COMPLETED TORONTO MEDICAL YESTERDAY

[frostiana 12]

I completed my medical yesterday at Dr. Seiden's at 145 Front Street. The women from the clinic had told me on the phone that she planned to open the doors at 6 a.m. and that they would be very busy this week. I drove with a friend and the plan was that he would let me off in front of the door, however we arrived there at 5:25 and there were parking spaces open right on front street, right in the block of the building and in the next block also. There was pay and display boxes for these parking spots but you didn't have to pay before 8 a.m. It was dark and kind of seedy around there and I wouldn't have driven by myself frankly. There was a Macdonalds and a Starbucks nearby but neither were open yet. At 5:37 we saw one other person go up to the door, and more were driving up, so we got out of the car and went and stood at the door. The door is recessed and well lit but there wasn't really a sign saying Seiden Medical clinic, but the 145 Front was clearly well lit.

The lady came and opened the door at about 5 minutes to six and let us into the first lobby. There were about 6 or 7 behind me by then. At about 6:05 she opened the main door inside. The one guy in front of me had forgotten his paperwork at the hotel!! So he had to leave and come back. I was then first. The first thing she did was ask me for my appointment letter. I had the confirmation page that I had printed after booking the appointment for Montreal. She said no I want the appointment letter (the one from the packet 4 saying you are eligible to book an appointment).

I didn't have it! She said this confirmation does not have your MTL number on it and she needed the MTL number!!! Of all the documents I had brought, nothing had the MTL number. I was able to call my fiance thank God on my cell phone, and wake him up and get the number over the phone. In the meantime she processed the next person in line.

So PLEASE BRING YOUR APPOINTMENT LETTER WITH YOUR MTL NUMBER!

The rest of the medical went smoothly just as other reviews have said, and I was done at 7:45! We didin't even have to go feed the meter.

So if go with two people and arrive that early, parking outside is a possibility. But someone would have to go out before eight a.m. to get a parking pass and put it in the car. Maybe we just got lucky that there were spots there that day. We had brought a bunch of loonies and toonies in case we found spots that required coins. Maybe someone else has more information on these parking spots.Good luck, the medical part was very efficicent and everyone was very nice.

[ralyse 31]

So if go with two people and arrive that early, parking outside is a possibility. But someone would have to go out before eight a.m. to get a parking pass and put it in the car. Maybe we just got lucky that there were spots there that day. We had brought a bunch of loonies and toonies in case we found spots that required coins. Maybe someone else has more information on these parking spots.Good luck, the medical part was very efficicent and everyone was very nice.

We parked right out front as well (in June), though my worrying fiance loaded up the meter anyway. Which is probably for the best since he fell asleep in the waiting room and was snoring his face off by the time I was done

[Smiley-one 13]

I was there yesterday October 17th for my medical as well. I drove to the Yorkdale Mall and took the subway to Union Station and walked the 12 minutes to the office. I too was surprised by how quickly I was done. I arrived shortly before 7AM and was done by 8:55AM. I was almost certain it would be an all day process.

[flipper 0]

I just had mine done today,(how do you know if you passed or not?) aside from what everyone said here, just remember do NOT park on the opposite side of the road unless you want a $60 ticket and a possible towed vehicle.

Other then that the staff is very friendly and give easy to follow instructions, I noticed a few people there with me were nervious if you have an up coming medical there's nothing to be nervious about, and show up early those chairs fill up fast!

[frostiana 12]

I just had mine done today,(how do you know if you passed or not?) aside from what everyone said here, just remember do NOT park on the opposite side of the road unless you want a $60 ticket and a possible towed vehicle.

Other then that the staff is very friendly and give easy to follow instructions, I noticed a few people there with me were nervious if you have an up coming medical there's nothing to be nervious about, and show up early those chairs fill up fast!

it's true! everyone there is very nice, very human and very efficient. Just listen carefully to what they tell you to do, where they tell you to go,, and you will be fine!

[moemac59 193]

Hi Frostiana,

Hoping that you can help me out with a couple of questions...new to this and sent my K-1 packet on Monday. Just received confirmation today that they are sending to Vermont and should be receiving the Form I-797 within 10 days.

How long is the medical valid for? How long did you have to wait between the times that you booked and when the actual appointment occured? Should I wait until I receive more info or just book? I live in Toronto.

What was the total cost? What vaccinations did you have to get?

On another note, have you gotten your criminal records check done? I called the RCMP today and they said it could take 2 weeks to 4 months.

If you can clarify, I would greatly appreciate this.

