Although Canada welcomes visitors, students and contract workers, we have made being in good health an ETA requirement. This is because we have a duty to keep our citizens as infection-free as possible, and try to prevent the import of germs that could cause an epidemic such as the zika virus.
Depending on what you tell us on your digital Canada ETA application, we may or may not ask you to obtain a medical exam report, at your own expense, from one of our appointed panel physicians in your country. This is how it works.
Visits for Six Months or Less
Generally, you should not need a medical exam if you plan to visit for under six months, although we do have the right to make exceptions where we believe this is in Canada’s interests.
Visits for Over Six Months
Click here to find a list of territories and countries where the state of public health is cause for some concern in Canada. This is usually a precautionary measure, although to be fair to everybody we cannot make exceptions. Scroll down the list and identify countries and territories you live in / have lived in / have visited. You need a medical exam if:
You have lived or travelled for six months in any of them in the year before you come to Canada AND want to come to Canada for more than six months.
If you suspect you may need a medical exam, we urge you to make an appointment with an OFFICIAL panel physician in your country by going to this list.
Requirements for Specific Occupations
If you are coming to Canada on an employment contract, or are planning a working holiday for example, then there are certain occupations for which you always require a medical exam for your ETA Canada.
Finally, you automatically require a medical examination if you are an agricultural worker in any category, and visited or lived in any of the countries on this list regardless of how long you plan to stay.
The Medical Exam Procedure
You can do your exam before you apply for your ETA or wait until we request it. You may wish to do the former if you hope to speed things up, in which case you will find comprehensive advice towards the bottom of this page.
By now, you will be pleased to know applying for your ETA is quick and easy and you can do it on any computing device where there is an internet connection. Under these circumstances, you might be able to apply for your ETA Canada while sitting on a beach or on a mountain waiting for the sunset. Can you think of another entry permission that is so unbelievably simple?
