published on 25 August 2025 @ 10:49 am · COMMENT

Upfront Medical Examinations to be Required with Express Entry Applications

Beginning August 21, 2025, applicants under the Express Entry system must complete their Immigration Medical Exam (IME) before submitting a permanent residence application. Previously, applicants could wait until instructed to undergo the exam after filing their application.

This change means that all applicants and their dependents will now need to arrange their IME in advance with an approved panel physician. The requirement applies only to Express Entry applications submitted on or after August 21, 2025. Applications filed before that date will not be affected, and other types of permanent residence applications remain unchanged.

By moving the medical exam requirement to the beginning of the process, the government aims to streamline application processing and reduce delays caused by waiting for medical admissibility checks. However, this also places additional responsibility on applicants to ensure their medicals are completed on time, as a missing IME may render a submitted application incomplete.

filed under: IMMIGRATIONPERMANENT RESIDENCE