Upfront Medicals no Longer Available for Family Class Applicants

the CanadaVisa Team - 20 September, 2017

Upfront medical examinations are no longer available for Family Class Canadian immigration applicants and remain available only to Express Entry applicants in the permanent residence lines of business.

Applicants for permanent residence are vetted by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for medical and criminal inadmissibility. Visa and immigration officers and border services officers have the authority to issue medical instructions. Once instructions are issued, applicants must undergo the medical examination within 30 days.

Examinations are conducted with an IRCC-recognized panel physician. The results are then added to the application for review by IRCC.

Applicants may be denied a a permanent resident visa on medical grounds, if:

• Their condition would endanger the health or safety of the Canadian population at large; or
• Their admission might cause excessive demand on existing social or health services provided by the government. The excessive demand component may be waived under the Family Class for the spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, or dependent children of the sponsor. The sponsored person(s) still may be refused if their condition is considered to be a danger to Canadian public health or safety.

Upfront medical examinations are now available for the following immigration classes:

• Temporary residents:
  • Students;
  • Workers;
  • Visitors.
• Permanent residents:
  • Express Entry applicants.

Late last year, the government of Canada announced a new target to process applications to sponsor a spouse/common-law partner within 12 months. In some cases, this target roughly halves the waiting period for these applicants and their spouses/partners.

To find out if you are eligible to immigrate to Canada through the Family Class, or to sponsor a loved one, please fill out a free assessment form.