Canada: Information on the circumstances under which a person applying for Convention refugee status in Canada would be required to submit a medical report
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 September 1997 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | CAN27867.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Canada: Information on the circumstances under which a person applying for Convention refugee status in Canada would be required to submit a medical report, 1 September 1997, CAN27867.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac6820.html [accessed 31 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The following information was provided to the DIRB in a 22 September 1997 telephone interview with the manager of operations of the Windsor ports of entry for Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). All immigrants or potential immigrants to Canada, including refugee claimants, must undergo a medical examination. A person who comes to a port of entry may be judged to be medically inadmissible if the examining immigration officer has reason to believe the person has a condition that will either compromise public health or place an unacceptable burden on Canada's health care system. The source mentioned cancer, kidney disease and tuberculosis as examples of such a condition. If the examining officer at the port of entry believes a person may be medically inadmissible, the case is referred to the medical services of CIC, where two doctors must concur before the person can be ruled to be medically inadmissible. The source stated that CIC asks US non-governmental organizations working with people they know to have health problems who intend to claim refugee status in Canada to acquire doctors' letters. These letters are then forwarded to CIC medical services when the claimant arrives at a port of entry.
For additional information on medical inadmissibility and medical examinations for people entering Canada, please consult Citizenship and Immigration Canada's Immigration Manual: Selection and Control, volume 2, chapter 8, "Medical Requirements and Examinations," which is available at Regional Documentation Centres.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
Reference
Manager, ports of entry operations, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Windsor. 22 September 1997. Telephone interview.
