IRCC is extending the temporary medical exam exemption on inside-Canada candidates applying for permanent residence, until March 31, 2022.
Applicants are eligible for this exemption if they:
- have already applied for PR
- have completed a medical exam not more than 5 years prior to this application
- have not lived in a designated country for more than six months in the last year
2025 Update—A temporary policy first introduced during the pandemic has now been extended through October 5, 2029. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) continues to exempt certain applicants already living in Canada from having to complete another immigration medical exam (IME)—as long as they meet specific criteria.
This extension affects both permanent and temporary residence applications. If you’ve had an IME done in the past five years and your results showed no public health or safety risk, you may be able to skip a new one altogether. It only applies if you’re already living in Canada when you submit your application.
To qualify, all of the following must apply:
- You’re living in Canada.
- You’re applying for permanent or temporary residence.
- You’ve completed a prior IME within the last five years.
- Your previous exam didn’t flag any health concerns.
If you meet those requirements, just include your IME number (or unique medical identifier) with your application. IRCC will use that instead of asking you to do another exam.
On the other hand, anyone who doesn’t meet the above will still need to complete a full IME. If that’s the case, you’ll hear from IRCC about the next steps, and they’ll let you know what to do and when.
Why extend this? It’s partly a matter of keeping things moving. The exemption has already helped IRCC process hundreds of thousands of applications more efficiently. It’s also been useful for managing resources and reducing strain on the medical system. IRCC is continuing to work with the Public Health Agency of Canada to monitor public health outcomes and adjust the policy if needed.
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