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Medical exam and police certificates for Canada: who needs them, when, and how long they last

IRCC requires an immigration medical exam from a panel physician for permanent residence applicants, and for some temporary residents. Results are valid for 12 months. Police certificates are required for permanent residence, citizenship and International Experience Canada. Express Entry candidates must get the medical exam after the invitation but before applying, and have 60 days to submit police certificates.

The medical exam and the police certificate are two of the documents that most often hold up an application. Both depend on third parties: a panel physician for the exam and a police authority for the certificate. Neither is within IRCC's control, and both have validity rules that can run out while an application is waiting.

This guide sets out who needs each, when to get them, how long they stay valid and what goes wrong, using IRCC's pages. It is general information. It does not say whether a reader needs either document for their own application. The checklist generated in the applicant's IRCC account is the document that decides.

Everything was read on 10 October 2026 on IRCC's pages for permanent residents' medical exams (dated 4 August 2026), temporary residents' medical exams, police certificates overview (modified 19 February 2026), "who" and "when" police certificate pages, the India page (modified 25 February 2026) and the IRCC fee list (modified 21 September 2026). For the India-specific rules see the guide on permanent residence from India.

The immigration medical exam for permanent residence

IRCC's page for permanent residence applicants says: "If you apply for permanent residence, you must have an immigration medical exam." Family members need one too, even if they are not coming to Canada with you.

Three rules follow. - It must be a panel physician. "You must see a doctor on the list of panel physicians." Your own doctor cannot do it. The panel physician list is on IRCC's site. - The timing depends on the program. For Express Entry, IRCC says you "must get a medical exam after you receive your invitation to apply, but before you apply," which it calls an upfront medical exam. You contact a panel physician directly. For all other permanent residence applications, you wait for IRCC's instructions after submitting a complete application, and then you "must get your medical exam within 30 days of getting these instructions." - Results last 12 months. IRCC says that if you do not become a permanent resident within that period, you may need another exam.

The page also notes an in-Canada exemption that may apply until 5 October 2029 if all listed conditions are met, including a completed exam within the past five years with a low or no risk result. The conditions are specific, so read the page rather than assume.

On the day, IRCC says to bring four recent photographs if the panel physician does not use eMedical. Contact the physician beforehand to check.

Fees for the exam

IRCC does not set one price. Its page says you pay all exam-related fees at your appointment, including the physician or radiologist, special tests and any specialists. IRCC's fee list, modified 21 September 2026, does not list a medical exam fee.

IRCC's page also says that if it refuses your application after your medical exam, it will not refund those fees. It adds that refugees and asylum seekers may be exempt from exam and vaccine fees.

Because the exam is paid to the clinic and not to IRCC, prices vary between clinics and countries. Ask the clinic what its fee covers, including whether chest X-rays and blood tests are included, before booking. Do not pay anyone claiming to be arranging an exam on IRCC's behalf. IRCC's instruction is to see a doctor on the panel list.

Medical exams for temporary residents

For visitors, students and workers, the rules are less uniform. IRCC's page for temporary residents says stays of six months or less generally do not require an immigration medical exam unless the person plans to work in certain jobs. For stays longer than six months, an exam is needed if at least one listed situation applies.

The two situations IRCC describes are: - Living in or travelling to one or more listed countries or territories for six months or more in a row in the year before coming to Canada. - Working in a job where protecting public health is a concern. IRCC's page lists examples including workers in primary or secondary school settings or child-care settings, health care workers, clinical lab workers, long-term care patient attendants, medical students, domestic workers and in-home caregivers. It also lists agricultural workers who lived in a listed country for six months or more in a row in the year before arriving.

On timing, IRCC says: "You should get your medical exam before you apply." If you had an upfront exam, include the physician's confirmation document with the application. If you had a streamlined exam or had it after applying, you do not need to send anything. As for permanent residence, the results are valid for 12 months and you must see a panel physician. Students and workers can check the expiry date on their letter of introduction.

Whether a person falls into one of these situations is a question about their own history. The list of countries is on IRCC's page and changes.

Police certificates: who needs one

IRCC's overview describes a police certificate as a document that shows you do not have a criminal record. It adds: "Police certificates are different in each country and territory." They may carry other names, such as judicial record extracts.

IRCC's "who" page says that you and any family member aged 18 or older may need a police certificate, depending on the program. It states that you must provide one if you apply for permanent residence, citizenship or International Experience Canada. For other programs, a person with a prior criminal record may be asked for one, and the program's document checklist or the local visa office gives the detail.

IRCC's overview also says that if a certificate is not in English or French, you must include a copy of the original and a copy in English or French from a certified translator.

Which places require a certificate depends on the program and on where a person has lived. For the International Experience Canada program, IRCC's application page says that in most cases you need certificates for places where you lived six or more months in a row since age 18. The checklist for other programs states its own rule.

Police certificates: timing and validity

IRCC's "when" page, modified 19 February 2026, sets out the timing.

