Toronto Medical Review

[CHD 0]

Just a heads up for everyone, this review is going to be very long and detailed, and a bit personal. I don't exactly enjoy airing my dirty laundry in public forums, but I know how much I struggled to find a review that would prepare me for what would happen if I wasn't able to just answer "No" to everything in the infamous list-o-questions. So if I can give just one person some peace of mind in knowing what to expect so that they don't have to worry themselves quite as sick or lose quite as much sleep as I did, then the embarrassment is worth it.

____________________________________________________________________________

I took the Greyhound bus from Niagara to Toronto. It let me off on the corner of Yonge and Front at exactly 7:00am, and I just walked up Front St to the office, which took until 7:12 at a leisurely pace. The building is on the same side of the street as Union Station, and pretty easy to miss if you're not paying attention. Once you go through the 2 sets of doors into the building, the office itself is equally easy to miss. It will be the first room on the left, and is recognizable by the bright purple wall. It is not marked with the business name and I only knew it was the right place from a small sign on the counter stating "Visa applicants line up here". There was a gentleman waiting in line ahead of me and a young couple came in behind us. We waited there for about 10 minutes until someone came to check us in. Our greeter took only the second page of the interview letter from each of us and sent us into the waiting room. There were 14 people already waiting in there (a few more had already begun processing though). There is no clock in there, so if you'll go crazy wondering how long you've been waiting make sure you bring a watch.

At 8:12, exactly 1 hour after my arrival, I was called and taken to room 7 by another woman. She took my address, phone number, passport, photographs, immunization records, and payment. I brought square (US) passport photos, but she cut one into the rectangle and stuck it to my medical form, and I have no idea what she did with the other 2. She had me sign a consent form then gave me a receipt for the fee and the second page of my interview letter back. Then she handed me my passport, vaccination records, and the medical form for the physician to fill out and clipped to an envelope and asked me to wait outside her door. A few minutes later, the first woman zoomed by and took my package. The person who went in after me was told to go back to the waiting room, so I think they just send you wherever there's an empty seat.

At 8:55 I was given my packet back and a paper robe and asked to move to a seat outside of the x-ray room. This is where things started to move quickly. At 9:05 I was called in and told to undress from the waist up and put the gown on. They took the x-ray then had me redress and wait outside the room again. It took longer to undress and redress than it did to have the actual x-ray done. A couple of minutes later the technician poked his head out the door and handed me a slip of paper and told me to go find the first woman again. She took the packet again and sent me back to the waiting room. At 9:20 I was called in for my blood work. The woman was waiting outside the door for me to rush me into a room for the actual medical right away. She asked my height and weight and wrote them down on my form.

Dr Seiden and an assistant came in at 9:25 and introduced themselves. The doctor copied my vaccination history onto the form while his assistant took my blood pressure (normal) and took my pulse 3 times. It was 116. I admitted that I was very nervous. She laughed and said that they should probably take it again at the end of the exam then and left the room. Dr Seiden is very relaxed and easy-going and put me at ease. He asked a few questions about my husband to build rapport I think, asked how long we were married, then got down to business and got some clarification on a few of my vaccines. He took my pulse again which was already down to 88. The he started in on asking me if I've ever had any of the following medical conditions and went down the list that ideally everyone would like to be able to answer "No" to. I had debated for weeks how I would answer when he got to the 'psychiatric issues' question. It was inevitable that I would determine to be honest, and I was. FYI, there is actually a spot on the form for the panel physician to fill in if he feels you are attempting to cover up or lie about an issue, and I can't imagine my visa interview would go well if he'd actually had to fill that spot in.

So when he got to the question of psychiatric issues, I said yes. He broke himself from the monotony of checking 'no' to everything and waited for me to elaborate. I confessed that I have in the past been affected by depression and the self-harm behaviors of cutting and bulimia. I handed him a letter from my doctor and explained that it details my history with these issues. He read the letter very carefully and thoroughly then asked me if these conditions are still an issue. When I said no he reassured me by saying then it not likely that this would interfere with my visa. He told me that this isn't as bad as I think it is, but explained that he does need to go over the entire history with me and that I need to answer his questions honestly and completely. We reviewed the time line outlined in my doctor's letter (as my own memory is rather foggy on the subject), and I answered his questions about my reasons, thoughts, and intentions in regards to these behaviors. He then explained the 3 different classes for these medicals. He said that class A indicated and active condition that is likely to cause public health/charge concern and makes you inadmissible for a visa. Class B indicates a previous condition or a physical or mental abnormality that is not considered a threat, and is usually let through provided the consular officer has no reason to believe that a public health/charge concern will exist. No class means you have no relevant conditions, giving the medical no effect on the visa application. He explained that he does need to report a class B condition for me, but that this is not terribly uncommon as even someone with high blood pressure would get a B classification. Finally he read me the notes that he'd entered on my form so I would have the peace of mind of knowing what was in my report.

