3 Medical Reasons You May Be Denied Entry to Canada

Canada is world-renowned for its healthcare system. As a publicly funded system, Medicare services nearly 40 million people in Canada. To maintain its subsidized universal healthcare provision, Canada must ensure it is not under excess strain.

You may be deemed inadmissible to Canada for various medical reasons. This includes Canada immigration medical exam fail, diseases not allowed in Canada in 2023 and other medical conditions inadmissible to Canada.

If you want to gain entry into Canada, you must ensure that you meet the medical admissibility criteria outlined by the Canadian government. Medical inadmissibility can affect anyone applying to study, visit or permanently live in Canada.

Healthcare in Canada is one of the most renowned and valued governmental services in the country. Interested in learning why you may be denied entry into Canada? Here are the three medical reasons you may be denied entry into Canada!

3 Reasons You May be Medically Inadmissible to Canada

There three reasons you may be deemed medically inadmissible to Canada include:

• Danger to public health
• Danger to public safety
• Excessive demand on health or social services

You Present A Danger To Public Health

If the IRCC believes your health condition may endanger Canada’s public health. The results of your immigration medical exam will determine the final decision.

Up for consideration will be your:

• Your immigration medical exam results in the form of lab tests by third-party physicians and other specialist reports requested by Canadian medical officers.
• Whether or not you have infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis or syphilis, or if you’ve been in close contact with others with an infectious disease
• How your disease may affect the permanent residents and citizens of Canada

You Present A Danger To Public Safety

Your application may be refused if it is believed that your health condition might cause excessive demand for health or social services. The results of your immigration medical exam will form the basis for the final decision.

Conditions or symptoms to be considered include

• Abrupt and sudden incapacitation (loss of mental or physical abilities)
• Violent or unpredictable behavior

There Is Excessive Demand On Health and Social Services

Your application may be refused if it is believed that your health condition might cause excessive demand on healthcare or social services. The final decision will be based on the results of your immigration medical exam.

Your condition will be considered to cause excessive demand if:

• The social or health services you need to treat your condition would negatively affect waiting times for those services in Canada, or
• The services needed to manage and treat your health condition possibly costs more than the excessive demand cost threshold

What is the Excessive Demand Cost Threshold?

This is an amount used to decide if the cost of treating your health condition places excessive demand on Canada’s health and social services. The current excessive demand cost threshold is 171 736,75 CAD.

Please note there are exceptions to medical inadmissibility for excessive demand reasons, which include:

• Refugees and those who depend on them
• Legally Protected persons
• People who are sponsored by their family, such as dependent children, common-law partners, and spouses

What Happens if You’re Deemed Medically Inadmissible?

If the IRCC deems you to be medically inadmissible to Canada, a letter explaining the reason why will be sent to you. This letter is referred to as a procedural fairness letter.

You’ll receive this letter before the IRCC makes the final decision regarding your application. You can submit further information in response.

You will be granted the opportunity to receive representation or advice from a professional to allow you to respond to the procedural fairness letter. However, this is not a requirement.

As an example, in your response letter, you may provide evidence on:

• Your medical diagnosis or health condition
• Cost of medications or health services you need
• Type health services and medication you need

Please note:

You must send additional information within 90 days of receiving the procedural fairness letter. If you cannot respond by that date, contact IRRC to request an extension. IRCC contact information is in the letter sent to you.

How To Make Sure You’re Medically Admissible to Canada?

To ensure that you’re medically admissible into Canada, follow the information outlined below:

Understand the Medical Inadmissibility Criteria

Familiarize yourself with the medical inadmissibility criteria set by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

These criteria include conditions that could harm public health or safety, or potentially cause excessive demands on Canada's social or health services.

Undergo and Pass a Medical Exam

Prospective immigrants applying to immigrate to Canada are required to undergo a medical examination by an approved Canadian medical physician. The medical exam will assess your overall health and determine if you meet the health requirements to immigrate to Canada.

Obtain a Medical Report

Based on the medical exam conducted by an authorized medical practitioner, you will receive a Medical Certificate or Medical Report. This document is an important immigration document that can significantly impact your chances of successfully immigrating to Canada.

Address Medical Inadmissibility Issues

If you are deemed medically inadmissible, you may need to address the issues identified in your medical report. This could involve providing additional medical documentation, treatment plans, or mitigation plans to demonstrate that your condition will not harm public health or safety or cause excessive demands on Canada's social or health services.

Include Your Dependents in the Medical Exam

If you are applying for permanent residence and have dependents, it is important to note that all dependents, including those not accompanying you to Canada, must undergo the immigration medical exam and obtain a medical report. Your dependent's medical admissibility can affect your admissibility for permanent residence.

What Is A Mitigation Plan?

A mitigation plan explains how you intend to ensure you won’t cause excessive demand on Canada’s health or social services. Not everyone can give a mitigation plan. If your case qualifies to send IRCC a mitigation plan, make sure your plan is credible, detailed, and specific to you.

If your health condition is estimated to be capable of causing excessive demand on Canada’s health or social services, IRCC will request a mitigation plan from you. You’ll only do this if it applies to your specified situation.

The mitigation plan you submit must explain how you’ll support future expenses related to your condition, such as

• Outpatient Prescription Medication
• If you have employer-based health insurance covering the cost of your medicine
• Social services
• If you use the services of a private long-term care facility willing to take you and have the means to pay the financial costs

There is no option to opt out of publicly-funded health services, except for cases of outpatient prescription medication in some provinces or territories. You can’t cover the cost of health services by submitting a mitigation plan.

How Can You Prepare a Mitigation Plan

In your response ensure you include the procedural fairness letter you received from the IRCC.

Your plan must show:

1. How the healthcare services will be provided
2. How you’ll pay for your Canadian healthcare services
3. What your financial situation looks like for entire period you need healthcare services (include financial documents)

Please note:

You must also submit a signed Declaration of Ability and Willingness form. Singing this form signifies your agreement to take responsibility for arranging the health services you’ll need in Canada, along with their financial costs.

You can get advice or representation from someone to help you respond to the procedural fairness letter. However, this is not required.

FAQs

Which Diseases Are Not Allowed in Canada?

Canada has strict regulations regarding the entry of individuals with certain diseases. Here are some of the diseases that are not allowed in Canada:

• Chagas disease
• Avian influenza
• Botulism
• Brucellosis
• Rare diseases
• Tick-borne diseases

What Can Make You Fail the Canada Medical Exam?

The conditions that make you fail the Canada Medical exam are:

• Medical Conditions
• Excessive Demand on Health and Social Services
• Drug Abuse and Mental Illness
• Other Potentially Serious Diseases