Medical Exam expires due to inability to travel for the Fall - Please Help!

[GradStudent18]

Hello everyone...those of us who have study permit approval from late 2019....please help!


I got the permit approval in late November 2019 for September 2020 entry.


So, my medicals were given in late October 2019. The idea was to travel by late August this year so that my medical exam would have been valid if things had been normal.


But now, if I can't travel for September, and can only go by December end this year, then my medical exam would expire by late October this year.


Will I be denied entry into the country ( in December this year ) due to this? How can I sort this out please?


Can I give another medical exam before December? But how to add a new medical exam to an already approved file? I'll be immensely grateful to get any information regarding this please...

 

[thevisawhisperer]

If your permit permits (no pun intended) you to enter Canada between November 2019 and September 2020 - but you don't intend to travel until December 2020, it's not your medical that is your first worry. You will need a new study permit (accompanied by a new medical).

 

[GradStudent18]

If your permit permits (no pun intended) you to enter Canada between November 2019 and September 2020 - but you don't intend to travel until December 2020, it's not your medical that is your first worry. You will need a new study permit (accompanied by a new medical).

A new study permit? Isn't that too much?

I mean, I did intend to travel by the end of August 2020. I'm unable to, only due to Covid and due to IRCC's regulations about online classes being non-essential. Why should I be penalized when I've already been approved?


And with the new 2-stage study permit approval introduced by IRCC due to Covid, they are even counting the time spent studying online at home ( before even giving a medical exam ) towards PGWP eligibility.


I already have it approved and have also passed the medical exam. It's due to Covid that I have to travel by December end, according to IRCC's guidelines.

 

[GradStudent18]

Permit permits me to travel by December end now, due to the latest covid-related regulations issued.


And just to clarify, I'll be starting the program online from home, and they've said that will count towards the length of time for PGWP.

 

[thevisawhisperer]

They are saying lots of things now. Stay alert. But the study permit may expire in December. It's not a travel document.

 

[GradStudent18]

Thanks for the suggestion. That's right - people, students especially, need to be careful about not missing out on any rule/regulation in these crazy times.

 

[Kryptonite3107]

I'm in the exact same situation as mentioned above. Medicals expire in October, however the student visa is valid for sufficent period of time. Will Ircc prompt to retake medicals/extend the validity of the medicals? Or can I choose to go give them on my own before expiry? Which I'm not sure how to proceed with.

 

[GradStudent18]

I'm in the exact same situation as mentioned above. Medicals expire in October, however the student visa is valid for sufficent period of time. Will Ircc prompt to retake medicals/extend the validity of the medicals? Or can I choose to go give them on my own before expiry? Which I'm not sure how to proceed with.

Hey! I sorted this out by repeatedly asking questions to IRCC, CBSA by phone & on twitter.

Once your study permit application is fully approved, you don't need to give the medicals again.

You just need to enter the country before the validity date printed on your Visa. That's it.

 

[Kryptonite3107]

Oh, this is such a relief. I tried asking via webform a couple of times, however I was not receiving a proper response. It is mainly due to the covid 19 travel restrictions that we are unable to travel, so I was hoping we would get some clarity on this. So, the understanding is we just need to make sure our visa is valid whenever we are flying to Canada despite the medical expiry date? Thank you so much. Appreciate the swift response. This is really such a relief.

 

[GradStudent18]

Oh, this is such a relief. I tried asking via webform a couple of times, however I was not receiving a proper response. It is mainly due to the covid 19 travel restrictions that we are unable to travel, so I was hoping we would get some clarity on this. So, the understanding is we just need to make sure our visa is valid whenever we are flying to Canada despite the medical expiry date? Thank you so much. Appreciate the swift response. This is really such a relief.

I know...exactly! I completely get you; I too was immensely tensed about this till I got it clarified from them. It indeed is a big relief!


Yes, that's correct.

IRCC twitter replies to my questions & CBSA's answers to my phone calls confirmed many times that we need to land there before Visa expiry, irrespective of the medical, since our permit application has been fully approved, Visa stamped on passport & letter of introduction issued long before.

Yeah, this pandemic has messed up all travel plans & anyway we are unable to go currently only due to "online classes being non-essential" for entry.

But this medical exam's date is not an issue anymore - just hope that restrictions are all lifted before our visa expires.

And you're most welcome! I know the stress this caused me & I'm only too happy to help with the information!

They've never replied to those webforms I've sent Did they even address your question?

 

[Kryptonite3107]

Yes, it was super stressful because there were no clear answers given anywhere as to what will happen if you cannot fly within the validity of medicals even though you have a sufficient validity for the visa. And the 12 months rule on CIC website was concerning.

Twice I raised the webform and both times I received a generic reply saying refer to our website(site for CIC was given) for your queries, however as mentioned I tried really hard to find any clarity on this particular case especially for a study permit application as typically students fly within the timeframe of 12 months.

One other concern I had was that, if at all IRCC contacts the applicants to retake the medicals, it was concerning as to when they might do this as there is no assurance that it will be on/before the date of expiry. The further that gets delayed, we will be running the risk of delaying our travel.

Anyway, more than travelling now, I wanted make sure that it wouldn't be a problem in the future after beginning our classes.

Thank you so much, once again. Really and truly

 

[GradStudent18]

Yes, it was super stressful because there were no clear answers given anywhere as to what will happen if you cannot fly within the validity of medicals even though you have a sufficient validity for the visa. And the 12 months rule on CIC website was concerning.

Twice I raised the webform and both times I received a generic reply saying refer to our website(site for CIC was given) for your queries, however as mentioned I tried really hard to find any clarity on this particular case especially for a study permit application as typically students fly within the timeframe of 12 months.

One other concern I had was that, if at all IRCC contacts the applicants to retake the medicals, it was concerning as to when they might do this as there is no assurance that it will be on/before the date of expiry. The further that gets delayed, we will be running the risk of delaying our travel.

Anyway, more than travelling now, I wanted make sure that it wouldn't be a problem in the future after beginning our classes.

Thank you so much, once again. Really and truly

Yeah I totally understand what you mean. And trust me I too had similar concerns and can very well relate to all the questions / points you've raised with regard to the medical. The website doesn't answer questions like this - just gives out general guidance mostly.


Yeah, I know, either they never reply to queries or just send out links. I got the answer just by tweeting to them multiple times, looking through their really old twitter replies to similar questions & by calling CBSA so many times. Finally got it cleared from them that we need to travel before our visa expires & that's the only requirement.


The CBSA officer told me over phone that the medical validity of 12 months applies to the case when an application is actually in process now, and the medical exam is about to expire around the time the officer is about to make a decision on your study permit application. Then they'll ask the student to retake the medical exam before giving out the final approval decision for the application.


Don't worry, IRCC is not going to ask for a new medical after we have already obtained a full approval with the visa stamped & letter of introduction issued.


And please, don't thank me...I'm really glad to be able to give the information as this was something that I thought will be a big issue & got me really tensed at that time. So I'm very happy to help!


And you're most welcome! Cheers & best wishes

 

[pinkpinkpink]

hi all, I got the similar situation now, may I check if you guys are sucessfully entered Canada without issue?

Thank you!

 

[Iamsandeep]

hi guys - i am in similar situation and cannot get the proper response, would you please share your experience if any of you travelled with the expired medical and successfully entered the border without any hassle?
I appreciate if you could share the experience, thank you in advance!!