serum creatinine for applicants 15 and older, with counselling before and after HIV testing. You may be referred for more tests or to a specialist, depending on the results. The panel physician confirms what applies to you. The Medical Inadmissibility guide explains how IRCC reads the results.
How much does the immigration medical exam cost?
Each panel physician sets the price, so there is no official fee. X-rays, special tests or specialists are paid on top. You pay the physician directly, apart from your IRCC application fees. Ask the clinic for its full price list, including children, before you book. The Fee Calculator covers the government fees on top.
How long is an immigration medical exam valid?
12 months from the day the panel physician completes it. If you don't come to Canada within that time, you may need another exam. Track the date your exam was completed and be ready to redo it. The Canada Immigration Processing Times 2026 guide shows which queues run longest.
How do I find a panel physician near me?
Use IRCC's list of approved panel physicians to find one closest to you. Only an IRCC-designated panel physician can do the exam, and results from any other doctor are not accepted. You can choose a panel physician anywhere in the world, even in a different country from where you live. Book early. The Document Checklist tool lists what else your application needs.
How long does the immigration medical exam take and when do I get the results?
IRCC's exam pages do not say how long the appointment takes, and x-rays and lab tests may be done at the clinic or at a laboratory. The panel physician sends the results to IRCC, through the eMedical system where it is in use, and gives you a document confirming the exam; you can ask the physician for a copy of the results. IRCC's exam pages give no turnaround for reviewing them. The IRCC GCKey guide shows how to follow your application online.
What happens if a medical condition is found during the immigration exam?
If IRCC believes you may be medically inadmissible, it sends you a procedural fairness letter before a final decision. The letter explains the reason, and you have 90 days from its date to send information on your diagnosis, the medication and services you need and their cost (or to ask for an extension). IRCC says no health condition automatically leads to inadmissibility: each case is assessed on the exam and the cost of the services needed. The Medical Inadmissibility guide explains IRPA s.38 and the excessive demand threshold.
What is an upfront medical exam versus a requested one?
An upfront exam is one you complete before you apply and include with your application. A requested exam is one you do only after IRCC sends you instructions. Express Entry uses an upfront exam, done after the invitation to apply; other permanent residence applications wait for IRCC's instructions, and the exam must be done within 30 days of them. Visitors, students and workers get an upfront exam. An exam done too early can expire before you come to Canada. Check your program instructions on canada.ca.
Do I need a medical exam to visit Canada for less than 6 months?
Generally no. For a stay of 6 months or less, IRCC says you generally do not need one unless you will work in a job in which public health must be protected (for example health care, child care, primary or secondary schools), or you are an agricultural worker who spent 6 months or more in a row in a listed country in the year before you came. The country rule for everyone else applies to stays of more than 6 months. The Visitor Visa guide covers the rest of a visitor application.
Part of:Immigrating permanently
- Police Certificate Requirements for Canada
- Canada Medical Inadmissibility: Can a Health Condition Bar Entry?
- Canada Foreign Credential Recognition: Getting Your Degree Accepted
The textbook on this subject
Volume 2: Immigrating to Canada $79
The economic and family pathways to permanent residence, explained from the published criteria.
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This page is based on law and policy published by the Government of Canada.