[pocheros 101]

Hi Frostiana,

Hoping that you can help me out with a couple of questions...new to this and sent my K-1 packet on Monday. Just received confirmation today that they are sending to Vermont and should be receiving the Form I-797 within 10 days.

How long is the medical valid for? How long did you have to wait between the times that you booked and when the actual appointment occured? Should I wait until I receive more info or just book? I live in Toronto.

What was the total cost? What vaccinations did you have to get?

On another note, have you gotten your criminal records check done? I called the RCMP today and they said it could take 2 weeks to 4 months.

If you can clarify, I would greatly appreciate this.

You should check out some of the guides around here. You're waiting for your NOA1, right? (Same thing as I-797) Trust me you have quite awhile before you need to do your medical exam or police check! Generally it takes about 4-6 months until you receive your NOA2 and you don't want to get your medical or police check done until before then because it'll be another 4-6 months until the whole process is over and you want to keep everything recent.

The medical exam is valid for one year. However, you will be using the same medical exam when you enter the USA after receiving your visa to get your green card, so you don't want to do your medical too soon. You generally schedule your medical after you schedule your interview date because it is difficult to predict when your interview will actually be and you want to keep things recent. Generally you do not have to wait too long for your medical exam, they book them within a decent amount of time (within a few weeks). Well, I only have experience with Dr. Seiden's (located in Toronto, there's also doctors in Montreal and Vancouver) but it's not something you have to book months in advance. Sometimes people have trouble contacting Dr. Seiden's, though.

The cost of the exam varies depending on who does it. Dr. Seiden's charges $275 for adults who aren't pregnant. I think Medisy's in Montreal is slightly cheaper but it's expensive no matter where you go. Since you live in Toronto you will probably get your medical exam done there, and this website tells you what vaccinations you need. http://www.panelphysicians.com/Pages/Immunizations.htm There's more information about the medical on that same website as well.

Also, since you live in Ontario, you do not have to get your police check done by the RCMP- you get it done by the OPP. You do not get fingerprints or anything, what you get is a certificate of no conviction. They just do a name check basically. I went to my local police station and they redirected me to the 22 division in Mississauga. You fill out a form with your name and addresses and then they just run it through a computer and stamp it. It took me 10 minutes to get mine and it cost $50. You can read more about it here. http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/Canada#Inside_Canada You only have to get a police check done by the RCMP if you've been convicted of a crime.

You should check out this guide: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/191858-canada-immigration-guide/

And this guide: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/327503-k1-guide-montreal/

And this flowchart: http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1flow

And don't be shy to start your own thread if you have more questions. But do check out the guides here on VJ, there is a lot of useful stuff already written and posted here

Edited October 21, 2011 by pocheros

[frostiana 12]

You should check out some of the guides around here. You're waiting for your NOA1, right? (Same thing as I-797) Trust me you have quite awhile before you need to do your medical exam or police check! Generally it takes about 4-6 months until you receive your NOA2 and you don't want to get your medical or police check done until before then because it'll be another 4-6 months until the whole process is over and you want to keep everything recent.

The medical exam is valid for one year. However, you will be using the same medical exam when you enter the USA after receiving your visa to get your green card, so you don't want to do your medical too soon. You generally schedule your medical after you schedule your interview date because it is difficult to predict when your interview will actually be and you want to keep things recent. Generally you do not have to wait too long for your medical exam, they book them within a decent amount of time (within a few weeks). Well, I only have experience with Dr. Seiden's (located in Toronto, there's also doctors in Montreal and Vancouver) but it's not something you have to book months in advance. Sometimes people have trouble contacting Dr. Seiden's, though.

The cost of the exam varies depending on who does it. Dr. Seiden's charges $275 for adults who aren't pregnant. I think Medisy's in Montreal is slightly cheaper but it's expensive no matter where you go. Since you live in Toronto you will probably get your medical exam done there, and this website tells you what vaccinations you need. http://www.panelphys...munizations.htm There's more information about the medical on that same website as well.

Also, since you live in Ontario, you do not have to get your police check done by the RCMP- you get it done by the OPP. You do not get fingerprints or anything, what you get is a certificate of no conviction. They just do a name check basically. I went to my local police station and they redirected me to the 22 division in Mississauga. You fill out a form with your name and addresses and then they just run it through a computer and stamp it. It took me 10 minutes to get mine and it cost $50. You can read more about it here. http://www.visajourn...a#Inside_Canada You only have to get a police check done by the RCMP if you've been convicted of a crime.

