Canada Medical Inadmissibility: Can a Health Condition Bar Entry?
A health condition makes you inadmissible to Canada under IRPA s.38 only if it endangers public health or safety, or if the care you would need would add to waiting lists or cost the public more than the excessive demand threshold, $28,878 a year in 2026. A diagnosis on its own is not a ground: IRCC says no health condition automatically leads to inadmissibility. An officer decides.
$28,878
IRCC’s 2026 excessive demand cost threshold, per year
$144,390
The same threshold over five years
90 days
From the date of a procedural fairness letter, to send more information
12 months
How long immigration medical exam results stay valid
What are the medical grounds in IRPA s.38?
Section 38(1) of IRPA sets out three grounds, often grouped as two: a danger to public health or public safety, and excessive demand on health or social services. IRCC bases each decision on the results of the immigration medical exam.
- Danger to public health, s.38(1)(a)
- IRCC considers whether you may have certain infectious diseases, such as active tuberculosis or active syphilis, or have been in close contact with others with an infectious disease, and how the disease could affect other people in Canada.
- Danger to public safety, s.38(1)(b)
- IRCC considers the risk of sudden incapacity (loss of physical and mental abilities) or of unpredictable or violent behaviour.
- Excessive demand, s.38(1)(c)
- A foreign national is inadmissible if their health condition might reasonably be expected to cause excessive demand on health or social services.
IRCC’s pages for applicants do not list conditions that lead to inadmissibility. IRCC names no mental health condition as a ground. HIV is tested from age 15, with counselling before and after the test, and as for any condition there is no automatic inadmissibility.
What counts as excessive demand?
IRPR s.1 defines excessive demand as a demand that would cost more than the excessive demand threshold over five consecutive years after the most recent medical exam. It is also a demand that would add to existing waiting lists and increase illness or deaths in Canada because services could not be given in time to Canadian citizens or permanent residents. As IRCC puts it, the demand would negatively affect wait times for services in Canada.
The threshold is triple the average Canadian per-capita cost of health and social services, over five consecutive years. IRCC publishes it for each year.
| Year | Per year | Over five years |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $28,878 CAD | $144,390 CAD |
| 2025 | $27,162 | $135,810 |
Confirm the current threshold on canada.ca before relying on any figure.
Health services are those mostly paid for by government: IRCC names care given by doctors, medical specialists, nurses, chiropractors, physiotherapists, laboratories, pharmacists and hospitals. IRPR s.1 defines social services as residential or institutional care recommended by a health professional and mostly paid for by government.
IRCC’s examples of social services are home care, specialized residences, residential services, special education, social and vocational rehabilitation, personal support and devices that support social services. IRCC’s 2018 and 2022 notices say special education, social and vocational rehabilitation and personal support were removed from that definition, so ask IRCC how a specific service is counted.
The rule
The test looks at the expected demand on publicly funded services, not at the diagnosis itself.
Who is exempt from the excessive demand ground?
The excessive demand ground does not apply to everyone. Refugees and their dependants and protected persons are exempt, and so are most family-class sponsored spouses, common-law partners, and dependent children.
These groups can generally still be assessed for the danger to public health or public safety grounds, but not for excessive demand. Eligibility for an exemption depends on the specific category, so confirm your situation with IRCC.
When does the medical assessment arise?
For temporary residence (a visitor visa, work permit, or study permit), the assessment usually only arises when an immigration medical exam (IME) is required in the first place.
- Country of residence
- Applicants who have recently lived in a country that IRCC designates (generally countries with higher rates of certain communicable diseases) may be required to have a medical exam. Whether it applies also depends on how long you intend to stay.
- Length of stay
- A temporary resident who plans to stay more than 6 months needs a medical exam if they lived in or travelled to a designated country for 6 months or more in a row in the year before coming, will work in a job where public health must be protected, or is applying for a Super Visa. A stay of 6 months or less usually needs no exam, except for those jobs.
- Occupation
- People working in certain occupations (healthcare, childcare) require a medical exam regardless of country or stay length.
- Permanent residence
- All permanent residence applicants must undergo a medical exam, and so must their family members, even if they are not coming to Canada.
IMEs must be performed by an IRCC-designated panel physician, not your own family doctor. Results are valid for 12 months. If you don’t come to Canada within that time, you may need another exam. The Medical Exam for Canadian Immigration guide covers the exam itself.
