180,000 applicants for permanent residency are exempt from medical examination
But there are several conditions.
As of October 12, 2022, the Canadian government is exempting certain permanent and temporary residence candidates from the mandatory medical examination. The measure will remain in effect until October 6, 2024. It will help simplify and speed up the processing of applications without risking the safety of Canadians.
Candidates who have been in Canada for some time, underwent a medical examination before and were found to pose a low health risk to Canadians are exempt from the medical check. The following conditions must be met:
- the candidate has applied for permanent or temporary residence while being in Canada;
- the candidate has had a medical examination within the last 5 years before applying and:
- does not pose a threat to the health and safety of Canadians;
- or has health problems, but they will not place an undue burden on Canada's health care system;
- or poses a potential risk to the health and safety of Canadians, but has contacted health authorities for health monitoring.
Those who meet these requirements will need a unique medical identification number from the previous check when applying for temporary or permanent residence in Canada.
Between May 2021 and March 2022, the Canadian government introduced two similar measures to exempt certain applicants from the exam. This accelerated the processing of applications from 85,000 people. The new measure, introduced on October 12, is estimated to exempt about 180,000 applicants from the medical exam.
