FSW Express Entry: Medical Expiry Soon & No Final Decision – Should I Worry?

[eliasmichael]

Hello everyone,



I’m the main applicant for Express Entry FSW, and I hired a regulated immigration consultant from the start. We finished all steps: medical exams for me, my husband (officer in the Lebanese internal security forces), and our 3-year-old US-citizen child.



Key dates:

- AOR: 01 Sep 2024

- Medical done: 19 Sep 2024 (valid until 23 Sep 2025)

- Pre-arrival form: 03 Dec 2024



We still haven’t gotten a final decision. Our medical will expire soon, and IRCC hasn’t said anything about repeating it or extending. I’d appreciate your views:



1. Has anyone waited nearly a year or more with no decision, even though all steps were done?

2. Does a long wait usually mean rejection, or can it be just backlog, security checks, or something else—not negative?

3. Anyone actually got approved after such a long wait?

4. Should I ask for GCMS notes or ask an MP for help?

5. Medical expiry is near—should I wait for IRCC to ask for a new one, or book it myself?



Thanks a lot for your help!

 

[Naturgrl]

Your husband was in the Lebanese security forces so security checks could take years. Your consultant should have told you you that. Wait on medicals until asked. You can be approved if spouse passes security check.

Order ATIP notes. You will need someone to respond who was in or has a spouse in security forces and how long it took.

 

[canuck78]

Your husband was in the Lebanese security forces so security checks could take years. Your consultant should have told you you that. Wait on medicals until asked. You can be approved if spouse passes security check.

Order ATIP notes. You will need someone to respond who was in or has a spouse in security forces and how long it

Hello everyone,



I’m the main applicant for Express Entry FSW, and I hired a regulated immigration consultant from the start. We finished all steps: medical exams for me, my husband (officer in the Lebanese internal security forces), and our 3-year-old US-citizen child.



Key dates:

- AOR: 01 Sep 2024

- Medical done: 19 Sep 2024 (valid until 23 Sep 2025)

- Pre-arrival form: 03 Dec 2024



We still haven’t gotten a final decision. Our medical will expire soon, and IRCC hasn’t said anything about repeating it or extending. I’d appreciate your views:



1. Has anyone waited nearly a year or more with no decision, even though all steps were done?

2. Does a long wait usually mean rejection, or can it be just backlog, security checks, or something else—not negative?

3. Anyone actually got approved after such a long wait?

4. Should I ask for GCMS notes or ask an MP for help?

5. Medical expiry is near—should I wait for IRCC to ask for a new one, or book it myself?



Thanks a lot for your help!

IRCC can extend your medical expiry date and it is often done for younger people if close to expiry date. Given your case they would not ask your family to redo their medical (if they want you to redo it) until your husband has passed security because that could take years. IRCC tries to avoid people having to do multiple medicals if their file is taking years to process. Prearrival is just procedural after eligibility has been met and does not mean your file is close to completion. Your husband’s background check is likely to be the longest part of the process. MP can’t do anything.

 

[eliasmichael]

Your husband was in the Lebanese security forces so security checks could take years. Your consultant should have told you you that. Wait on medicals until asked. You can be approved if spouse passes security check.

Order ATIP notes. You will need someone to respond who was in or has a spouse in security forces and how long it took.

Thank you so much for your insight!

Yes, I understand now that my husband’s security forces background is likely causing the delay.

I will wait on medicals until IRCC asks for them.

I will request GCMS/ATIP notes to check where the file stands. Once I have more clarity, I’d love to compare timelines with others in a similar situation.

Thanks again!

 

[canuck78]

Thank you so much for your insight!

Yes, I understand now that my husband’s security forces background is likely causing the delay.

I will wait on medicals until IRCC asks for them.

I will request GCMS/ATIP notes to check where the file stands. Once I have more clarity, I’d love to compare timelines with others in a similar situation.

Thanks again!

Tough to compare to others but years is not an exaggeration for background checks for examples like your husband. If it takes years a writ of mandamus becomes an option to force IRCC to either approve or deny your application.

 

[eliasmichael]

Thank you for your helpful insight!

I understand now that my husband’s internal security background likely extends the security check and IRCC often avoids making families redo medicals unless requested.

I’ll wait on medicals until IRCC instructs me.

I plan to request GCMS (ATIP) notes to see what stage the file is at. Once I have them, I’d appreciate comparing timelines with others in similar situations.

Thanks again!

 

[eliasmichael]

Tough to compare to others but years is not an exaggeration for background checks for examples like your husband. If it takes years a writ of mandamus becomes an option to force IRCC to either approve or deny your application.

Thank you for pointing that out.

I understand that my husband’s security background may lead to very long delay.

For now, I’ll continue following up through my consultant and plan to request GCMS (ATIP) notes to better understand where our file stands.

Thanks again for your guidance!