Urgent help please. Unnecessary Medical testing.

[djein]

We do not know what to do at this point but here is the entire story. Please help us best you can...point us towards who we should contact or how we can help solve this horrible problem.

Spousal Sponsorship

Did upfront medical exam late 2015 in the Philippines. Nationwide Cebu clinic conducted the exam. Spots found on chest x-ray thus doctor thought Tuberculosis. Recommended Tuberculosis scratch test. 1 week after testing it was determined negative. File uploaded to CiC. March 2016 medical is officially passed by the CiC on ECAS and through GCMS notes. No problems.

1 year expires and CiC requests re-medical examination August 2016. September 2016 my wife goes to Nationwide Cebu to the same doctor and redoes the medical. Same doctor sees the same spots and thinks Tuberculosis. Again. This time they want to do a more advanced test. A sputum test that takes 3 months to grow in a laboratory to prove exact results. My wife does the sputum test then waits 3 months for results and an additional month to see the doctor for another chest x-ray. Dec 02, 2016 she sees the same doctor and gets the final chest ray as well as the results of the sputum test. All NEGATIVE of Tuberculosis. The doctor uploads results to the CiC and from here we believe no problems. No more communications. No more asking for additional testing. After not getting passport request we call nationwide and it turns out they want to do ANOTHER x-ray test March 02, 2017.

The reason we consider this unnecessary medical testing is we have done multiple Tuburculosis tests. Scratch test. Sputum tests. All passed by the CiC appointed physicians. 4 x-rays over the course of 1.5 years all determining negative of Tuberculosis. Now we are asked to do even more medical testing but 3 months after already being determined TB free. This entire time we have had no real communication from the embassy and we do not know who to contact to make sure these tests are not being done to procure additional funds for the Nationwide Cebu immigration facility (they are hired by the cic).

Long story short we have spent 1.5 years being tested for Tuberculosis and although EVERY test has turned up negative they still want more...and more...and more...and more only because of a few spots found in an x-ray that have no moved or changed! And we do not know who to contact or even how. Can someone please point us in the right direction this is getting insane.

 

[simpsol22]

So sorry to hear you are going through this. I heard of another person going through a similar situation...but their story is not on here to share. Is there a chance CIC hasn't reviewed the most recent test?

Have you tried getting in contact with your local MP to see if they can help?

 

[djein]

Cic has received the most recent medical test Dec 03....they sent us the email requesting more information Dec 14 but we didn't realize more information meant more testing. When we contacted nationwide today they sprung on us the need for additional testing March 02, 2017.

We have contacted the MP multiple times in the last month. The only information they could get were copy and pastes from the website from the CiC. This is the exact copy and paste from the last email from our MP from the CiC. This is the third such email from the MP in regards to our medical furtherence...and each email said NOTHING about having us do more testing. We only found out by doing the legwork and calling nationwide cebu to ask whats going on. Useless...this has to be a scam, an money grab..or something. How do you get tested for the same thing two years in a row..come up negative and still have to go through more testing. In the 7 months it took to test for TB the second time she could have taken that magical tuberculosis curing pill and be cured of it in 3-6 months. And how come they PASSED our medical the first time...and were willing to let us come to canada no problems. If the medical hadn't expired she would have already been here.

"CIC has just advised of the following posted to its website:
We’re working to finalize applications received before December 7, 2016 by the end of December 2017 - prior to this the average processing time was noted as 26 months.

The agent advised your file is within the normal processing time - 12-months post Feb. 3, 2016 date of receipt....HOWEVER...as there was a medical furtherance issued - it must be completed, reviewed and finalized.

January 6, 2017 CIC records indicate the medicals have been sent to the visa office - the copy I sent on Dec. 14, 2016 and the copy from the panel physician.
The application remains in process

The CIC website will state 'in process' for the duration of the processing period. They do not update individual files on the website as to the individual steps completed. The officer reiterated that every file is unique and you should never compare your application processing time with another - there is no expediting applications - each one goes through the same screening process and some will take longer to process than others....so patience is requested.

