Immigration Medical Exam Completed—Who Actually Makes the Decision?
A panel physician completes a Canadian immigration medical exam. Why is that not the same as an IRCC decision, and does everyone follow the same timing?
The examination is finished and the clinic provides confirmation. Has a Canadian immigration medical decision already been made? The clinic and IRCC play different roles.
Who performs the examination?
An immigration medical exam must be carried out by an IRCC-approved panel physician. A family doctor who is not on that list cannot perform it. The physician sends the results to IRCC.
Who decides what those results mean?
IRCC, rather than the panel physician, makes the final decision on the immigration medical assessment. Confirmation that an examination took place is therefore different from confirmation of an immigration outcome.
Does every PR applicant follow the same timetable?
No. IRCC distinguishes Express Entry upfront examinations from the instructions used for other PR applications. It also describes a conditional exemption from another exam for certain applicants already in Canada with a qualifying previous examination. A past exam alone does not establish that the exemption applies.
Transfigured Immigration connects broader process questions with individual circumstances in private consultations. The distinction between a completed step and a final decision is often where the conversation begins.
General editorial information based on IRCC sources. This article does not assess individual eligibility or recommend a course of action.
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