Family member not coming to Canada? Declare them and get their medical exam

Key takeaways

You must declare your spouse or common-law partner and dependent children, even if they are not coming to Canada
In most cases they must also have a medical exam with a panel physician
If a non-accompanying family member is not examined, you may be barred for life from sponsoring them (IRPR 117(9)(d) and 125(1)(d))
The temporary public policy that eased this bar for some sponsors ended on September 10, 2026. It never covered Express Entry or PNP immigrants
Express Entry: do the upfront exam after your invitation to apply (ITA) and before you apply. Results are valid for 12 months

What the rule says

IRCC says: “If you apply for permanent residence, you must have an immigration medical exam. Your family members must also have a medical exam, even if they’re not coming with you.” See IRCC’s medical exam requirements for permanent residents.

You must declare all of these family members, even if they stay abroad:

your spouse or common-law partner
your dependent children
the dependent children of your dependent children

IRCC says that in most cases they also need to be examined. The IRCC Help Centre adds that dependants must be admissible to be sponsored in the future, and that inadmissible dependants might make you inadmissible for PR. See the IRCC Help Centre answer.

The lifetime bar on sponsoring

Under section 117(9)(d) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR), a foreign national is not a member of the family class for a sponsor if the sponsor became a permanent resident, and at the time of that application the person was a non-accompanying family member who “was not examined.” Section 125(1)(d) applies the same rule to the spouse or common-law partner in Canada class.

IRCC describes the result as “a lifetime bar on being able to sponsor that family member.” See IRCC’s page on the public policy on certain sponsored foreign nationals.

Exceptions in the regulations

Section 117(10): the bar does not apply if an officer decided the family member did not need to be examined.
Section 117(11): the bar still applies if the sponsor was told the family member could be examined and could have made them available but did not, if the family member did not appear, or if the person was a spouse living separate and apart who was not examined.

The public policy ended on September 10, 2026

IRCC says: “The public policy allowing certain undeclared family members to be sponsored ended on September 10, 2026.” IRCC will still apply it to eligible applications received between May 31, 2019 and September 10, 2026.

The policy only covered family members of sponsors who became PRs as Convention refugees or protected persons, or as sponsored spouses, partners, conjugal partners or dependent children. It never covered Express Entry or Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) immigrants. For them, the bar applies with no public-policy exception. The IRCC page is archived.

Express Entry timing

With Express Entry, IRCC says you “must get a medical exam after you receive your invitation to apply, but before you apply.” This is called an upfront medical exam.

Receive your ITA.
Contact a panel physician directly. Your own doctor cannot do the exam.
Get the exam for you and for each family member, including those not coming with you.
Upload the panel physician’s confirmation document with your application.

IRCC says medical results are valid for 12 months.

If a family member cannot reach a panel physician

If you or a family member cannot complete the exam because of exceptional circumstances or because there is no panel physician in the region, IRCC says you can submit a letter of explanation through its web form (“Add a document to your application”). IRCC will review the request. See the IRCC medical exam page.

If you already have an undeclared or unexamined family member, speak with a licensed immigration lawyer or consultant (RCIC) about your case.

What to do next

List every spouse, partner and dependent child, including those who will stay abroad.
Declare all of them on your PR application.
Use IRCC’s panel physician search to find where to book exams for family members in other countries.
Keep every confirmation document.

Use our document checklist generator, check the exam cost per person in our cost of PR calculator, and read our guides to Express Entry and family sponsorship.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to declare a family member who is not coming to Canada?

Yes. IRCC says you must declare your spouse or common-law partner and dependent children even if they are not coming with you.

Does a family member who stays abroad need a medical exam?

In most cases, yes. IRCC says they must be examined by a panel physician.

What happens if they are not examined?

IRCC says you face a lifetime bar on sponsoring that person later, under IRPR 117(9)(d) and 125(1)(d).

Did the public policy help Express Entry applicants?

No. It covered only sponsors who became PRs as refugees or protected persons, or as sponsored family members. It ended on September 10, 2026.

How long are medical results valid?

12 months, according to IRCC.

Sources

This is general information, not legal or immigration advice. For your situation, consult a licensed immigration consultant (RCIC) or lawyer.