Kind Regards,"

 

[Survivor27]

I feel you. I've read your previous posts about this. I've read posts also in the past about Nationwide and its negative feedback. Sorry to hear about you and your wife's experience with them. Do you have any receipts or the UMI code of your wife's medical. I'm not sure though, but maybe you can try getting your MP involve about this issue. Maybe send an email so you can express your concern in detail. Here is the link for you to find your MP's contact details.

http://www.parl.gc.ca/Parliamentarians/en/members

If you were to click on the photo, you will see there both contact number and email address. In your message, please make sure you mention the App number and I am hoping you have a UMI code which is the reference code from the initial upfront medical exam. I am assuming, though, that the same UMI code is used when your wife had to re-do her xray, etc..

 

[profiler]

HI,

Sorry to hear about your troubles with medicals. I am no medical expert, but I will provide my opinion as to what you should do. Hopefully it helps.

As a Canadian or a Canadian PR, you are entitled to request information regarding your case. There are a few different levels that you can request information. Eg: Call Centre, Case Specific Enquiry, or you can request the Officer's Notes (GCMS Notes). Generally, the Call Centre is less than helpful, and in fact more frustrating than anything. Case Specific Enquiries are a little better, but still will not net you the results I think you are looking for.

GCMS Notes can be ordered, and they take about 30 days to receive. Since your wife is in the Philippines, and not in Canada, you will have to request the Notes via an Access to Information request: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/atip/requests-atip.asp . You will note there is a consent form on this page. You will need to have your wife fill it out and send you a scan. She fills out and signs Section A. You are going to act as her representative, so you will need to fill out and sign Section C. You will go to Pay a $5 fee for an Access To Information request: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/fees/index.asp . You will then submit the payment receipt, and the consent form as pdf's when you make the ATIP request.

When you make the request, you will need to ask for: Electronic Officer's Notes from GCMS. You want Notes for: the Sponsorship Application, the Permanent Residence Application, and the Medical Notes. When you make the request, at the end it will permit you to attach files to it -- this is where you attach the pdf's. This request will (should) take 30 days to process.

Once you receive them, you will probably find that the Medical Examiner who reviewed the clinical notes, ordered supervision. If this is the case, because TB is a communicable disease, they want to make sure they avoid bringing it to Canada. I understand that sounds callus, but that is the case. Once you have notes, you can approach your MP to dislodge the blockage at the Embassy. You will need the information, so you (and your MP) knows what they are fighting against.

I hope that helps, and I wish you all the best.

 

[djein]

Our MP has all our details regarding medicals for the last year and a half. The excessive amounts of testing information as well as file details. We order GCMS notes monthy and in none of the notes do they request additional medical testing or have any concerns about the potential for tuberculosis. In fact our GCMS notes as of 6 months ago were medicals PASSED but they expired...which turned them to review in progress so we had to remedical. We are still 25 days away from our 1 year anniversary then we can directly contact the cic and hope they will stop causing us unending heartache and endless testing for something that has been proven negative multiple times.

 

[profiler]

Our MP has all our details regarding medicals for the last year and a half. The excessive amounts of testing information as well as file details. We order GCMS notes monthy and in none of the notes do they request additional medical testing or have any concerns about the potential for tuberculosis. In fact our GCMS notes as of 6 months ago were medicals PASSED but they expired...which turned them to review in progress so we had to remedical. We are still 25 days away from our 1 year anniversary then we can directly contact the cic and hope they will stop causing us unending heartache and endless testing for something that has been proven negative multiple times.

Ok, well if your MP has your medical notes, there is very little anyone else can do for you.

Best of luck.

 

[dreamcanada87]

two of my friends had a same story.they did their upfront medical in sps Apollo hospital ludhiana and they gone through the same test even vo never contacted them and their medicals showed pass but hospital people keep calling them about more further test started from diabetes to TB and then again and again chest x rays repeated.I think itz something about money making.they also said where the Apollo hospital send them these labs charge them huge amount for sputum test and in their batch their was around 100 plus people for 3 days sputum test .even the people applying for student visa not spouse means started the age from 21 to 60 plus,the parents who wants to visit their kids in Canada. horrible experience.

