The list of countries and territories where an immigration medical exam (IME) is required was updated on November 3, 2025.
An IME is now needed if you have lived in or visited:
- Argentina
- Colombia
- Uruguay
An IME is no longer needed if you lived in or visited:
- Armenia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Iraq
- Latvia
- Lithuania
These changes don’t affect applications submitted before November 3, 2025. The full list is available here.
Background
Those applying to become a temporary resident of Canada must have an immigration medical exam (IME) if one of the following conditions apply:
- The applicant wants to come to Canada for more than six months and has lived in, or travelled to, certain countries or territories, for six months or more in a row, in the year before you come to Canada, or
- The applicant is applying for a parent and grandparent super visa, or
- The applicant wants to work in a job in which public health must be protected (for example: health care or child care)
- If public health must be protected, the applicant needs an exam, regardless of which countries or territories they’ve visited or how long they plan to stay in Canada.
A temporary public policy, extended until October 5, 2029, exempts certain foreign nationals in Canada from the immigration medical examination requirement.
Applicants may be exempt from completing another IME if they meet all of these conditions:
- they applied or are applying for either permanent residence or temporary residence
- they already live in Canada
- they completed their previous IME in the last 5 years
- their previous IME indicated a low risk or no risk to public health or public safety.
Erickson Insights & Analysis
Erickson Immigration Group will continue monitoring developments and sharing updates as more news is available. Please contact your employer or EIG attorney if you have questions about anything we’re reporting above or if you have case-specific questions.