Earlier this week we sat down with Dr. Suleiman Furmli who conducts immigration medical exams in Ontario and asked him some commonly asked questions about the process. This is your comprehensive breakdown of immigration medical exams. 

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What is an Immigration Medical Exam? 

The immigration medical exam is a mandatory medical screening that is required by the Canadian government. All of the information about the exam is very transparent and can be found in the Panel Physician Handbook but this blog will breakdown the basic gist of the exam in Dr. Furmli’s words. 

The purpose of the exam is to make sure your medical care does not exceed a certain amount or cause for “excessive demand” or to make sure that you don’t have any infectious diseases (like Tuberculosis, HIV, VDRL) that can spread and harm others. 
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What do you Need to Bring to the Exam? 

• A piece of I.D or your passport 
• An invitation form from IRCC to complete the medical examination 
• Your glasses if you’re visually impaired 
• Any medications you may have for major health issues (cancer, heart issues, tuberculosis or HIV etc) 
• A full bladder for the urine test (drink a lot of water)
  

Common Misconceptions About the Exam 

According to Dr. Furmli, a common misconception he hears about the exam is that people think they are going to perform an in depth exam, but it’s very simple. If someone does have an illness like TB, they just need to get treatment for it and get retested. 

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Serious Medical Conditions, Failing the Exam and Medical Process for Children 

What happens if a serious medical issue is found during the exam? Dr. Furmli mentioned that usually if anything serious is found, it’s an infectious health issue that can be treated. There is no real way to “fail” the exam. The process varies a bit for children where the test focuses more on intellectual and physical development and X-rays and blood tests are not mandatory for children under the age of 11. 

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Appeal Process

• You will receive a procedural fairness letter 
• Will be given an invitation to explain about your individual health situation 
• Create a “mitigation” plan that shows how you will overcome your health issues without overly burdening the Canadian healthcare system. 

To hear more details about the immigration medical exams you can visit Dr.Furmli’s pages or watch our full podcast episode on our youtube channel. 

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