At Globexa Immigration, we understand that medical examination is an important part of the Canada PR application process. The medical examination requirement can change depending on whether you are applying from inside Canada or outside Canada, and it can also depend on the PR category.
A medical examination is a small document and can cost around $100 to $150, but if the medical examination isn’t submitted or there is a problem with it, the PR application can be delayed, rejected or returned.
1. Do You Need a Medical Examination for Canada PR?
Yes. A medical examination is mandatory for Canada PR.
No matter what country you belong to, you need to submit a valid medical examination for your PR application.
There is an exempt list for temporary visa applications, but there is no exempt list for Canada PR applications.
For temporary visa applications, the requirement can depend on the country. For example, someone applying for a study visa from the UK may not require a medical examination. The same can apply to someone applying from the USA or UAE, while someone applying from India may require one.
For Canada PR, however, you need to provide a valid medical examination regardless of the country you are in.
2. When Do You Need to Submit Your Medical Examination?
The timing of the medical examination can change depending on the PR category.
For Express Entry, an upfront medical examination is required.
For other streams, you may receive a medical examination request and then complete the medical examination.
So, depending on the stream, the timing can be different.
Ultimately, the PR application will be processed after the medical examination is submitted.
3. Medical Examination for PR Applications From Inside Canada
If you are submitting your PR application from inside Canada, you can use an old medical examination that you completed within the last five years.
For example, suppose you completed your study visa application and completed your medical examination in January 2022.
If you are submitting your PR application in August 2026, you can use the same medical examination.
The medical examination can remain valid for five years inside Canada under the public policy discussed.
4. The Five-Year Medical Validity Inside Canada
Normally, a medical examination is valid for one year.
However, the public policy discussed allows the same old medical examination to be used for five years when the applicant is inside Canada.
The public policy is stated as being valid until October 5, 2029.
Therefore, if you are inside Canada and submitting your PR application, you can use your previous medical examination if it meets the conditions discussed.
5. What If You Stayed Outside Canada for More Than Six Months?
There is no clarity in the policy discussed regarding what happens if you stayed outside Canada for more than six months between your previous medical examination and your current PR application.
For example, suppose you completed your previous medical examination in January 2022, stayed in Canada for some time, then went to India and stayed there for one year before returning to Canada.
In such a situation, the recommendation is to complete a new medical examination before submitting the PR application.
The reason is that your travel history and the countries where you have stayed will also be submitted.
6. Why Should You Consider a New Medical Examination?
Even if your previous medical examination is less than five years old and you are currently inside Canada, staying outside Canada for more than six months can create a concern.
This is particularly important if you stayed in a designated country where a medical examination is required.
In that situation, doing a new medical examination before submitting your PR application is recommended.
The medical examination costs approximately $100 to $150, and trying to save this amount can create problems with the application.
The application can be returned, delayed or refused.
7. What Are Designated Countries?
The designated-country list discussed is used for temporary resident visas, including study visas, spouse visas and visitor visas.
There is no specific mention in the discussed PR policy about what happens if you stayed outside Canada for more than six months between the previous medical examination and the PR application.
Therefore, the temporary resident designated-country system can be used as an indication.
For example, if you lived in India during that period, a new medical examination is recommended.
If you lived in the UK, you don’t require a medical examination under that system.
The same example is given for the USA, where you can skip doing the medical examination.
8. Medical Examination for PR Applications From Outside Canada
If you are submitting your PR application from outside Canada, you need a valid medical examination.
It doesn’t matter whether you are submitting the PR application from the USA, UK, India, Nigeria or another country.
The medical examination is valid for one year when applying from outside Canada.
9. Can You Use an Older Medical Examination From Outside Canada?
Yes, if the medical examination is still within its one-year validity.
For example, if you completed your medical examination six months ago, you can use the same medical examination for your PR application.
If you completed your medical examination 11 months ago for a spouse visa application and are now submitting your PR application from outside Canada, you can use that medical examination.
If the medical examination is more than 12 months old, you need to complete a new medical examination before submitting your PR application.
