Applying for Canada Spousal Visa Online from the Philippines (Part 6: Medical Exam)

 

In this post I'll talk about my experience on the medical exam. Usually, the letter of request for the medical exam comes after the biometrics request. If you're curious about what my timeline was like, you may check the Timeline and Tools part of this series.

This blog series is published months after we completed the entire process. The month and year the post was written is at the end of each post.

Outline of Part 6: Medical Exam

• Important Notes
• Part One: Booking an Appointment
• Steps 1-7
• Part Two: Paying for the appointment using bank transfer. 
• Part Three: Documents
• Part Four: Medical Exam in NHSI Cebu
• Step One. Arrival.
• Step Two. Pre-registration. 
• Step Three. Registration. 
• Step Four. Picture taking.
• Step Five. Pre-exam
• Step Six. Cashier
• Step Seven. Urinalysis.
• Step Eight. Blood Extraction.
• Step Nine. Chest X-Ray.
• Step Ten. Physical Examination.
• Step Eleven. Medical Info Sheet.
• My experience of following-up the results

IMPORTANT NOTES

• This blog series is published months after we completed the entire process. The month and year the post was written is at the end of each post.
• I had my medical exam at October 2023 and I was told that by November 2023, they will be transferring to a new site. I am unsure if this move is final nor do I have any way of making sure that they will follow the same workflow or process. Always check their website for the final information. (See part 4 of this post if you don't know where to find their workflow chart)
• The experience detailed in this post are specific to Nationwide Health Systems Inc. (NHSI) in Cebu City in October 2023. I do not have any knowledge if these processes are similar to other NHSI branches in the Philippines or in any other country. To check the other NHSI Group branches, you may check this link https://nhsgroup.ph/index.html .
• NHSI Cebu is part of the Canada's official list of panel physicians for the medical exam. To check the complete list of panel physicians in your country and in your area, refer to this link:
• https://secure.cic.gc.ca/PanelPhysicianMedecinDesigne/en/Home
• Have patience and be kind even if the staff entertaining you does not seem to have a very good day. 
• PAY ATTENTION to announcements. They will only call out names for every single part of the process so leave your headphones at home or avoid chitchatting if you're waiting for your turn.
• I would suggest that you don't wear any jewelry and tie your hair up in a bun if you have longer hair just for a faster experience. Also, it's best not to wear a dress or a jumpsuit or anything that comes in just one piece.
• At around 12:00-12:30 pm, the staff will go on a lunch break and you can take your lunch break at this time as well. They will be back at 1:00pm so make sure to be back before that if you decide to leave the clinic for a break. 
• It took me three hours to complete the entire medical exam.

I have detailed the specifics of what our application is like in the previous parts of this series, but for the sake of this part's purposes and in case it matters - I am applying under Family Sponsorship as a spouse of a Canadian permanent resident.

Part One: Booking an appointment

Step One. Go to https://nhsgroup.ph/cebu.html and click Make an Appointment.

Step Two. Choose a service (your country and age group) and provider (NHS branch). 

Step Three. Choose a date and time for your appointment. Greyed out or non-coloured dates are unavailable.

Step Four. Enter your personal information including your Unique Client Identifier (UCI) which should be found in the pdf documents in IRCC's email correspondence.

Step Five. The next screen will ask you to review and confirm if all the personal details are correct.

Step Six. Your appointment will be booked.

Step Seven. I received the appointment confirmation email. It was on my junk folder. The email contained instructions on the documents to bring, clinic policies and payment information.

Part Two: Paying for the appointment using bank transfer. 

To check the fees, click Requirements and Fees.

Step One. Go to https://nhsgroup.ph/cebu.html 

Step Two. Click Payment Options and the page will scroll all the way down to the payment option section. This will also show the bank details of the clinic. 

Step Three. Using your bank's website/application/software, transfer the money as how you would regularly. Make sure to double check all the details. I highly suggest copy and pasting directly from the website to avoid errors.

Step Four. IMPORTANT. Take a screenshot when the deposit is completed. Make sure the screenshot includes all the necessary details such as a reference number and the time of deposit.

There will be no confirmation email sent that they have received the payment.

Part Three: Documents

To view the latest required documents for the appointment, go to https://nhsgroup.ph/cebu.html and click Requirements and Fees.

These are the documents I prepared that were required at my time of appointment:

• Printed copy of the email confirmation of the appointment received from NHSI.
• Medical examination request letter (IMM1017) received via email from IRCC. I prepared two copies - one with my photo glued to it and another one without the photo (I also brought an extra photo and the receipt for the photo).
• NHSI Form downloaded from NHSI website. I filled this out before I went to the clinic.
• Printed screenshot of my online bank deposit receipt
• COVID vaccination record photocopy. I also brought the original copy.
• MMR vaccination record photocopy. I also brought the original copy.
• Eyesight prescription record from optometrist photocopy. I also brought the original copy.
• Passport. 
• Two photocopies of passport. This requirement is not stated in their website but this was required when I got to the clinic.