He finished up at 10:00 and said that all that was left was the physical exam, which would be performed by a female doctor. He instructed the dreaded 'everything off and into the paper gown'. At 10:15 the other doctor came in and listened to my heart, lungs, and abdomen. She took a very quick hands-free peek between my legs and laughed as she explained that they have to do that solely to confirm gender. Having not been in the room during the long discussion with Dr Seiden, when she saw the scars she actually asked if I'd been attacked. "Oh my, were you stabbed?" I gave a 2 sentence briefing on the history that I'd already been over, then took her through to point out which were self-inflicted and which were honest accidents. She was very kind and supportive about the whole thing. After that she took my pulse one more time (70 now) then told me I could get dressed and go! I walked out of the office at 10:22...exactly 3 hours after initially being let into the waiting room.

[MrsCat 6]

Great review CHD. And I am sure by doing this you are putting a lot of people's minds at ease who are wondering the exact same things. You're a good person for putting this out there.

Dr. Seiden sounded very nice and professional.

[to_hope 0]

Thanks for writing this! I had been hoping someone would give a detailed review so I would know what to expect. I also wondered if they did a full pelvic exam... good to know that they just check quickly for gender! Thanks again; very helpful.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Nice review. I have a class B designation as well and was worried that it might cause it problem. It didn't.:-)

[Kelly&Travis 0]

Thank you so much for posting your experience. I am in the same boat as you and I was terrified that when it comes time for me to go through with the medical I would run into a lot of trouble.

[jedinite 0]

That's awesome! At least now I know that this guy is legit and reputable. At first I thought this was going to be a horror story about how poorly the office was run or something. I have my medical exam 2 days before my interview so hope this all works out for me. I'm not nervous about the medical at all because I have no medical history, I'm just worried about getting my results back in time since I will be waiting for my results to be returned to me the day before my interview. I'm going to be rushed indeed.

[Flames9_RN 358]

Great review, and congrats

[OBX 51]

Just a heads up for everyone, this review is going to be very long and detailed, and a bit personal. I don't exactly enjoy airing my dirty laundry in public forums, but I know how much I struggled to find a review that would prepare me for what would happen if I wasn't able to just answer "No" to everything in the infamous list-o-questions. So if I can give just one person some peace of mind in knowing what to expect so that they don't have to worry themselves quite as sick or lose quite as much sleep as I did, then the embarrassment is worth it.

____________________________________________________________________________

I took the Greyhound bus from Niagara to Toronto. It let me off on the corner of Yonge and Front at exactly 7:00am, and I just walked up Front St to the office, which took until 7:12 at a leisurely pace. The building is on the same side of the street as Union Station, and pretty easy to miss if you're not paying attention. Once you go through the 2 sets of doors into the building, the office itself is equally easy to miss. It will be the first room on the left, and is recognizable by the bright purple wall. It is not marked with the business name and I only knew it was the right place from a small sign on the counter stating "Visa applicants line up here". There was a gentleman waiting in line ahead of me and a young couple came in behind us. We waited there for about 10 minutes until someone came to check us in. Our greeter took only the second page of the interview letter from each of us and sent us into the waiting room. There were 14 people already waiting in there (a few more had already begun processing though). There is no clock in there, so if you'll go crazy wondering how long you've been waiting make sure you bring a watch.

At 8:12, exactly 1 hour after my arrival, I was called and taken to room 7 by another woman. She took my address, phone number, passport, photographs, immunization records, and payment. I brought square (US) passport photos, but she cut one into the rectangle and stuck it to my medical form, and I have no idea what she did with the other 2. She had me sign a consent form then gave me a receipt for the fee and the second page of my interview letter back. Then she handed me my passport, vaccination records, and the medical form for the physician to fill out and clipped to an envelope and asked me to wait outside her door. A few minutes later, the first woman zoomed by and took my package. The person who went in after me was told to go back to the waiting room, so I think they just send you wherever there's an empty seat.

At 8:55 I was given my packet back and a paper robe and asked to move to a seat outside of the x-ray room. This is where things started to move quickly. At 9:05 I was called in and told to undress from the waist up and put the gown on. They took the x-ray then had me redress and wait outside the room again. It took longer to undress and redress than it did to have the actual x-ray done. A couple of minutes later the technician poked his head out the door and handed me a slip of paper and told me to go find the first woman again. She took the packet again and sent me back to the waiting room. At 9:20 I was called in for my blood work. The woman was waiting outside the door for me to rush me into a room for the actual medical right away. She asked my height and weight and wrote them down on my form.

Dr Seiden and an assistant came in at 9:25 and introduced themselves. The doctor copied my vaccination history onto the form while his assistant took my blood pressure (normal) and took my pulse 3 times. It was 116. I admitted that I was very nervous. She laughed and said that they should probably take it again at the end of the exam then and left the room. Dr Seiden is very relaxed and easy-going and put me at ease. He asked a few questions about my husband to build rapport I think, asked how long we were married, then got down to business and got some clarification on a few of my vaccines. He took my pulse again which was already down to 88. The he started in on asking me if I've ever had any of the following medical conditions and went down the list that ideally everyone would like to be able to answer "No" to. I had debated for weeks how I would answer when he got to the 'psychiatric issues' question. It was inevitable that I would determine to be honest, and I was. FYI, there is actually a spot on the form for the panel physician to fill in if he feels you are attempting to cover up or lie about an issue, and I can't imagine my visa interview would go well if he'd actually had to fill that spot in.