10. Medical Examination for Every Family Member
Every family member needs a medical examination.
It doesn’t matter whether the person is the primary applicant, dependent, spouse or child.
If there are five family members, five medical examinations are required.
You cannot skip a family member’s medical examination because of their age or because they are not the primary applicant.
11. What If Family Members Are in Different Countries?
The medical examination validity can be different depending on where each family member is located.
For example, suppose the husband is inside Canada, the wife is outside Canada and there are two children outside Canada.
The husband can use a medical examination that is valid for five years.
The wife and children, being outside Canada, will have medical examinations valid for one year.
However, all four family members still require medical examinations.
12. What If You Have a Very Young Child?
Medical examination is required for everyone.
It doesn’t matter whether the child is one month, two months, three months, four months, six months, one year, two years, five years or ten years old.
The medical examination requirement applies to everyone submitting the PR application.
If all family members are inside Canada, the five-year validity discussed applies to everyone.
If family members are outside Canada, the one-year validity discussed applies to them.
13. When Should You Get Your Medical Examination?
For Express Entry, you need to submit an upfront medical examination.
This means you complete the medical examination first and then submit your PR application with the valid medical examination.
For other streams, you may receive a medical examination request first.
After receiving the request, you complete the medical examination and submit it.
For PNP and other streams apart from Express Entry, the medical examination is submitted after receiving the request.
14. How Do You Find a Panel Physician?
You need to find a panel physician for Canada.
You can go to the relevant website and select your country.
The medical examination can be completed anywhere in the world.
For example, if you live in Mumbai, you can complete your medical examination in Delhi.
You can also complete it in Singapore or Dubai.
The location of the medical examination doesn’t matter. It remains valid for Canada.
15. Can You Complete Your Medical Examination in Another City or Country?
Yes.
You can select a panel physician based on your current location or the location that is convenient for you.
If you live in Mumbai, you can go to Delhi.
If you are in another country, you can complete the medical examination there as well.
The same applies to biometrics: the location where you provide biometrics can also be anywhere in the world.
16. How Do You Book a Medical Examination?
After selecting your country and location, you can find the list of panel physicians.
For example, in Ontario, the list contains panel physicians who can be contacted by phone, email or through their website.
You can contact the doctor, take an appointment and then go for your medical examination.
Similar lists are available for different countries and cities.
17. How Much Does a Canada PR Medical Examination Cost?
The cost is usually around $100 to $150 in most cases.
The exact cost can depend on the medical examination, but the amount discussed is approximately $100 to $150.
Even though the medical examination is a relatively small expense, it is an important part of the PR application.
18. Medical Examination Requirements for Different PR Streams
The timing of your medical examination depends on the PR stream through which you are applying.
For Express Entry, an upfront medical examination is required. You need to complete the medical examination first and then submit your application with the valid medical examination.
For other PR streams, including PNP and other streams apart from Express Entry, you will receive a medical examination request and then complete the medical examination.
Once the medical examination is completed and submitted, your PR application can be processed.
19. How to Find a Panel Physician for Canada
To complete your medical examination, you need to find a panel physician for Canada.
You can go to the relevant website and select your country.
The country you select can be the country where you are currently located.
You can complete your Canadian medical examination anywhere in the world. There is no restriction that you must complete it in the same city or country where you are submitting your PR application.
20. Can You Complete Your Medical in a Different City?
Yes.
For example, if you live in Mumbai, you can complete your medical examination in Delhi.
You can also complete it in Singapore or Dubai.
Your medical examination location doesn’t matter. The medical examination will remain valid for Canada.
You can therefore search for a panel physician based on your current location or whichever location is convenient for you.
21. How to Book Your Medical Examination
Once you select the country and location, you can find the list of panel physicians.
For example, if you select Ontario, you will find a list of doctors.
You can call them, email them or visit their website.
After contacting the panel physician and taking an appointment through a call or form, you can go for your medical examination.
Similar lists are available for different countries and cities.
22. Medical Examination Cost
It is a small document and a relatively small cost, but it is an important part of the PR application.
