For around 180,000 candidates for temporary and permanent residence who are already in Canada, the government has stated that medical exams will not be required. According to Sean Fraser, Canada’s minister of immigration, refugees, and citizenship, those applying for temporary or permanent residence who are currently citizens of Canada and who meet specific requirements are excluded from the immigration medical tests.
The temporary policy waives the requirement for certain low-risk, in-Canada foreign nationals to submit an immigration medical examination (IME) as part of their application in order to speed up application processing and make it simpler for foreign nationals to obtain temporary or permanent resident status.
The revised regulation will be applied to new or pending applications for permanent or temporary residence or a permanent resident visa submitted from within Canada, as well as to applicants who have passed an immigration medical examination during the previous five years.
The applicant’s individual medical identification number from their prior medical examination must still be included when submitting the new application. Up until October 6, 2024, the policy will remain in effect.
