Effective January 2, 2020, the annual cost threshold amount for excessive demand on health and social services has increased from $6,839 to $7,068. This new amount is now three times the Canadian average cost for health and social services and has been updated from $20,517 to $21,204.

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) determines if an individual might reasonably be expected to cause excessive demand on health or social services in Canada. An “excessive demand” is defined as either of the following:

• a demand on health services or social services for which the anticipated costs would likely exceed average Canadian per capita health services and social services costs over a period of 5 consecutive years immediately following the most recent medical examination

• a demand on health services or social services that would add to existing waiting lists and would increase the rate of mortality and morbidity in Canada as a result of an inability to provide timely services to Canadian citizens or permanent residents

Exceptions

Medical inadmissibility rules for excessive demand reasons don’t apply to:

• refugees and their dependants

• protected persons

• certain people being sponsored by their family, such as dependant children, spouses and common-law partners

If IRCC believe and individual may be medically inadmissible, they will receive a ‘procedural fairness’ letter which explains the reason. They will receive this letter before a final decision is made on their application and they will have the opportunity to submit information to respond.

Also, if IRCC believe an individual’s health condition might cause excessive demand on Canada’s health or social services, they might invite them to send IRCC a mitigation plan.

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