Medical Conditions-Canadian Immigration

• Often newcomers to the BE forum say, "I have such-and-such medical condition. Will Citizenship and Immigration Canada approve my permanent residence visa application?"

• Unfortunately no one -- not even an immigration lawyer or immigration consultant -- can predict what CIC's judgement will be.

• The norm is for CIC to reject anyone who is expected to be a greater financial burden on the Medicare system than the average Canadian. This is referred to as 'Excessive Demand'. Note however that applicants under spousal sponsorship are exempt of 'Excessive Demand'.

• The cost of treating the average Canadian is $5,000 per year.

• Note, however, that this $5,000 figure excludes prescription medications taken outside of a hospital setting, and it also excludes dental treatment, as these expenses are not covered by Medicare.

• The $5,000 figure is based on visits to doctors, medical tests, and hospital stays.

• CIC personnel will read the results of your immigration medical exam and make a determination.

• Sometimes we on the BE forum have been surprised when CIC has accepted a person whom we thought they might reject.

• Conversely, we've been equally surprised when CIC has rejected a person who has completed a course of treatment in the UK and whom we would have thought was cured.

• It's very frustrating to wait for the outcome of CIC's assessment but, if you really want to take a shot at getting into Canada, there is no way round this wait.

• The best thing you can do is to ask your doctor and/or consultant to write up very thorough notes about your diagnosis, your treatment to date, your anticipated future treatment, and the prognosis for recovery.

• Then give your doctor's and/or consultant's notes to the doctor who performs your immigration medical exam.