Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has issued an updated list of designated countries that require an Immigration Medical Examination (IME) as part of the temporary or permanent residence visa application process. Canadian immigration procedures require that foreign nationals traveling to Canada for at least six months and who have resided in a designated country for at least six months undergo a medical examination. Additionally, applicants involved in fields such as health care, child care, or food preparation will also require an IME regardless of the planned duration of stay in Canada.

Countries that were previously not on the IME list but are now designated for a medical exam include: Fiji, Singapore, Timor-Leste, and Tunisia.

Argentina, Bahrain, Belize, Colombia, Wallis and Futuna, Portugal, Seychelles, Surinam, and Venezuela are no longer on the designated list. A complete list of designated countries may be found on the IRCC website.

Employers should ensure that any applicant requiring an IME complete this requirement before applying for temporary or permanent residence status. It is also recommended that several weeks be allotted for completing this requirement.