Immigration Medical Exam (IME)

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 practitioner who has been approved by the Government of Canada, that checks your overall health.

Do I need a medical exam for the Working Holiday 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 Working Holiday 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 deadline, what do I do?

If there are only appointments available after the deadline, don’t worry, you can still submit the application so you don’t miss the deadline. 

Just upload proof that you’ve booked the exam along with your application and other required documents. Once submitted, and when the application is processed, IRCC will open a new upload spot and give you an additional deadline, usually about 30 days, to submit the 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 submits your results directly to IRCC.
They’ll also provide a printout (either an information sheet or the “IMM 1017B Upfront Medical Report”) which you must upload into the “Proof of medical exam” spot in your Working Holiday application.
If that spot isn’t available, upload the document under “Optional documents” at the bottom of the 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 explain it in a simpler way, below is an example of the two validity dates on the POE (approval). In this example you must travel to Canada and activate by April 22, 2025 and not in July. If you do not activate the work permit until April 22, 2025, the medical exam will expire and you have to do a new one.

If my medical exam is expired, does it mean that I won't get a work permit at the border?

If you activate the work permit within the POE validity, you will still receive a work permit. But it will have restrictions on the bottom, that you can’t work in jobs that require a medical exam. You can only work in those jobs after you get a new medical exam. 

Can I do the medical exam before receiving an invitation from the pool to save time?

Yes, you can choose to complete a medical exam in advance, known as an upfront medical exam.

However, keep the following risks in mind:

First, a medical exam is expensive, typically costing between CAD $400 – $600 depending on the physician. 

Also, you do not know when you receive an invitation or don’t know if you receive one at all. The IEC process is a lottery and many countries have more applicants than spots available. If you are not invited, the medical exam costs are wasted.

Additionally, the medical exam is only valid for 12 months. The countdown begins on the date of the medical exam, not when you receive your Port of Entry (POE) approval.

For example, if you complete the medical exam in August 2025 and receive POE approval in October 2025, you must travel to Canada and activate your work permit by August 2026. Otherwise, your exam will expire, and you will need to complete it again.

If my Working Holiday 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 mentioned jobs, but the application requires a medical exam

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” 

The application system has a glitch in this situation and it requests a medical exam

What to do if this applies to you: 

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.

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