Entry visa validity & medical exam

[sinwise]

Hi everyone,

I'm about to file a PR application in December 2014 from outland.

There is something I don't quite understand about the validity of the medical exam and the entry visa.

I've read somewhere that the entry visa given by CIC expires 1 year after the medical exams are taken. My medical exams are 6-months old (were taken in June 2014), so I guess that if the PR app is successful, my entry visa would end in June 2015.

However, the visa office of my home country suggests 10 months as a processing time, which means I shouldn't aim to get a reply before Sept / Oct 2014.

How would that work then? Does that mean that would require me to do another medical exam while treating my app? I'm just afraid this slows further my application..

Thank you for your input guys!

 

[Kayaker]

CIC can extend the validity of your medicals. Or, they might request you to do another medical. The decision is theirs.

Also, the "processing time" is a worst case scenario - only 20% of applicants take longer than that. So you may actually be done in half that time. It depends on the VO - for current trends, find the thread for that VO and ask people there.

 

[sinwise]

Thanks for your input.

In doubt, I think I will just re-do my medical exams in Dec 2014 before sending my PR app. At least, this should give me a longer entry visa if the app goes smoothly.

 

[mrashid123]

Thanks for your input.

In doubt, I think I will just re-do my medical exams in Dec 2014 before sending my PR app. At least, this should give me a longer entry visa if the app goes smoothly.

U could do that but I would suggest u submit ur application as is... and wait for them to ask u to re-do the medical..... I'm not sure bout ur country's visa office but they may not let u do the medical exam since u've already done it once.... In my case they wouldn't give u an appointment unless u got a request from the visa office to re-do ur medical exam

 

[sinwise]

Oh really? Will check into that.. The only issue is that I plan not to live in my home country (where I'm filing my PR app) for a year to pursue masters, while waiting for the PR result... If CIC asks me to re-do my medical exams, will I be able to retake them in any country or would that force me to fly to my home country just for that?

Thanks for the inputs

 

[andrew-brit]

Oh really? Will check into that.. The only issue is that I plan not to live in my home country (where I'm filing my PR app) for a year to pursue masters, while waiting for the PR result... If CIC asks me to re-do my medical exams, will I be able to retake them in any country or would that force me to fly to my home country just for that?

Thanks for the inputs

You can do them in any country as long as that country has CIC approved panel physicians. For a list of CIC approved physicians see here

 

[sinwise]

Perfect, thank you for your help!!

 

[Kayaker]

You can take your medicals anywhere, as long as it is a panel physician on CIC's list.

However, if your PR application is actually processed before June 2015, you may be given until June 2015 to land in Canada as a PR. There is no extension for the validity of the entry visa/COPR once it is issued. They won't care about your master's degree.

Theoretically, if you get your entry visa and COPR in May 2015 and the expiry date is in June 2015, you could go to Canada to "land" as a PR and leave the country immediately to finish your degree. However, if you have been married/common law for less than 2 years (at the time of application, meaning now) and do not have children together, you will have Condition 51, which means you are required to cohabit with your sponsor for 2 continuous years after landing. If your sponsor is in Canada and you are in another country getting your degree, you are in violation of Condition 51 and may risk your PR status. (Being away from Canada and your sponsor for a few weeks is ok - vacations are ok. But if your absence is several months, that may be risky.)

Also, even if you are living with your sponsor in another country (where you are studying) if the officer at the border where you "land" as a PR thinks that you do not intend to establish residency in Canada within a short time, they can take away your PR at the border.

This is a rather extreme case, they are not always so strict, but this May happen. (It happened to someone recently on this forum - the couple were living outside Canada, and the applicant went to Canada to land, but when the applicant told the border officer that his wife is pursuing a degree outside Canada, the officer denied him PR.) Harsh as it may seem, CIC does expect everyone to drop everything and move to Canada when their PR comes through.

When does your masters degree studies start and when does it end?

 

[mrashid123]

You can do them in any country as long as that country has CIC approved panel physicians. For a list of CIC approved physicians see here

I'm not entirely sure if this is true.... in ur application u would need to mention that u intend on leaving the country to pursue masters.... There's no guarantee that the country ur doing ur masters from will let u do the medical from there while ur application is in process in ur home country.... definitely do ur homework on this one... maybe post this question on ur home country's thread on this forum n u'll get a better answer....

 

[sinwise]

Thanks both of you for your replies.
Kayaker, my masters starts in Jan 2015 and ends in Dec 2015. After that, I intend to look for a job in Canada.. How would you suggest me to do it then in order to avoid getting my PR rejected at the border?

Edit : my wife (Canadian) will be living with me during the whole duration of the master's degree (outside Canada).

Thanks

 

[andrew-brit]

I'm not entirely sure if this is true.... in ur application u would need to mention that u intend on leaving the country to pursue masters.... There's no guarantee that the country ur doing ur masters from will let u do the medical from there while ur application is in process in ur home country.... definitely do ur homework on this one... maybe post this question on ur home country's thread on this forum n u'll get a better answer....

I am not sure what doing a Masters has to do with getting a medical examination. Your message is not that clear. You do the medical before your application is submitted.

 

[rhcohen2014]

I'm not entirely sure if this is true....

yes, this is definitely true. a person can get the medical exam done anywhere in the world wherever they are, as long as the doctor is listed as a panel physician with CIC. i also don't understand what going to school has to do with getting a medical exam. even if someone is somewhere as a visitor, student or on a work visa, they can get it done. for example, many applicants from other countries who happen to be in canada at the time or before they submit their application, can go to any panel physician in the area they are in, they do NOT need to have it done in their home country. the results get processed the same wherever the doctor is.

 

[Kayaker]

Thanks both of you for your replies.
Kayaker, my masters starts in Jan 2015 and ends in Dec 2015. After that, I intend to look for a job in Canada.. How would you suggest me to do it then in order to avoid getting my PR rejected at the border?

Edit : my wife (Canadian) will be living with me during the whole duration of the master's degree (outside Canada).

Thanks

Well, if you want to be really really sure, you could get a new medical right before you send your application. In that case, if they don't ask you to do another medical, your medical will be valid until December 2015 so your COPR will be valid until December 2015, and you will have time to finish your studies then land in Canada. Or even if you have to land before, for example, December 15, you could land, go back and finish your master's then go to Canada. An absence of a few weeks will be ok, but a few months could be potentially risky.

I know the medical costs a few hundred dollars, but if I wanted to be really sure, I would do it. Just in case. (But I'm a worrier!)

 

[sinwise]

Thanks Great info.
Kayaker, I will go as suggested and will re-do my medical exams just to be sure.. I guess I'm a worrier too!!