Canada Updates The List Of Nations Requiring Medical Exams 

Canada updates the list of nations requiring medical exams, i.e., IRCC has updated the nations and territories that need an Immigration Medical Exam (IME) for temporary residence applicants, adding four new regions and removing six. 

As a result, temporary residence applicants from the four newly added countries will be required to undergo an IME, while those from the removed countries will no longer be required to do so. 

These changes took effect on November 3, 2025, and impacted anyone who had lived in or travelled to these countries for six consecutive months in the year preceding their arrival in Canada. 

Any application submitted before November 3 will be unaffected. 

The newly added countries join a long-standing list that already includes over 100 countries, including Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Brazil, India, and China, among others. 

What Changes Have Been Made? 

These are the countries added to or removed from IRCC’s IME list (effective November 3). 

Who Needs An IME?

As Canada updates the list of nations requiring medical exams, let’s discuss who needs an IME. 

Well, if you are applying to come to Canada as a temporary resident, you must undergo an IME if any of the following apply: 

• You are applying for a parent/ grandparent super visa. 
• You plan to be in Canada for more than six months and have lived in or traveled to certain countries or territories for six consecutive months or longer within the year before your arrival. 
• You intend to work in a field that requires the protection of public health.

If your intended profession involves protecting public health, an IME is needed irrespective of where you have traveled or how long you intend to stay. 

Jobs which meet this requirement include, but are not limited to: 

• Positions involving close personal contact with others, like:
• Health care professionals and clinical laboratory workers.
• Day nursery employees and other comparable occupations.
• Medical students, medical electives, and physicians on short-term locums.
• Workers in primary/ secondary school settings (or child-care settings).
• Patient attendants in nursing or geriatric homes.
• Domestic workers and in-home caregivers for children, the elderly, or persons with disabilities.
• Agricultural workers who have resided in or travelled to selected nations for a period of six consecutive months or more within the year preceding their entry to Canada.

If you plan to be in Canada for less than six months and will not be working in a public-facing job, you are generally not required to complete an IME. 

About The Immigration Medical Exams 

There are two types of IMEs: 

• The streamlined medical exam
• The standard medical exam 

To schedule an IME, you can review the immigration department’s list of panel physicians, select the applicable country or territory, and then directly contact the panel physicians to book your appointment time. 

Once you submit your application, IRCC will send you instructions on how to complete your IME, including when to book your appointment and the type of IME you will need to get. 

As per the temporary public policy currently in place until October 5, 2029, you may be exempt from needing an IME, provided you meet all of the following criteria:

• You are applying, or have applied, for permanent residence or temporary residence
• Your previous IME results showed they posed little to no risk to public health or safety
• You currently live in Canada
• You completed an IME within the last five years (e.g., for a work permit or study permit)

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