Immigration Medical Exam Canada 2026: Complete Guide (IME)

What Is an Immigration Medical Exam (IME)?

An Immigration Medical Exam is a standardised health assessment required by IRCC to determine whether an applicant is medically admissible to Canada. The purpose is to protect public health, safety, and to assess whether an applicant's health condition would cause excessive demand on Canada's health care or social services.

The exam must be performed by an IRCC-authorised doctor called a Panel Physician (also referred to as a Designated Medical Practitioner or DMP). You cannot use your regular family doctor for an immigration medical exam — it must be a physician on IRCC's official approved list.

Who Needs an Immigration Medical Exam?

Always Required (Regardless of Country):

• ✔ All permanent residence applicants — Express Entry, PNP, family sponsorship, refugee, etc.
• ✔ Applicants planning to work in certain jobs for 6 months or more — healthcare workers (doctors, nurses, dentists), teachers, child-care providers, and others in roles with close contact with vulnerable populations
• ✔ Applicants who have lived in certain countries for 6 months or more in the past year (country-specific requirement — see below)

Required for Visitors and Temporary Residents from Certain Countries:

If you have lived for 6 months or more in a country on IRCC's "medical surveillance referral" list in the year before applying, a medical exam is required. This list typically includes countries with higher rates of certain communicable diseases. The list is updated periodically — check IRCC's official page for the current country list.

Generally NOT Required:

• ✔ Short-term visitors (under 6 months) from visa-exempt or low-risk countries in most occupations
• ✔ Students and workers from countries not on the medical surveillance list in non-healthcare roles

When in doubt: IRCC will tell you in your application instructions whether a medical exam is required. Do not do the exam before being instructed — in some streams, doing it too early means the results expire before your application is processed.

What Does the Immigration Medical Exam Include?

The exact components of the exam depend on your age, but a standard adult IME typically includes:

• ✔ Medical history review — the panel physician reviews your health history and any existing conditions
• ✔ Physical examination — general health assessment including heart, lungs, abdomen, and nervous system
• ✔ Chest X-ray — required for applicants 11 years of age and older, to screen for tuberculosis (TB)
• ✔ Blood tests — HIV test for applicants 15 years of age and older; syphilis test for applicants 15 and older
• ✔ Urine test — to check kidney function and detect certain conditions
• ✔ Eye examination — basic vision assessment
• ✔ Mental health screening — the physician may assess for mental health conditions that could pose a public safety concern

For children under 11: No chest X-ray. For children under 15: No blood tests. The physician uses a modified examination for children based on age.

How to Find a Panel Physician (Approved Doctor)

IRCC maintains an official list of approved Panel Physicians in every country. You must use a physician from this list — the exam is not valid if performed by a doctor who is not authorised by IRCC.

To find a panel physician near you:

• ✔ Go to IRCC's official Panel Physician search tool
• ✔ Search by country and city to find the nearest authorised doctor
• ✔ Contact the physician's office directly to book your appointment — IRCC does not book appointments for you
• ✔ Bring all required documents to the appointment (see below)

What to Bring to Your IME Appointment

• ✔ Valid passport (the same one used in your immigration application)
• ✔ IRCC instruction letter requesting the medical exam (if you received one)
• ✔ Glasses or contact lenses if you need them for vision
• ✔ Previous vaccination records — helpful for the physician's review
• ✔ Medical records for any existing health conditions — not always required, but having them speeds up the assessment
• ✔ Payment — the exam fee is paid directly to the panel physician (not to IRCC)

How Much Does the Immigration Medical Exam Cost?

Panel physicians set their own fees. There is no fixed government fee for the IME itself — you pay the physician directly. Costs vary by country and physician, but rough estimates for common regions are:

• ✔ Canada (if doing exam inside Canada): Approximately CAD $250–$450 per adult
• ✔ India: Approximately INR 8,000–15,000 per adult
• ✔ Pakistan: Approximately PKR 15,000–25,000 per adult
• ✔ Philippines: Approximately PHP 5,000–10,000 per adult
• ✔ UK: Approximately GBP 250–350 per adult
• ✔ USA: Approximately USD $200–$400 per adult

Additional fees may apply for specific tests (e.g., X-ray, blood tests) if not included in the base exam fee. Always confirm the full cost when booking your appointment.

How Long Are IME Results Valid?

Immigration medical exam results are valid for 12 months from the date of the exam. If your application is not finalized within 12 months of your exam date, IRCC may request that you undergo a new medical exam.

This is particularly relevant for applications with longer processing times (like some PR categories or inland applications). Plan your exam timing accordingly — do it too early and it may expire before your application is decided; do it too late and it could delay finalisation of your application.

Upfront Medical Exam (UME) — What Is It?

In some cases, IRCC allows or encourages applicants to complete their medical exam before being asked (i.e., upfront, not after receiving an instruction letter). This is called an Upfront Medical Exam (UME) and can help speed up processing for certain applications.

UME is particularly common in:

• ✔ Express Entry applications (where doing the exam early means IRCC can finalise the PR decision faster after ITA)
• ✔ Some spousal sponsorship applications
• ✔ Study and work permit applications where a medical exam is required

If you are doing a UME, inform the panel physician and ensure they submit the results to IRCC under the correct category. UME results are still only valid for 12 months.

What Is Medical Inadmissibility?

Medical inadmissibility means IRCC has determined that an applicant's health condition makes them inadmissible to Canada. There are two main grounds:

• ✔ Danger to public health or safety: Conditions that are highly contagious or that pose a direct safety risk (rare). Examples historically included untreated active tuberculosis.
• ✔ Excessive demand on health or social services: A condition that is expected to cause "excessive demand" on Canada's publicly funded health or social services. "Excessive" is defined by a financial threshold updated annually by IRCC (approximately CAD $128,000 over 5 years as of recent years).

Important: having a health condition does not automatically make you medically inadmissible. IRCC assesses the expected cost of managing the condition over time. Many people with chronic conditions (diabetes, HIV, heart disease) are found medically admissible because their expected healthcare costs do not exceed the excessive demand threshold. If you receive a medical inadmissibility finding, you have the right to respond and can submit additional medical evidence to contest it.

Frequently Asked Questions

This article is for general informational purposes only. Medical exam requirements, costs, and inadmissibility thresholds change regularly. Always check current requirements at canada.ca.