Short answer: you do not submit your results. The panel physician sends them to IRCC directly. What you upload is a single document confirming the exam took place — and in several situations, nothing at all. IRCC: "Once the exam is done, the physician will send us the results."
What you never submit
- The medical report itself. IRCC: "Medical reports and X-rays that are part of the medical exam become our property. We cannot return them to you."
- X-rays and lab results — same rule.
- Nothing at all, if you had the exam after submitting your application, or had a streamlined exam. IRCC: "You don't need to send us anything."
If you want a copy, there is exactly one moment to get it: ask the physician while you are there. IRCC: "If you want a copy of your medical exam results, please ask the physician when you're there."
So what do you submit?
| Situation | What you send |
|---|---|
| Upfront exam for Express Entry | The document confirming the IME was completed, uploaded with your application |
| Exam after IRCC requests it | Nothing |
| Streamlined exam | Nothing |
| A previous IME within 5 years | Include the IME number (or unique medical identifier) in the new application |
If someone tells you to "attach IMM 1017," check the direction of travel. IMM 1017E and IMM 1020E are forms IRCC sends to you, and you bring them to the appointment when it is not an upfront exam. They are not an output you attach.
Who performs it
- Only a doctor on IRCC's panel physician list. IRCC: "Your own doctor can't do the medical exam."
- The panel physician does not decide anything. "The panel physician doesn't make the final decision about your medical exam. We make that decision." IRCC contacts you in writing if there is a problem.
- Unhappy with how the exam was conducted? There is a web form, or the Client Support Centre.
There are two exam types
A standard exam and a streamlined exam, the latter used in urgent situations such as a humanitarian crisis and other exceptional cases determined by IRCC.
You do not get to choose. "You cannot request a specific type of medical exam. We'll let you know which exam you need to take."
Who needs one
For permanent residence, you and your family members all need one — "even if they're not coming with you."
For temporary residence, it is conditional:
| Length of stay | When an exam is required |
|---|---|
| 6 months or less | Generally not, unless you will work in a job where public health must be protected |
| More than 6 months | If you lived in or travelled to a designated country for 6+ consecutive months in the year before arriving; or will work in a job where public health must be protected; or are applying for a parent and grandparent super visa |
The occupations that trigger an exam regardless of length of stay: workers in health care settings, clinical laboratory workers, patient attendants in long-term care homes, medical students admitted to a Canadian university, medical electives and physicians on short-term locums, workers in primary or secondary school or child-care settings, domestic workers, in-home caregivers to children, the elderly or people with disabilities, other similar jobs, and agricultural workers who spent 6+ consecutive months in a designated country in the year before arriving.
Korea's designated-country status and the IEC mechanics are in the IEC document checklist.
The in-Canada exemption
IRCC has extended the temporary public policy exempting certain foreign nationals in Canada from the IME requirement until 5 October 2029. Separate guidance lists the exemption reasons. If you completed an IME within the last 5 years, include that IME number or unique medical identifier in your new application.
What to bring
- Identification — passport strongly recommended. Also accepted: a national ID card; a driver's licence from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK or the US if you are still in that country; an original birth certificate for a child under 18; and various refugee and UN travel documents.
- Glasses or contact lenses, if you wear them
- Medical reports or test results for any previous or existing conditions
- A list of your current medications
- IMM 1017E or IMM 1020E, if this is not an upfront exam — IRCC sends it to you
- 4 recent photographs, only if the panel physician does not use eMedical. Ask before the appointment.
- Proof of vaccination — not mandatory. With your consent the physician records your vaccine history and shares it with IRCC.
You may be asked for identification again if you are referred out for an X-ray or other tests.
Cost
IRCC does not set the price. You pay the panel physician at the appointment, covering:
- the panel physician's or radiologist's fee
- any special tests, investigations or treatment
- any specialists you need to see
- vaccines, if you choose to take those the physician offers — depending on their fees and local practice
None of it is refunded if your application is refused: "If we refuse your application after your medical exam, we won't refund those fees." Refugees and asylum seekers may be exempt from exam and vaccine fees.
We do not quote a figure here because no government fee schedule exists for this. It varies by physician — ask when you book.
Validity is 12 months
"Your medical exam results are valid for 12 months. If you don't come to Canada as a permanent resident within that time, you may need to have another exam." Booking too early risks a repeat exam. For Express Entry, scheduling after the invitation is the safer sequence.
Excessive demand
A condition whose health and social services would likely cost more than three times the Canadian average per person can produce medical inadmissibility on excessive demand grounds.
IRCC states it does not apply to:
- refugees
- protected persons
- certain persons sponsored as members of the family class, including dependent children, spouses and common-law partners
That spousal and common-law exemption is regularly overlooked. Sponsorship categories are covered in spouse vs common-law.
Misrepresentation at the exam
IRCC is explicit: "During your medical exam, you must answer questions about existing and previous medical conditions truthfully. Providing false medical documents, misrepresenting information or providing false information to the panel physician during your medical exam is considered fraud." The consequence runs to a ban of at least five years.
FAQ
Do I collect and upload the results? No. The panel physician transmits them to IRCC. With an upfront exam you upload only the completion confirmation document; for an exam after submission, or a streamlined exam, you send nothing.
Can I use my family doctor? No. It must be a doctor on IRCC's panel physician list, and IRCC states your own doctor cannot do it.
When should I book? Results are valid 12 months, so booking too early can mean doing it twice. For Express Entry, after the invitation; otherwise, follow IRCC's instructions for your application type.
Official sources
- IRCC — Medical examination for permanent residence applicants
- IRCC — Medical exams for visitors, students and workers
- IRCC — Designated countries and territories
- IRCC Help Centre — who excessive demand does not apply to
- IRCC Help Centre — what medically inadmissible for excessive demand means
- IRCC — Consequences of immigration and citizenship fraud
