Designated medical practitioner program

DMPs operating in Canada

The majority of immigration medical examinations are performed outside of the country. However, a significant number of people have their immigration processing done in Canada. Designated medical practitioners operating in Canada need to be aware of and follow the procedures outlined below concerning refugees and refugee claimants, and applicants with medical conditions of public health significance. DMPs operating in Canada should also be aware of the procedures for assembling immigration medical exam documents for delivery.

• Refugees and refugee claimants
• Interim Federal Health Program
• Conditions of public health importance
• Assembling immigration medical exam forms and documents for delivery

Refugees and refugee claimants

Many of the people who have an examination for immigration purposes in Canada do so as part of the refugee determination process.

DMPs performing immigration medical examinations in Canada therefore provide services to culturally diverse clients who often do not speak English or French. They must understand the immigration medical requirements for refugee claimants and have a general understanding of the refugee determination system in Canada.

Find out more about the specific issues and situations that DMPs in Canada face and learn more about the refugee determination system:

• Providing primary care to applicants
• Providing services to culturally diverse clients
• The refugee determination system in Canada

Interim Federal Health Program

Most refugee claimants in Canada do not have access to provincial health insurance and may not have enough personal funds to cover health-related expenses. CIC’s Interim Federal Health Program provides temporary health insurance to refugees, protected persons and refugee claimants, as well as their dependants, who are in Canada but not yet covered by a provincial or territorial health insurance plan.

Persons covered under this plan do not pay for immigration medical exams. The immigration-related medical services are paid for by the Interim Federal Health Program through the health service provider FAS.

Find out more about the Interim Federal Health Program and billing for services, including medical and administrative procedures that DMPs must follow when providing services to refugee claimants covered by the program.

Conditions of public health importance

Citizenship and Immigration Canada is committed to protecting the health and safety of Canadians. Thus, individuals identified during the immigration medical exam and immigration medical assessment as having a condition or disease that is a risk to public health must be brought to the attention of the Canadian provincial and territorial public health authorities. This is part of CIC’s Public Health Surveillance Program.

DMPs operating in Canada are obligated to inform provincial and territorial public health authorities if they suspect an applicant to have a condition such as tuberculosis or syphilis that may put public health at risk. CIC’s Public Health Surveillance Program does not eliminate DMP legislated responsibility to report such conditions and notify public health authorities.

Find out more about CIC’s Public Health Surveillance Program.

Assembling immigration medical exam forms and documents for delivery

DMPs in Canada can greatly decrease processing time if they assemble the medical file information (including lab and x-ray reports) in a standardized way. DMPs are to follow the steps below:

1. Use one staple only to attach an individual applicant’s medical file, including lab reports and the chest x-ray (CXR). If the staple is not large enough to hold documents together, attach the CXR with a paper clip.
2. Staple the documents on an angle in the upper left-hand corner (as close to the corner as possible) with the CXR at the back.
3. Assemble the application in the following order:
   • Section A, followed by B, C, D, E and the CXR.
   • Attach any extra reports, including laboratory reports, at the back of each individual file, ensuring that the correct report is attached to the right file.
   • The CXR should be upside down with the LV on the right. The CXR is always the last item.

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