2315 Bristol Circle, Oakville, ON, L6H 6P8

Is it safe for a pregnant client to undergo an Immigration Medical Exam?

Oct 29, 2024

Majority of clients do all their Immigration Medical Exams (IME) on the same day which includes urine test, blood test and x-ray tests if they are 15 years or older. Pregnant clients have both options of doing their chest x-ray on the same day as their urine and blood test, or defer their chest x-ray test until after their baby is born. They are strongly advised to discuss their chest x-ray test with their Panel Physician (Immigration Doctor). Even if a client decides to defer their chest x-ray until after delivery, they can still do their urine and blood test which will show up in their immigration medical file that they have reported to an immigration clinic and initiated their Immigration Medical Exam.  

Generally speaking, if clients are within the first ten weeks of their pregnancy it is not recommended for them to take their xray because fetus is growing very fast and it is not safe to expose the fetus to x-ray and radiation during this high growth period. In addition, it is also not recommended for clients to take their chest x-rays during the last two months of their pregnancies as the fetus has already developed and assuming that fetus is sitting in right side up position, fetus’ head could be potentially close to mom’s chest, and by taking a chest x-ray, fetus’ head could potentially be exposed to the radiation as well which is not safe for the baby. Hence a period of time that is likely less risky to do chest x-ray is between 3rd to 7th months of pregnancy. 

If clients are still not comfortable to do their x-ray, they can always defer taking their x-ray to after their baby is delivered. In that case their panel physician will write a note in the medical exam case stating that the client has decided to defer their x-ray until baby is born. In this situation, the medical exam status is considered “On Hold”, and their Permanent Residence or Work Permit or Visitor Visa application will be on hold until they complete their x-ray. Again, it is strongly recommended for pregnant clients to consult their pregnancy situation with a medical professional. 

Finally, please keep the chest x-ray requisition paper that immigration medical clinic gives you in a safe place. Should you decide to defer the chest x-ray test until after the baby is born, you would need to present the chest x-ray requisition paper to the x-ray clinic. 

At Immigration Medical Centre in Oakville, our kind, caring and experienced female Panel Physicians and medical practitioners are happy to consult your pregnancy situation with you and advise you about your chest x-ray test options. Please note that for your convenience, we perform all tests including urine test, blood test and x-ray in the same building, so you don’t need to go another place to do any of these tests. 

To book your Immigration Medical Exam, please either call us at 416-822-3326 or book it online on our website.   

To read great directory of our resources on Immigration Medical Exams, please check our Resources.

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