How to deal with being Medically Inadmissible for Canada Immigration

What is Medical Inadmissibility for Canada Immigration?

Medical Inadmissibility is when Canada refuses someone entry to Canada based on the risk to Canadians or a predicted unreasonable expected cost to Canadian society for the care of that person due to a medical condition they have.

Why does Canada have medical inadmissibility?

Canada does not want to bring obligations or risks into their country. If your medical condition is a risk to Canadians, they want to be able to avoid that, and they don’t want to bring in people that will be an unreasonable financial burden on the resources of Canada due to an existing medical condition they have.

What is Canada looking for to declare someone medically inadmissible?

There are a number of issues that could lead someone to be determined as Medically Inadmissible.

1 – a highly contagious illness that could lead to dangers for Canadians through this illness being passed on by you in Canada.

2 – illnesses that could lead you to injure or place others in Danger – such as illnesses that could suddenly have you fall asleep at the wheel of a car. These types of illnesses are classed as ‘sudden incapacity’.

3 – Illnesses that lead you to behave violently towards others or yourself.

4 – illnesses that place an unreasonably high burden on the Canadian Government with the future provision of your predicted future care requirements.

Any of these elements could lead to you or a family member being deemed inadmissible to Canada on medical grounds

However, please note, having an illness in any of these categories does not mean automatic refusal. If someone’s illness is managed with medications and those medications are low in cost you may not be refused, you may require your health to be monitored for example.

Each medical case is different, and expert advice is needed to ensure you give yourself the best chance to migrate to Canada if you qualify.

Only about 1000 applications a year, out of hundreds of thousands, are rejected due to medical inadmissibility, which means that many people with medical conditions are still deemed medically admissible. This is not many rejections in the scheme of things. So don’t cease your application without getting advice on your case. People with minor or stable conditions are being granted permanent residency all the time. So, obtain your advice and put your best case forward.

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What is excessive demand in relation to medical inadmissibility for Canada

Excessive Demand is when you’ve got some sort of condition or illness, that is, by the calculations of the Canadian Government going to cost Canadian society more money than is reasonable.

What is the medical inadmissibility excessive demand threshold?

$21,204 CAD

This means if Canada assesses that your requirement for care and services will be higher than $21,204 CAD a year on an ongoing or long term basis, of 5-10 years, you may be deemed medically inadmissible to Canada based on the extra demand you would place on the medical resources of Canada.

How will I be determined medically inadmissible?

If there is a possibility you may be medically inadmissible, your case will be handed through to the MHB (Migration Health Branch) Centralized Medical Admissibility Unit (CMAU).

This office will assess if you are a threat in terms of the health and safety of Canadians, and then if you will likely create an excessive demand on the health system by costing more than the determined threshold of $21, 204 per year.

You can get an idea of how you might fare in this process by adding up the cost of your current care, such as medications, specialist visits, treatments, surgeries, physiotherapy etc. If this adds up to a very low amount you will most likely be ok as it won’t reach the threshold. If it adds up to close to the threshold you might have a problem. It is best to get some professional advice on your individual situation to be sure you handle the process as best you can for your case.

The assessment will also look at the demand on future social services, for example, will a child with a medical condition be able to find full-time work as an adult or will they be on social support or benefits the rest of their lives. These future demands on Canada will be calculated based on the medical examinations and provided extra information.

I have a family member who I think is medically inadmissible, will their inadmissibility impact my application?

Yes, everyone on your application regardless of if they are accompanying you or not, must take their medical examination to prove all of them are medically admissible to Canada.

If anyone in your immediate family – ie you, your spouse, or your children, are medically inadmissible then your entire application will be rejected and you will not be able to become a permanent resident of Canada through the express entry program.

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I have a medical condition but it is stable and is easily controlled with medication, am I medically inadmissible?

In these cases, you are probably still able to enter Canada and be deemed admissible, however, each case is so unique that you should obtain specialist advice on your situation. Medical inadmissibility is not too common, most people with existing mild conditions are still able to move to Canada. So get your advice and put forward your application ready to handle the medical matters.

When should I communicate about my medical condition with the Canadian Immigration Department?

You should be prepared and have sought advice from a medical inadmissibility expert to assess your individual circumstances and to help you make a plan to present your medical case when the time comes.

You should then make your express entry application, and at the time of filling in the documents for the medical assessment communicate your condition and present your documentation about your case to the immigration officer and to the medical physician.

Remember that most conditions are ok and people with them are admitted to Canada. However, every case is unique and you need to be prepared.

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