As of August 21, 2025, the Canadian immigration system has reinstated the requirement for an upfront Immigration Medical Exam (IME) for applicants and their family members applying for permanent residence through Express Entry:
According to CIC News, “Canada’s immigration department will require upfront medical exams for applicants applying for permanent residence through Express Entry. This new requirement will come into effect on August 21, 2025” CIC News.
The Canada.ca official site confirms that Express Entry applicants must do a medical exam first—called an upfront medical exam when they complete their application Canada.ca.
What This Means for You
If you receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) on or after August 21, 2025, you and all family members (even those not accompanying you) must complete an upfront IME before submitting your permanent residence application.
At the time of application submission, you’ll need to include proof of the upfront medical exam. This could be the IMM 1017B form or an information printout provided by the panel physician Canada.ca+1.
If you already completed an IME within the past 5 years (for example, for a previous study or work permit application) and currently live in Canada—and if that previous IME showed low or no risk you may be able to use it. In that case, including the IME number or unique medical identifier from the prior exam may waive the upfront IME requirement Canada.ca.
Why This Matters
This requirement is a key procedural change from the earlier process, where applicants previously waited until after submitting the full application to receive instructions about the medical exam. Now, starting August 21, 2025, obtaining the IME is a prerequisite to submitting the complete Express Entry PR application.