After receiving an ITA under CEC, IRCC may notify you that a new medical exam isn't required if you completed one within the past 5 years. However, this exemption is not absolute.
What to know:
- The 5-year reuse policy exists, but officers retain discretion. Some applicants successfully reused an older medical exam and had their application approved without issue.
- Expiry timing matters. If your prior medical exam is close to the 5-year mark, or if IRCC's system flags it as expired or close to expiring, the officer can still request a fresh medical exam even though the general policy suggests otherwise.
- Don't treat the exemption notice as final. Continue monitoring your application status/portal in case a medical request appears despite the initial notification that one wasn't needed.
Practical takeaway: if your last medical exam is comfortably within the 5-year window (not close to expiring), you have a reasonable chance it will be reused. If it's near the edge, be prepared to redo it if requested.