So when he got to the question of psychiatric issues, I said yes. He broke himself from the monotony of checking 'no' to everything and waited for me to elaborate. I confessed that I have in the past been affected by depression and the self-harm behaviors of cutting and bulimia. I handed him a letter from my doctor and explained that it details my history with these issues. He read the letter very carefully and thoroughly then asked me if these conditions are still an issue. When I said no he reassured me by saying then it not likely that this would interfere with my visa. He told me that this isn't as bad as I think it is, but explained that he does need to go over the entire history with me and that I need to answer his questions honestly and completely. We reviewed the time line outlined in my doctor's letter (as my own memory is rather foggy on the subject), and I answered his questions about my reasons, thoughts, and intentions in regards to these behaviors. He then explained the 3 different classes for these medicals. He said that class A indicated and active condition that is likely to cause public health/charge concern and makes you inadmissible for a visa. Class B indicates a previous condition or a physical or mental abnormality that is not considered a threat, and is usually let through provided the consular officer has no reason to believe that a public health/charge concern will exist. No class means you have no relevant conditions, giving the medical no effect on the visa application. He explained that he does need to report a class B condition for me, but that this is not terribly uncommon as even someone with high blood pressure would get a B classification. Finally he read me the notes that he'd entered on my form so I would have the peace of mind of knowing what was in my report.

He finished up at 10:00 and said that all that was left was the physical exam, which would be performed by a female doctor. He instructed the dreaded 'everything off and into the paper gown'. At 10:15 the other doctor came in and listened to my heart, lungs, and abdomen. She took a very quick hands-free peek between my legs and laughed as she explained that they have to do that solely to confirm gender. Having not been in the room during the long discussion with Dr Seiden, when she saw the scars she actually asked if I'd been attacked. "Oh my, were you stabbed?" I gave a 2 sentence briefing on the history that I'd already been over, then took her through to point out which were self-inflicted and which were honest accidents. She was very kind and supportive about the whole thing. After that she took my pulse one more time (70 now) then told me I could get dressed and go! I walked out of the office at 10:22...exactly 3 hours after initially being let into the waiting room.

Thank you for sharing your experience. You are helping by putting our minds at rest just knowing what to expect. May the rest of your journey be smooth.

Edited November 4, 2008 by OBX

[jsgriff 0]

I am in Niagara as well and will be going there in the next few weeks or so. Does it leave the Bus Terminal in St. Kitts ? ?

Thanks,

[Wis-Can 0]

Great review, giving full details gives others some piece of mind. Congrats!

[Carlawarla 1]

Thanks for the review! I know several times in the last few years there has been someone from the Canada forum that had a class B visa approval. I think one that didn't have a letter from their doctor, had to go get one before the interview, but don't know that anyone has been denied for this reason. Sounds like your Dr. was very professional and courteous. Thanks for sharing.

[CHD 0]

I am in Niagara as well and will be going there in the next few weeks or so. Does it leave the Bus Terminal in St. Kitts ? ?

Thanks,

Yes, I took the Greyhound bus ($27.50 round trip if you buy it the day you leave) which left St Kitts at 5:20am. The terminal opens at 5:00, even thought the website and door say 5:30, so getting your ticket the day of is no problem. Lots of choices for returns from Toronto. If you wanted to leave right away you may be out in time for the 10:30 (I wasn't, but the exam part of my medical took an hour due to having to go over all of my history, whereas most take 15mins). I intended to spend a lot of time shopping at the Eaton Center, but I got bored real fast and wanted to go home, so I caught the 12:15 bus back.

[cherylc522 0]

this was a great review, i was kinda worried because i hadn't heard anything nice about this office yet, and was wanting to go to london until they got taken off the list, so, you do have to have your interview letter with you then, but, how long does it take to get an appointment? do you have to book a month in advance or what?

[BermyCat 1]

Thanks so much for posting this. My physical is in an hour and a half and I'll also be discussing my history with depression with the panel doctor.

~ Catherine

[CHD 0]

this was a great review, i was kinda worried because i hadn't heard anything nice about this office yet, and was wanting to go to london until they got taken off the list, so, you do have to have your interview letter with you then, but, how long does it take to get an appointment? do you have to book a month in advance or what?

I found about about my interview date from the NVC on Oct16 and called to schedule my medical the next day. They could have gotten me in sooner, but I specifically requested the Nov3 date so I could get another paycheck and do some shopping while I was there. I don't know if it would take longer to get in now that the panel physician list has been cut. But yes, you do need the interview letter - 2nd page to be exact. If you don't have yours in the mail , the USC spouse can express mail/fax/scan and email you their copy, since they get it much sooner. It doesn't have to be the original. I brought a photocopy even thought I had mine, just in case anything happened to it.