You should check out this guide: http://www.visajourn...igration-guide/

And this guide: http://www.visajourn...guide-montreal/

And this flowchart: http://www.visajourn.../content/k1flow

And don't be shy to start your own thread if you have more questions. But do check out the guides here on VJ, there is a lot of useful stuff already written and posted here

Thank you Poncheros, you said all that way better than I could have!

Speaking of the Police check.. I had mine done in March and now my interview is coming up on November 2nd. It only just occurred to me that I probably would have been better off to get a more recent one. Any opinion on if I should try to get a rush on it ? I my little town it took two weeks to get but I think I could ask for a rush. My understanding is that it's good for a year, but I still think it might make the visa come faster if it was right up to date. What do you think?

[frostiana 12]

Hi Frostiana,

Hoping that you can help me out with a couple of questions...new to this and sent my K-1 packet on Monday. Just received confirmation today that they are sending to Vermont and should be receiving the Form I-797 within 10 days.

How long is the medical valid for? How long did you have to wait between the times that you booked and when the actual appointment occured? Should I wait until I receive more info or just book? I live in Toronto.

What was the total cost? What vaccinations did you have to get?

On another note, have you gotten your criminal records check done? I called the RCMP today and they said it could take 2 weeks to 4 months.

If you can clarify, I would greatly appreciate this.

I had no problem getting an appointment at Dr. Seiden's. I called and left a message and they called me back later the same day. the week before my appointment I even rescheduled it by moving it up two days and they again called me back and were able to move the appointment up. Booking with them months ahead is not necessary and you should wait until you have your packet 4 before worrying about that.

For shots I got a vaccination (adacel) which included a tetnus, I got a blood test for titres immunity for mumps measles rubella varicella, and I got a flu shot which you only have to get if it's the season for the flu shot. This can all be done a month or two before your appointment date. The chart on the Dr. Seiden's website tells the shot requirements clearly and you can just bring that to your doctor.

Good luck and keep asking questions.. this site is a great help.

[moemac59 193]

Thanks so much to both of you!! Very, very informative. I figured as much for both questions that I had but just needed confirmation...uggh so frustrated..went to Metro at 40 College yesterday and then they directed me to RCMP who in turn said that I would have to go thru a company that does fingerprinting..but it's good if I can just get it done at an OPP branch.

Thanks again!! Very much appreciated and I think this site has been very helpful.

Regards

Moe

[pocheros 101]

Thanks so much to both of you!! Very, very informative. I figured as much for both questions that I had but just needed confirmation...uggh so frustrated..went to Metro at 40 College yesterday and then they directed me to RCMP who in turn said that I would have to go thru a company that does fingerprinting..but it's good if I can just get it done at an OPP branch.

Thanks again!! Very much appreciated and I think this site has been very helpful.

Regards

Moe

Yeah, just tell them specifically they just need to indicate that your name was searched in the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) or the national criminal records repository using your name and date of birth. In my case they wanted addresses from the past 5 years. Fingerprints are not necessary- they digitally take your fingerprints at the interview.

What you can also do now is check your vaccination history. I still had a form from high school indicating all my vaccinations and I saw that they were up to date, so I was able to bring that to my medical exam as proof. If you're missing your vaccination records you should try to locate them now and determine if you're missing any. Also if you've only had one MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) a long time ago it's a good idea to get a booster. Even though at the medical exam they only require that you've had one MMR sometime in your life they like you to have a booster- at least that's what my doctor said. I think this might have to do with adjustment of status because they look at your vaccination history again when you apply for your green card. Immunity to one the things in the MMR (I think it's rubella?) fades so that's why they like you to get a booster.

If any important documents, like your birth certificate, are not in English then you must get them translated (there's no time limit on how long they're valid for obviously.) Even if they're in French, it doesn't matter- they still have to be translated into English. So if that applies to you it's another thing you could get done now as well.

Edited October 21, 2011 by pocheros

[hikergirl 277]

Thanks so much to both of you!! Very, very informative. I figured as much for both questions that I had but just needed confirmation...uggh so frustrated..went to Metro at 40 College yesterday and then they directed me to RCMP who in turn said that I would have to go thru a company that does fingerprinting..but it's good if I can just get it done at an OPP branch.

Thanks again!! Very much appreciated and I think this site has been very helpful.

Regards

Moe

You can also get police checks through the Commissionaires. Here is a link to their website: http://www.commissionaires.ca/national/en/services-personal/personal-police-clearances/

If they have a location close to you, you could always give them a shout.