IRCC made changes to the Immigration Medical Exam (IME) requirement for Express Entry applicants on October 1, 2023, allowing them to submit applications without an upfront medical exam.
While this is good news for Express Entry applicants who receive an invitation to apply (ITA), it is also important to understand what it exactly means.
What exactly is the new Express Entry Medical update?
Effective October 1, 2023, IRCC will no longer need Express Entry applicants and their family members to provide an upfront Immigration Medical Exam (IME) at the time of submitting their application.
As per the IRCC update, you will be prompted to attach proof of your upfront medical exam in your Profile Builder while submitting your application after receiving an invitation to apply (ITA), but this is no longer required.
- If you previously completed an immigration medical exam (IME) as part of another application, then you can include it in your current application using the same upload slot.
- Applicants must include the IME or UMI number from their most recent medical examination.
‘OR’
- If you have never completed an immigration medical exam (IME), you can upload a blank document in the same upload slot.
- Furthermore, IRCC will send you instructions on when to complete your medical exam if they need it.
Previously, IRCC made it mandatory for Express Entry applicants to submit upfront medical exam in July 2022. So this has now been reversed.
What Is An Immigration Medical Exam?
You must undergo an Immigration Medical Examination (IME) in order to get Canadian permanent residency (PR) or even temporary residency.
This is to ensure that you are not medically inadmissible to Canada. A group of medical professionals with IRCC licenses lead an IME.
In Canada, there are two kinds of immigration medical exams. An Upfront Immigration Medical Exam is different from the standard Immigration Medical Exam.
For those who do not have an application in the medical system, an upfront medical exam is recommended.
After receiving an IME letter, you typically visit a panel physician for a medical examination.
Panel doctors may, though, occasionally perform an examination without an IME letter. Consequently, an upfront medical checkup essentially consists of this.
Source: https://immigrationnewscanada.ca/new-express-entry-applicants-no-longer-need-upfront-medical-exam/
