Canada Waived Medical Exams For 1.8 Lakh Temporary And Permanent Residence Visa Applicants

The Canadian government recently announced that medical exams will be waived for approximately 180,000 temporary and permanent resident applicants who are already in the country.

Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship, announced the same earlier this week on Twitter, saying that permanent and temporary residence applicants who are already in Canada and meet certain criteria are exempt from immigration medical examinations.

Improving and strengthening our immigration system benefits us all. As of today, permanent and temporary residence applicants who are already in Canada and meet certain criteria are exempt from immigration medical examinations.

— Sean Fraser (@SeanFraserMP) October 12, 2022

This new measure will help to expedite processing and will benefit more than 180,000 Canadian applicants, he added.

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) have implemented a temporary public policy that exempts certain low-risk, in-Canada foreign nationals from submitting an immigration medical examination (IME) as part of their application when their previous IME has expired.

This promotes faster application processing, allowing eligible foreign nationals to obtain temporary or permanent resident status more quickly.

Who are exempt from medical exams?

• A new or pending application for permanent or temporary residence or a permanent resident visa, made from within Canada.
• Completed an immigration medical examination within the previous 5 years and posed no risk to public health or safety, or reported to public health authorities for monitoring, as required.

However, when submitting the new application, the applicants must provide the special medical identifier number from their prior medical examination.

This is applicable till October 6, 2024. The applicants who are not qualified under this temporary public policy must, however, submit to an IME in accordance with standard health screening protocols.

Those who are not eligible for the exemption will be contacted by IRCC to discuss their options.

Immigration Levels Plan 2023-2025

Currently, IRCC is aiming for 432,000 new permanent residents as part of the Immigration Levels Plan 2022-2024.

Each year, IRCC releases a new plan year that outlines the number of immigrants Canada hopes to welcome over the next three years, as well as further breaking it down by immigration class and programme.

The Immigration Levels Plan for 2022 anticipates 55,900 new permanent residents through Express Entry. Between January and August 31, Canada admitted slightly more than 28,000 new permanent residents via Express Entry programmes.