Medical and Background checks...

[Mushroom]

Hi,

We were just looking over the application process...and it states that everyone in the family needs to do a medical and background check even if not accompanying the person to Canada...now am I understanding this correctly? Does everyone in her family have to go through this process? We initially understood it as such that only my spouse is the one doing the medical and background checks...

Please clarify this bit of process for me, thank you.

[nylalisa]

It's only the people you are sponsoring or hope to sponsor later (ie a child).

So unless you have a child you are leaving behind or that is coming with your spouse, it is only your spouse that goes through that process.

They should really make that more clear, everyone has problems with understanding it, including myself when I was submitting my app.

[j2m]

I have 3 children that were not accompanying me to Canada. Whether they accompany or not you must list them on the application. I went ahead and had medicals completed on them, in case I decide to sponsor them at a later point. It is a lot easier this way, and you don't have to start from scratch. Buffalo did send me "Exclusion from Membership in the Family Class (R117(9)(d)" forms that I could sign to exclude my children if I decided to do that, and then the children would not have to get medical exams.
R117(9((d) states: "I further acknowledge that my decision to have the person named above not undergo a medical exam will exclude him/her from membership in the family class by virtue of his/her relationship to me. Should the person named above desire to go forward to Canada at a future date, he/she must fully comply with all the requirements of the Canadian Immigration Act and regulations in effect at this time. I realize that failure to meet these requirements could result in permanent separation"