Immigration Medical Exam (IME)
Do I need one for my IEC application?
What is a "medical exam"?
It surely sounds like you have to go do a knowledge test and many applicants whose first language is not English are confused by this “exam” term… but no, it is not such thing.
An immigration medical exam (IME) is a physical examination from a medical doctor who has been approved by the Government of Canada, that checks your overall health.
Do I need a medical exam for the IEC application?
All participants, regardless of nationality need an immigration medical exam (IME) in the two following situations.
Scenario 1: Jobs that put you in 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 (nanny or au pair), the elderly and the disabled
- day nursery employees and
- other similar jobs
or
Scenario 2: You have lived in or travelled to one or more specific countries or territories for at least 6 months in a row in the year before you come to Canada. The list of countries > here <
For example, in the IEC application there will be a question if you want to work in any of the listed jobs. If you answer the question with “yes”, then a medical exam will be a mandatory requirement as part of the application.
Why do I need the medical exam?
With this immigration medical exam (IME), the Canadian government wants
- to ensure that you do not have a disease that endangers the Canadian population
- to determine that you are not going to be a burden for the Canadian health system or social system.
Where can I do the medical exam?
Only a licensed panel physician can perform the Immigration Medical Exam (IME); family doctors are not authorized to conduct it. To schedule your exam, refer to the official list of approved panel physicians > here <, where you can find contact details and make an appointment directly.
How much does the medical exam cost?
Depending on the medical office performing the medical exam, around $400-$600 CAD including urine test and chest X-ray.
My appointment for the medical exam is after the application deadline, what do I do?
If there are only appointments available after the deadline, don’t worry. You can still submit your application so you don’t miss the deadline.
In this case, upload proof that you have booked the medical exam. Then, once your application is submitted and begins processing, IRCC will open a new upload slot and provide you with an additional deadline—usually about 30 days—to submit your medical exam results.
After uploading, you must also submit the document.
To do this, you have to continue with NEXT and click through all the steps until the status of the document is set to "replacement provided". Only then the document is completely submitted.
What can I expect during the medical examination?
First, the doctor will fill out a medical questionnaire about your medical history and medications.
Then the doctor will:
- weigh you
- measure your height
- check your hearing and vision
- take your blood pressure
- feel your pulse
- listen to your heart and lungs
- feel your abdomen
- check how your limbs move
- look at your skin
Then you need to do a blood test (to test for HIV or syphilis) and a chest x-ray. Depending on the clinic, it may not be possible to do it in the same building, then you have to drive across the city to one of the laboratories.
What happens after the medical exam?
The medical office will submit your results directly to IRCC.
In addition, they will give you a printout—either an information sheet or the IMM 1017B Upfront Medical Report. You must upload this document in the “Proof of medical exam” section of your IEC application.
If that upload spot is not available, you can upload the document under “Optional documents” at the bottom of your checklist.
Can I get a copy of my medical exam results?
The Canadian government will not provide any copies of the medical exam results. However, you can request a copy from your panel physician after the exam. Keep in mind, there might be an additional fee for this.
How long is the medical exam valid?
The medical exam is valid for 12 months. The POE (approval letter) will show you the date of the exam validity.
As you know, a POE is valid for 12 months after approval, which means that you can activate your work permit within the 12 months. But: The medical exam is also only valid for 12 months and you must activate the work permit within the 12 months of the medical exam.
To make this easier to understand, here is an example from a past season showing both validity dates on a POE approval letter. In this example, you must activate your work permit by April 22, 2025, not July.
If you do not activate your work permit by April 22, 2025, your medical exam will expire. You will need to get a new medical exam or you will receive a work permit with restrictions, meaning you will not be allowed to work in childcare or healthcare.
If my medical exam is expired, does it mean that I won't get a work permit?
If you activate your work permit within the POE validity period, you will still receive a work permit. However, it will have restrictions at the bottom that you are not allowed to work in childcare or healthcare.
To be able to work in those jobs you must
- get a new medical exam
- apply to remove the conditions from your work permit if you already activated it.
>> Here is more information on how to apply to remove the restrictions.
Can I do the medical exam before receiving an invitation from the pool to save time?
Yes, you can choose to have a medical exam in advance. This is called an upfront medical exam.
Before doing so, please keep the following in mind:
- Medical exams are expensive and usually cost CAD $400–$600, depending on the doctor.
- The IEC program works like a lottery. Some countries have more applicants than available spots, so there is no guarantee you will receive an invitation. If you are not invited, the money spent on the medical exam will be lost.
- Medical exams are only valid for 12 months, starting from the date of the exam.
Example:
If you complete your medical exam in January 2026 but receive your POE approval in October 2026, you must travel to Canada and activate your work permit by January 2027. Otherwise, the exam will expire and you will need to complete a new one.
If you are not invited during one season and apply again in a future season, you will need to pay for another medical exam.
If my IEC application is refused, will the medical exam cost be refunded?
No, the medical exam fees will not be refunded.
I did not do a medical exam as part of the application; I would like to do one now
This is definitely possible, and you can do the medical exam later too.
You can follow the steps > here < to see which situation applies to you and how to remove the restrictions from the work permit.
I don't want to work in one of the jobs, but the application requires a medical exam
If you did not select “Yes” for this question in your application, there is a system glitch to be aware of, which I’ll explain below.
Officially:
“You must have a medical exam if you:
- want to come to Canada for more than 6 months and
- have lived or travelled for 6 months in certain countries or territories in the year before you come to Canada”
If you
- mentioned a visit
- listed a job in the work history
- were born
in one of the countries where a medical exam is necessary, the application system requests a medical exam. Even if it was many years ago. >> Check your country here if it says ‘Yes’ in the medical exam column.
What to do if you haven’t been to the mentioned countries for longer than 6 months:
In the medical exam section of the document checklist within your GCKey account, please upload a brief explanation stating that you spent [XX amount of time] in [XX country] during the year [XX] and, as a result, you are not required to provide a medical exam.
This explanation should be sufficient to clarify your situation and proceed with your application accordingly.