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http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/manuals/bulletins/2012/ob423.aspOperational Bulletin 423 - May 24, 2012
Reassessment of a medical file for the issuance of a new medical certificate
Summary
Effective June 1st, 2012, officers can request that an applicant's medical file be reassessed by a Medical Officer (MOF) or a Health Branch (HB) delegated staff for the issuance of a new medical certificate. The process applies to cases where a final decision of an officer is pending only due to the expiration of a medical certificate or when the validity of the medical certificate is about to expire and the applicant is unable to land before it expires. This process is limited to applicants who had a routine immigration medical examination (IME) done by a panel physician within the last 15 months in or outside Canada. The new medical certificate issued will be valid for 12 months.
Issue
This Operational Bulletin aims to standardize the reassessment of a medical file for the issuance of a new medical certificate to ensure alignment with the legislation while fulfilling departmental operational needs. This procedure is limited to situations where the final decision of an officer is pending due only to the expiration of a medical certificate. If anything else is pending, the officer should not use this procedure.
Background
According to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR), sections 30(4) and 72(1)(e)(iii), foreign nationals (FNs) who seek to enter Canada and those already in Canada applying to become permanent residents must hold a medical certificate based on the most recent medical examination to which they were required to submit under the IRPR within the previous twelve months, indicating that they are not inadmissible on health grounds. However, upon request of an officer, HB has been granting ‘extension of IME validity' for periods varying from one to twelve months in order to support operational needs. This process has been reviewed for better alignment with the legislation and strengthening of program integrity.
A medical assessment, which is a medical examination for the purposes of immigration, is the review of an applicant's medical file by a MOF and/or HB delegated staff. The result of the last medical assessment is entered in Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) electronic platforms (such as the Global Case Management System (GCMS) or Field Operations Support System (FOSS) as an ‘M' profile indicating that an applicant is either admissible or inadmissible on health grounds. A medical certificate is an ‘M' profile indicating that an applicant underwent a medical examination within the previous 12 months and is not inadmissible on health grounds (therefore limited to M1, M2, M3, M23, M19, M29, and M39 profiles).
Instructions
When the final decision of an officer is pending due only to the expiration of a medical certificate or when the validity of the medical certificate is about to expire and the applicant is unable to land before it expires, the officer will:
•Issue medical instructions for a new full routine medical examination done by a panel physician if the IME is older than 15 months;
•For in-Canada and overseas cases with an IME done within the last 15 months:
◦Contact the Regional Medical Office (RMO) responsible for the file at the following e-mail addresses:
■Beijing: Bejing-mc @ international.gc.ca
■London: London-mc @ international.gc.ca
■Manila- Traditional visa offices attached to RMO Manila: Manil.mc @ international.gc.ca
■Manila- Visa offices previously attached to RMO Singapore: Manil.mc-im @ international.gc.ca
■New Delhi: Delhi-mc @ international.gc.ca
■Ottawa: ime-reassessment @ cic.gc.ca
■Paris: Paris-mc @ international.gc.ca
◦Entitle your e-mail ‘Reassessment of an applicant's medical file for the issuance of a new medical certificate';
◦Provide the applicant's name, ID number, date of birth, date of initial IME, and country of residence for the last 6 months.
It is recommended that the officer review the validity of the medical certificate of all the persons being part of an immigration application and request the reassessment of the medical file for those eligible for the process if needed.
•Upon receipt of the request for reassessment, the MOF or the HB delegated staff will:
◦Review the medical file to determine if there is sufficiently relevant and up to date medical information to provide a new opinion of admissibility on health grounds;
◦Request additional medical information if a new opinion based upon the existing information in the medical file is not possible;
◦Assess the medical file including any new additional medical information as needed;
◦Provide a new opinion of admissibility or inadmissibility on health grounds;
◦Enter the new ‘M' profile in the CIC electronic platform (such as GCMS or FOSS);
◦Send an e-mail to the officer who requested the reassessment to confirm that the process has been completed.
It is recommended that the officer issue medical instructions for a new full routine medical examination done by a panel physician if the results of additional testing are unlikely to be provided quickly.
•If the opinion of the CIC MOF and/or HB delegated staff is that the applicant is:
◦Admissible on health grounds: a new medical certificate will be issued and will be valid for a 12 month period starting from the date of the new medical assessment;
◦Inadmissible on health grounds: a new medical certificate will not be issued.
■The new ‘M' profile constitutes the most current opinion of inadmissibility provided to the officer for the final decision of inadmissibility on health grounds
Immigration Forum
