As of October 1st, an applicant doesn’t need to get an upfront medical exam for an Express Entry application. 

An IME, i.e., Immigrant Medical Exam from a panel physician, is a mandatory requirement for PR. Thus, if you have never completed an IME, you might upload a blank document in the upload file section of the Express Entry profile builder when submitting your Express Entry application. Further, IRCC will send you instructions on when to get your medical exam. 

However, if you have already completed an IME as a part of your previous Express Entry application for work or study & are presently residing in Canada, you do not need to complete another IME when you apply for PR. 

IME: An Overview 

If you apply for PR, you should have an IME. Your family members should also have a medical exam, even if they aren’t accompanying you to Canada. 

In addition, your own doctor cannot do the medical exam. Instead, you have to see a doctor on the list of panel physicians approved by IRCC. 

The panel physicians do not make the final decision about the medical exam; IRCC does. Moreover, IRCC will not approve a PR application if your health is a danger to the nation’s public health or safety or if it demands too much social/ health services from Canada. 

Well, when you go to the physician for an appointment, you must bring the following: 

  • Proper identification
  • Eyeglasses/ contact lenses
  • List of present medications
  • Medical report form, in case you are not getting an upfront medical exam
  • Four recent photographs, if the panel physician does not use medical

The medical exam will include a medical history questionnaire, which will ask about your previous & existing medical conditions. In addition, you will also undergo a physical exam. Depending on your age, you might be asked to undergo chest X-rays & other laboratory tests.  

Moreover, you should pay the fees related to the medical exam when you are there. Once the medical results are obtained, the physician will send them to you & provide you with a document confirming that you have had a medical examination.    

Your medical exam results are valid for only 12 months. Thus, if you do not arrive in Canada as a PR within that time, you might need to undergo another exam.