Recent changes to the Express Entry requirements for the Immigration Medical Examination (IME)

Shortly after midnight on July 8, 2022, an email was sent to all candidates with a profile in the Express Entry pool with an update about the immigration medical exam (IME) requirements for Express Entry PR applications:

“As of July 7, 2022, if you receive an invitation to apply (ITA), an upfront Immigration Medical Examination (IME) is required as part of your application, whether you are in Canada or outside of Canada. Your family members, must also have their IME results, even if they aren’t coming with you.

What is the change to the IME for Express Entry?

The update advises a change in the requirements effective July 7, 2022 outlining that all applicants for PR through Express Entry and their family members will now need to complete an UP-FRONT medical exam.

Who is impacted by the change?

The update specifies that this requirement to get an up-front medical exam applies to:

• All principal applicants
• All dependent spouses – accompanying OR non-accompanying
• All dependent children – accompanying OR non-accompanying

Do I need a medical exam if I have a profile in the Express Entry pool?

No – only people who have received an Invitation to Apply for PR (ITA) are required to get the medical exam.

Why are family members who are not coming to Canada required to have a medical exam?

It has always been the case under the current Canadian immigration law for every type of PR application that immediate family members of principal applicants for PR must be “examined” as it is called in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

The reason for this examination, which includes both an immigration medical exam (IME), as well as police clearances and background checks for family members age 18 or older, is that family members must be admissible to Canada even if they are not coming to Canada as part of the PR application. The reason for this is that an inadmissible family member can actually make the principal applicant inadmissible to Canada too.

If family members are not examined at the time of the principal applicant’s PR application, they will be deemed not to be family members of the principal applicant and will never be able to be sponsored to Canada as a family member per R117(9)(d) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations.

What is an up-front immigration medical examination (IME)?

An up-front medical exam is a medical examination done by an IRCC-approved panel physician prior to an application being submitted. For some IRCC applications such as work permits for certain fields and study permits for applicants using the Student Direct Stream, medical exams are required to be submitted with the application. For other types of applications, such as family sponsorships, the medical exam is submitted after the application is submitted – the applicant will receive a request from IRCC to complete the IME.

Contact us if you have questions about Express Entry