If the medical examination isn’t available or there is a problem with the medical examination, the PR application can be delayed, rejected or returned.
23. Medical Examination for Family Members
Medical examination is required for all family members.
It doesn’t matter whether the person is the primary applicant, dependent, spouse or child.
If there are five family members submitting the PR application, all five family members need to complete their medical examinations.
You cannot skip a family member’s medical examination.
24. Medical Examination for Children
Children also need a medical examination.
Their age doesn’t change the requirement.
Whether the child is one month, two months, three months, four months, six months, one year, two years, five years or ten years old, the medical examination needs to be completed.
Medical examination is required for everyone who is part of the PR application.
25. Family Members Living in Different Countries
The medical examination requirement applies to every family member even when family members are living in different countries.
For example, suppose the husband is inside Canada, while the wife and two children are outside Canada.
The husband can use a medical examination that is valid for five years.
The wife and two children, who are outside Canada, require medical examinations that are valid for one year.
Therefore, the location of each family member affects the validity period, but it doesn’t remove the medical examination requirement.
26. If Everyone Is Inside Canada
If all family members are inside Canada, the medical examination can remain valid for five years under the policy discussed.
This means the same old medical examination can be used when the conditions for the five-year validity are met.
The medical examination requirement still applies to every family member.
27. If Family Members Are Outside Canada
If family members are outside Canada, their medical examination is valid for one year.
For example, if a spouse completed a medical examination 11 months ago for a spouse visa application and is now submitting the PR application from outside Canada, the same medical examination can be used.
If the medical examination is more than 12 months old, a new medical examination should be completed before submitting the PR application.
28. Inside Canada: Use of an Old Medical Examination
If you are inside Canada, the old medical examination can be used for five years under the public policy discussed.
For example, a medical examination completed in January 2022 can be used for a PR application submitted in August 2026.
The policy discussed is valid until October 5, 2029.
29. Outside Canada: One-Year Medical Validity
If you are submitting your PR application from outside Canada, the medical examination is valid for one year.
If the medical examination was completed six months ago, you can use it.
If it was completed 11 months ago, you can also use it.
If it is more than 12 months old, you need to complete a new medical examination.
30. What If You Stayed Outside Canada During the Five-Year Period?
There is no mention in the discussed policy of what happens when someone has stayed outside Canada for more than six months between their previous medical examination and their current PR application.
For example, someone may have completed their medical examination in January 2022, stayed in Canada for some time, then gone to India and stayed there for one year before returning to Canada.
In such a situation, the recommendation is to complete a new medical examination before submitting the PR application.
31. Why a New Medical Examination Is Recommended in This Situation
Even though the old medical examination may still be less than five years old and the applicant is currently inside Canada, the applicant may have stayed outside Canada for more than six months.
This becomes particularly important if the applicant stayed in a designated country where a medical examination is required.
The recommendation is to complete a new medical examination rather than trying to save the approximately $100 to $150 medical examination cost.
If there is a problem with the medical examination, the PR application can be returned, delayed or refused.
32. Using the Designated Country List as a Reference
The designated-country list discussed is for temporary resident visas, including study visas, spouse visas and visitor visas.
There is no mention in the discussed PR policy about what happens if you stayed outside Canada for more than six months between the previous medical examination and the PR application.
Therefore, the same system can be followed to get an idea of whether a new medical examination should be completed.
If you lived in India for that period, the recommendation is to complete a new medical examination.
If you lived in the UK, you don’t require a medical examination under the temporary resident system discussed.
Conclusion
The medical examination is an important part of the Canada PR application.
For applicants inside Canada, the five-year medical validity discussed can allow the use of an older medical examination. For applicants outside Canada, the validity discussed is one year.
The requirement applies to every family member, regardless of age or whether they are the primary applicant or dependent.
For Express Entry, the medical examination is upfront, while other streams require the medical examination after receiving a request.
At Globexa Immigration, Canada PR applicants can discuss their case and the medical examination requirements related to their PR process.