For Express Entry: "If you are an Express Entry candidate, you have 60 days to submit your police certificates." The page also advises starting the police check as soon as you are in the pool, to avoid delays.

For your current country of residence, the certificate "must be issued no more than 6 months before the date you submit your application." IRCC says it may ask for updated certificates because processing times vary.

For other countries where you have lived, the certificate "must be issued after the last time you resided there for 6 consecutive months or longer." Some countries set expiry dates. If yours does, you can still submit a certificate that was issued after your last qualifying stay, unless it is for your current country of residence. IRCC may request updated documents at any time during processing.

Some countries only issue a certificate on receipt of a request letter from IRCC. In that case, IRCC says to upload a document in the police certificate field stating that you are applying from such a country. IRCC will review the application, and if it is otherwise complete, it will send instructions for obtaining the certificate. The page does not say what to do if a certificate cannot be obtained in time for another reason.

The practical consequence is that the six-month rule and the 60-day rule work against each other. A certificate obtained too early may expire, and one obtained too late may miss the window. Plan around the issuing authority's processing time.

An example of country-specific rules: India

IRCC has a separate page for each country with detailed instructions. As an example of what such a page contains, the India page (modified 25 February 2026) names the document as a "Police Clearance Certificate". It lists four places to apply: a local district police station, a passport office, an Indian embassy or consulate and a BLS International Centre. It says "Character Certificates are not accepted," and that some certificates have limitations on jurisdiction and period searched that mean they will not be accepted.

It also notes that fingerprints for a police certificate are different from biometrics given for an application.

Other countries have different documents, authorities and rules. IRCC's page for the country in question is the one to read. The India-specific guide on this site covers the rest of the permanent residence documents for applicants in India.

How the two documents fit into the application sequence

For Express Entry, the order is: 1. Create a profile and enter the pool. 2. If invited, get the medical exam (after the invitation, before applying). 3. Submit the application within the invitation period. 4. Submit police certificates within 60 days, according to IRCC's page.

IRCC advises starting the police check once you are in the pool. The medical exam, by contrast, is tied to the invitation by IRCC's rule. Which steps a person takes before an invitation is their own decision. Note that IRCC says exam fees are not refunded if it refuses the application.

For other permanent residence applications, IRCC sends medical instructions after the application is submitted and gives 30 days. For International Experience Canada, the 20-day application clock is short, and IRCC's page says an application may take longer than the advertised standard if proof of a request is submitted in place of the completed certificate or exam. See the IEC guide.

For citizenship, a police certificate is required, and the requirements are set on the program's checklist. See the citizenship requirements guide for the other conditions.

Common problems

  • Booking with a doctor who is not on the panel list. IRCC says your own doctor cannot do the exam.
  • Letting the 12-month validity of an exam run out before the permanent resident visa is issued.
  • Obtaining the wrong type of certificate for a country, or one with a limited jurisdiction or period.
  • Getting a certificate too early for the six-month rule, or too late for the 60-day window.
  • Forgetting a country where the person lived for six consecutive months or more.
  • Submitting a non-English or non-French document without a certified translation.
  • Paying an intermediary a fee that appears to be an IRCC charge.

If any of these happens, or if a past criminal record is involved, the options depend on the facts. The guides on criminal inadmissibility and on procedural fairness letters explain related processes.

Finding a regulated adviser

If you want a licensed immigration consultant or a lawyer to look at a medical exam or police certificate requirement, use the Migratio directory to find a regulated adviser, and check their licence on the official register before you sign anything. Migratio is a directory and booking platform. It does not give immigration advice, does not choose a program for anyone and has no connection to IRCC or any province.

Questions people ask

Do I need a medical exam for Canadian permanent residence?

IRCC says: "If you apply for permanent residence, you must have an immigration medical exam." Family members need one too, even if they are not coming with you. It must be done by a panel physician.

When do Express Entry applicants get the medical exam?

IRCC says you must get the exam after you receive your invitation to apply but before you apply. You contact a panel physician directly.

How long is an immigration medical exam valid?

IRCC says the results are valid for 12 months. If you do not become a permanent resident in that period, you may need another exam.

Who pays for the medical exam?

You pay all exam-related fees at your appointment. IRCC says it will not refund those fees if it refuses your application after the exam. Its fee list does not show a medical exam fee.

How long do I have to submit police certificates after an Express Entry invitation?

IRCC's page says an Express Entry candidate has 60 days to submit police certificates, and advises starting the police check as soon as you are in the pool.

How old can a police certificate be?

For your current country of residence, IRCC says it must be issued no more than six months before you submit your application. For other countries, it must be issued after the last time you lived there for six consecutive months or longer.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-10.

Related guides

  • Canada PR from India: programs, fees and documents, as IRCC states them — Applicants in India use the same permanent residence programs as everyone else. IRCC's 2025 annual report records 94,105 economic-class admissions from India in 2024. The fee for a principal applicant is $1,590 with the right of permanent residence fee. India has its own police certificate page on canada.ca, and Express Entry applicants must get a medical exam after the invitation but before applying.
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