Some applicants will be able to avoid a medical examination before immigration
The temporary measure will allow one category of foreigners to obtain a permanent residence permit in an expedited manner.
Immigration and Citizenship Canada has announced new rules for temporary foreign workers currently in Canada who have been categorized as "low risk" during the pre-arrival medical examination process before arriving as a temporary resident.
Such applicants will not have to repeat the medical commission when applying for a PML. The policy will be valid for a limited time, until 28 December 2021. Avoiding the mandatory medical examination will be possible for applicants who:
- have applied for a permanent residence permit or an immigrant visa and have not yet had a second medical exam;
- within the last 5 years have had a physical examination that determined that they do not pose a health or safety risk to Canadians, or have submitted reports to health authorities for monitoring;
- have not left the country for more than 6 months in the past year to live in states with higher rates of infectious disease than Canada.
The new measures will simplify the processing of applications from people who do not have serious illnesses and ensure that they receive a permanent residence permit more quickly. Family members of foreign nationals will also be able to avoid the medical examination if they meet the criteria described above.
Applicants will be required to provide the Department of Immigration with a previous physical examination or a unique medical report identification number.
