Does my spouse need a medical exam for sponsorship?

Yes. Every person sponsored for Canadian permanent residence must undergo an immigration medical examination (IME) conducted by a designated panel physician approved by IRCC. The exam is not conducted by your family doctor — it must be done by a physician on IRCC's official list.

The purpose of the medical exam is to assess whether your spouse has a condition that might make them inadmissible on health grounds. Inadmissibility on health grounds can occur if a condition poses a danger to public health or public safety, or if treatment would cause "excessive demand" on Canada's health and social services. The excessive demand threshold is set federally and is assessed against the projected cost of treatment over a defined period.

Medical exams are valid for a limited time. If the sponsorship takes longer to process than the validity period, your spouse may need to redo the exam. This is one reason timely submission of a complete application matters. Your immigration lawyer or IRCC's website can provide the current list of designated panel physicians in your spouse's country of residence.