Other things that I brought:

• Black pen.
• Face mask to be worn inside the clinic at all times, unless asked otherwise.

Contact information for NHS Cebu: https://nhsgroup.ph/cebu/cebu_updated_directory_july2022.png

Part Four: Medical Exam in NHSI Cebu

Note: This is based on my experience and photo/video recording were not allowed so I won't have any photos to share unfortunately. To review the standard process of the clinic, go to https://nhsgroup.ph/cebu.html and click Payment Options > Working Flow Chart

Step One. Arrival. I approached the security guard and told him that I had an appointment. 

You may choose to arrive as early as three hours or an hour before your appointment. Just don't be late. For walk-in applicants, you have to wait until 1:00 pm when they will announce IF there are available slots for the day. It is always best to book an appointment online.

Step Two. Pre-registration. My appointment was confirmed and the staff in charge here gave the following:

• Priority number. The staff wrote this in my NHSI form.
• HIV Test Consent Form. I needed to fill this out.
• Patient Checklist. I did not need to fill this out. Each person in charge for each part of the exam needed to sign this. Do not leave each stage/test without having this signed.

Step Three. Registration. 

1. I waited for my number to be called for registration.
2. Presented all my requirements and was collected by the staff.
3. My left arm was stamped.
4. The checklist was signed by the staff in charge.
5. I took a seat at the waiting area.

Step Four. Picture taking. Note that at times, this can come before the registration. Just pay attention to the number or the last name they are calling out.

1. I waited for my last name to be called.
2. The personnel guided me to a room.
3. I was asked to remove my earrings and my eyeglasses for the photo.
4. My photo was taken.
5. My checklist was signed for both the picture taking and the pre-exam.
6. I took a seat at the waiting area.

Step Five. Pre-exam

1. I waited for my last name to be called.
2. I signed another form and gave it back to the staff.
3. I took a seat at the waiting area.

Step Six. Cashier

1. I waited for my last name to be called
2. I paid via bank transfer so I just had to present the printed copy of my bank transfer receipt to the cashier. As of the writing of this post, they only take cash payments.
3. I also gave the cashier my checklist.
4. The cashier gave me an official receipt and my checklist was signed.
5. I took a seat at the waiting area.

Step Seven. Urinalysis.

1. Normally, you have to wait for your last name to be called. However, I really had to pee so I just asked the staff in charge if I can have a sample cup because of it. 
2. I went to the designated urinalysis restroom/toilet/washroom/CR and collected my sample. I was told that the minimum was halfway through.
3. I placed the sample cup on a tray where the other samples were.
4. I had my checklist by the same staff member who gave me my sample cup.
5. I took a seat at the waiting area.

Step Eight. Blood Extraction.

1. When my last name was called, the staff member guided me to the blood extraction area and I was told to go straight to x-ray after. I was given two papers: one for laboratory and the other for x-ray.
2. I gave the laboratory document to the medical technologist who extracted my blood and also showed my passport.
3. My blood was extracted.
4. I had my checklist signed.

Step Nine. Chest X-Ray.

1. After the blood extraction, I went to the x-ray room.
2. I gave my x-ray document.
3. I changed my top into a lab gown. 
4. When I was ready, I informed the staff and my x-ray was taken.
5. I had my checklist signed.
6. I went back to the waiting area.

Step Ten. Physical Examination.

1. Doctors were the ones who called out the names for this stage. 
2. When my last name was called, I followed the doctor to her office where I had a physical exam.

Step Eleven. Medical Info Sheet.

1. After the medical exam, I informed the staff near the reception that I was done with everything. I was told to wait at the side for the result of my x-ray.
2. A staff came and told me that my x-ray results were normal.
3. I was instructed to go back to the pre-exam counter and to ask for my medical info sheet.
4. I gave my checklist.
5. The staff at the pre-exam area gave me my medical info sheet. This sheet is a sort of receipt that I have completed the medical exam. There was also another paper with information on where to follow-up the results.

My experience of following-up the results

I was informed that it would take 5-10 business days for the results to be submitted to IRCC. From the fifth day mark, I started following up the clinic if my results have been submitted. This is my experience:

• Email - I sent numerous emails with my information. I emailed daily and they only responded when my results were ready.
• Phone number - Tried to call multiple times, the phone rang but there was no answer.
• Mobile number - Tried to call multiple times, it rang but there was no answer. I also sent text messages and I did not receive any response.

You may view all parts of the series here

Part 5: Medical Exam written on October 2023