Who decides, and what happens after the exam?
The exam starts an assessment
An IME that identifies a condition starts an assessment. It is not itself a finding of inadmissibility.
IRCC reviews the results
IRCC’s medical officers review the immigration medical exam results, with any specialist reports they request. IRCC considers the costs of the services that would be needed to treat the diagnosed conditions.
IRCC sends a procedural fairness letter
If IRCC believes you may be medically inadmissible, it sends you a procedural fairness letter explaining why, before a final decision is made on your application.
You have 90 days to send information
IRCC states that all additional information must be sent within 90 days from the date of the procedural fairness letter. If you cannot respond by that date, you must contact IRCC at the address in the letter to request an extension. A mitigation plan is possible only if IRCC invites you to send one.
An officer decides
An IRCC or visa officer assesses each application and decides. The panel physician does not make the final decision: IRCC does.
You may ask for an exemption on humanitarian and compassionate grounds under IRPA s.25(1). The Minister decides whether the circumstances justify it.
IRCC says you may get advice or representation from a professional, such as a licensed immigration lawyer or CICC-regulated consultant, to respond, but it is not required.
Which free tool checks your own case?
- Admissibility ExplorerThe IRPA admissibility grounds, one question at a time
- Document ChecklistTypical documents by application type
Free, with no account. What you enter in a tool stays in your browser.
What do people ask?
What is medical inadmissibility in Canada?
Medical inadmissibility means an officer finds that a health condition bars you under IRPA s.38. There are three grounds, often grouped as two: a danger to public health or public safety, and excessive demand on health or social services. The excessive demand test looks at the expected cost of services and their effect on waiting lists, not the diagnosis itself, so two people with the same condition can be assessed differently.
What is the excessive demand threshold for 2026?
IRCC's 2026 excessive demand cost threshold is $28,878 CAD per year, or $144,390 CAD over five years. The 2025 figure was $27,162 per year. It is not a fee: it is the amount IRCC uses to decide whether the cost of a condition places an excessive demand on health and social services. IRCC publishes the threshold for each year, so confirm it on canada.ca.
What are examples of medical inadmissibility in Canada?
IRCC names no list of conditions. On the public health ground it looks at certain infectious diseases, such as active tuberculosis or active syphilis, and close contact with people who have an infectious disease. On the public safety ground it looks at the risk of sudden incapacity or of unpredictable or violent behaviour. On the excessive demand ground it asks whether the services needed would cost more than the threshold over five years or add to waiting lists. A review is not a finding: IRCC says no health condition automatically leads to inadmissibility.
Does having diabetes, cancer history, or HIV make me inadmissible to Canada?
Not automatically. IRCC says no health condition automatically leads to inadmissibility: each case is assessed individually, on the immigration medical exam and the cost of the services needed to treat the diagnosed conditions. The excessive demand test looks at the expected cost of the services you would actually need, not the name of the condition. HIV is tested from age 15, and as for any condition there is no automatic inadmissibility.
Can autism make someone medically inadmissible to Canada?
Not by itself. Autism, like any condition, is assessed on the expected publicly funded cost of the health and social services the person would need, or their effect on waiting lists. Sponsored dependent children are generally exempt from the excessive demand ground. If IRCC sends a procedural fairness letter, you can respond with new information, and with a mitigation plan if IRCC invites one.
Who is exempt from the excessive demand medical ground?
Refugees and their dependants and protected persons are exempt, and so are most family-class sponsored spouses, common-law partners and dependent children. These groups can still be assessed on the danger to public health or public safety grounds, but generally not for excessive demand. Whether an exemption applies depends on the exact immigration category, so confirm your case with IRCC.
I received a procedural fairness letter about excessive demand. What happens next?
You have 90 days from the date of the letter to send new information on your diagnosis, the medication and services you need and their cost, and a mitigation plan if IRCC invited you to send one. If you cannot meet the date, IRCC says you must contact it to ask for an extension. Advice or representation is allowed but not required.
Can I be refused a visitor visa because of a health condition?
Yes, in practice where the application needs a medical exam and the exam identifies a condition. A visitor staying 6 months or less usually needs no exam, unless they will work in a job where public health must be protected. A longer stay needs an exam if the person spent 6 months or more in a row in a listed country in the year before coming, will work in such a job, or applies for a super visa. The Medical Exam for Canadian Immigration guide covers who needs one.
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