 

[dreamcanada87]

even more they gone to other hospitals and take private advice from TB specialist .neither of TB specialist from other top most hospitals confirmed that thy had it.so it's merely a scam.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

Our MP has all our details regarding medicals for the last year and a half. The excessive amounts of testing information as well as file details. We order GCMS notes monthy and in none of the notes do they request additional medical testing or have any concerns about the potential for tuberculosis. In fact our GCMS notes as of 6 months ago were medicals PASSED but they expired...which turned them to review in progress so we had to remedical. We are still 25 days away from our 1 year anniversary then we can directly contact the cic and hope they will stop causing us unending heartache and endless testing for something that has been proven negative multiple times.

Don't wait. You should contact IRCC directly now.

 

[nope]

This isn't a comment on your case specifically -- there are likely two reasons for what's happening, which certainly seems excessive.

The first of these is that TB is easy to diagnose positively, but it's hard to exclude, negatively. IRCC is trying to exclude it, not diagnose it. All tests have notable margins of failure, so you're in the position where an X-Ray has indicated something is possible, and the follow-ups haven't excluded it.

The second is that IRCC has actually been sued by people who immigrated to Canada with dangerous, drug-resistant TB, for failing to catch it during the process. This gives them an institutional urge to be cautious, in addition to the public health imperative of making sure immigrants are TB-free.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

This isn't a comment on your case specifically -- there are likely two reasons for what's happening, which certainly seems excessive.

The first of these is that TB is easy to diagnose positively, but it's hard to exclude, negatively. IRCC is trying to exclude it, not diagnose it. All tests have notable margins of failure, so you're in the position where an X-Ray has indicated something is possible, and the follow-ups haven't excluded it.

The second is that IRCC has actually been sued by people who immigrated to Canada with dangerous, drug-resistant TB, for failing to catch it during the process. This gives them an institutional urge to be cautious, in addition to the public health imperative of making sure immigrants are TB-free.

Or the third reason, which also unfortunately been seen before, where IRCC isn't actually requesting all of the further tests and the Panel Physician's office is running them to make more money.

 

[djein]

Oddly enough the panel physician we talked to called this additional testing unnecessary. They don't know why a 3 month period of waiting for an additional x-ray will be beneficial in any way. I think it was their intentions to get extra money from the sputum test although previous TB tests were passed. But it has snowballed into this huge mess. This makes it exponentially harder because we can't even talk directly with the CiC in regards to this.

 

[djein]

This isn't a comment on your case specifically -- there are likely two reasons for what's happening, which certainly seems excessive.

The first of these is that TB is easy to diagnose positively, but it's hard to exclude, negatively. IRCC is trying to exclude it, not diagnose it. All tests have notable margins of failure, so you're in the position where an X-Ray has indicated something is possible, and the follow-ups haven't excluded it.

The second is that IRCC has actually been sued by people who immigrated to Canada with dangerous, drug-resistant TB, for failing to catch it during the process. This gives them an institutional urge to be cautious, in addition to the public health imperative of making sure immigrants are TB-free.

To our understanding the 3 month sputum culture test is the highest accuracy test that can be done for TB. This is NOT the sputum test that can be determined within hours but in fact takes 3 months. This is also a test that gives multiple samples of the sputum over a period of time. That in conjunction with a previous scratch test a year before and multiple x-rays over 1.5 years should lead to conclusive results not repeat testing over and over and over and over...whats next they want to remove one of her lungs just to make double sure?

 

[nope]

To our understanding the 3 month sputum culture test is the highest accuracy test that can be done for TB. This is NOT the sputum test that can be determined within hours but in fact takes 3 months. This is also a test that gives multiple samples of the sputum over a period of time. That in conjunction with a previous scratch test a year before and multiple x-rays over 1.5 years should lead to conclusive results not repeat testing over and over and over and over...whats next they want to remove one of her lungs just to make double sure?

It is, you are correct -- there's nothing better than this culture. The one thing that can go wrong with it is that if your wife does not have a productive cough, they have to induce sputum collection. This isn't as accurate, and it's possible to get a sample that is mostly saliva and isn't reliable for the test.

But I'm just talking about in general -- I have no idea what the issue is in your case, and it may have nothing to do with these technical problems at all.