Review of Medical Exam at Medisys in Montreal

[tkelt 11]

Hi everyone!

I’ve seen a couple of people do these reviews and they were very helpful to me so I figured I would as well This is very in depth, so if you want to scroll to the bottom for the summary please feel free

My appointment was scheduled for June 10th, but they actually fit me in early on June 9th when I went in with my paperwork to double check something.

So, I scheduled my appointment back in April. As the date got closer, I called Medisys multiple times to ensure that I had the correct documents needed for the examination. I live in the Maritimes, so I was afraid of driving the entire 14 hours there and finding out that I wasn’t able to do the medical. I was especially concerned about the medication I am on for anxiety being a concern for them. I went to my family doctor and got a letter that said why I was taking it and what dose, and that it kept my symptoms under control. I was VERY nervous that it wouldn’t be sufficient as I’ve read multiple times that they want to know if you’re a threat to yourself and others. But I tried to just swallow that panic and power through it. I also started getting all of my vaccines updated in January because I knew I’d be getting the exam done soon, and I’m a cheapo who didn’t want to pay for them

We left Halifax on Wednesday morning around 7:30 AM, and around 11:30 AM, just outside of Fredericton, I got a phone call from the clinic asking if I would be alright with coming in for an earlier appointment due to maintenance being done on the X-ray machine. I was fine with that. She then started listing off all of the documents I needed, and she mentioned something about needing a letter with a barcode on it. I started panicking because I did not have that. I had printed out the letter confirming the interview date, time, and the receipt of payment. She said she had a contact at the embassy and would work on getting that information, and for us to keep driving to Montreal as everything would be fine.

Once we got to Montreal, I stopped into the clinic around 11:30 AM to show them the paperwork I had and had a minor meltdown when she told me what I had wasn’t what they needed. While she was on the phone with the embassy trying to get the go ahead to do the medical, I actually found the letter they were requesting in my email and forwarded it to them to print out. What a relief, oh my god! I have never been so panicked in all my life. The letter they needed was the Packet 4 confirmation, and what I had printed was the interview confirmation. A stupid move on my part, but luckily everything worked out.

A word of advice: PRINT LITERALLY EVERY PIECE OF COMMUNICATION YOU RECEIVE THROUGHOUT THIS ENTIRE PROCESS. I have a giant folder full of documents and letters and e-mails and somehow managed to miss this one. Yikes!

Once that was sorted, they asked me if I would be alright getting started today since I was already there. I sent my family off to explore Montreal while I did the medical. I filled out the initial paperwork - just a general questionnaire regarding your health history, drug use, psychological health, etc. No problems there. Then I went in for the X-Ray. Very prompt and efficient. I had to take off my shirt and bra and wear a gown, and they took three separate photos. The whole process took about 5 minutes. I went back into the waiting room for about 10 minutes and I was called into the nurses office to do blood work, go over vaccines, they checked my weight and height, and did a vision test with and without my glasses. The vaccines needed were: TDAP, MMR, VARICELLA AND FLU SHOT. As stated, I got all of those updated in January. There was someone else in the room with me during all of this and he actually had to pay for one of the vaccines. I heard them say it was about $40 per vaccine, as it’s a private clinic. For the blood work, she said that they were only checking for syphillis and I had to sign a waiver stating that if my tests came back with any result other than negative that I would be responsible for covering this charge.

I then met with the doctor about an hour later and he went over the questionnaire with me. I showed him my letter from the doctor explaining the anxiety medication, and he said that it wasn’t a concern for them and that they would only need to have a letter if it were something like bipolar disorder, severe depression, schizophrenia, etc. That being said, PLEASE do get a letter if you feel uncomfortable about this. He told me that I should still keep it in case they need it at the interview.

After that, he did the physical exam. I had to take off all my clothes except for my underwear and put on a gown. He checked for lumps and bumps, checked lymph nodes, checked ears and throat and eyes, checked thyroid, checked reflexes, and then had me lay on my back. He then checked my breasts and thighs and lower abdomen. For some reason, I was not expecting this part so I was a little startled but it was over within 30 seconds, and was totally fine. I just wanted to give everyone else a heads up in case they also weren’t expecting it The doctor told me everything looked great, and I could go back into the waiting room and wait to be checked out.

I waited in the waiting room for about 10 minutes before they called me up to the front desk. They made sure to ask which visa I was applying for, and then went over all of the procedures I had done that day to make sure we had done everything needed for the visa. All good to go there!

The total cost was $340, and the entire process took less than 3 hours. Everyone was very prompt, efficient, and nice. They said that my results would be ready on Tuesday, but they are able to hold my results until I go back for my interview on the 28th.

TL;DR:

This is what I brought with me:

- vaccination records

- letter confirming interview date and time (MAKE SURE YOU PRINT YOUR PACKET 4 CONFIRMATION)

- all prescription medication + letter from physician explaining why I am on anti-anxiety medication

- glasses (and I brought my eyeglass prescription just because I’m a freak who likes to be thorough)

- 5 U.S. sized passport photos

- Passport

- Also, make sure you know or can bring confirmation of the address where you’ll be living in the U.S. I brought a copy of my fiancee’s lease, and they didn’t need a copy of it but on the initial paperwork they ask about your intended address in the U.S.

The building is very easy to find and has a sign saying “Medisys” on the front. It’s on the 11th floor.

Good luck everyone!

[Pitaya 2,577]

~Moved from K1 Process to Canada Regional Forum~

~Inquiry is country-specific~

[VividDreamer 15]

Nice review! Going to be helpful for me as another Maritimer who'll also have to travel to Montreal for all this. Quick question; the cost of the medical being $340 - is this in Canadian or US dollars? I assume Canadian but thought I'd check

Thanks for sharing!

[samack 79]

A big thank you for sharing! Also a Maritimer who's going to be traveling. I'm really glad to find out about the physical exam ahead of time because I was under the impression that they only checked the abdomen. That would have been a really uncomfortable discovery.

I guess I'm going to need to see about the flu shot. I got the other two and a blood test to show I've had chicken pox, but I was ignoring the flu shot because it was supposedly only needed if you were leaving between October and March.

I'm also a little confused about the barcode document. My packet 4 email doesn't have one, but my DS-160 does. Did you mean the confirmation and PDF attachment they send you after you submit the DS-160?

[tkelt 11]

Nice review! Going to be helpful for me as another Maritimer who'll also have to travel to Montreal for all this. Quick question; the cost of the medical being $340 - is this in Canadian or US dollars? I assume Canadian but thought I'd check

Thanks for sharing!

It was in Canadian dollars

[tkelt 11]

A big thank you for sharing! Also a Maritimer who's going to be traveling. I'm really glad to find out about the physical exam ahead of time because I was under the impression that they only checked the abdomen. That would have been a really uncomfortable discovery.

I guess I'm going to need to see about the flu shot. I got the other two and a blood test to show I've had chicken pox, but I was ignoring the flu shot because it was supposedly only needed if you were leaving between October and March.

I'm also a little confused about the barcode document. My packet 4 email doesn't have one, but my DS-160 does. Did you mean the confirmation and PDF attachment they send you after you submit the DS-160?

It was a bit uncomfortable! I wish I had known, but I don't even think they do it for everyone? A friend of mine went through this exact process 3 years ago and they didn't check her breasts or anything. Who knows. I would just go there expecting it, though.

You can get your flu shot at your doctors office or any pharmacy! I'd highly recommend getting it beforehand so you don't end up being charged.

I was so confused about it as well. What they are looking for is the packet 4 confirmation, and what I thought they needed was the DS-160 confirmation (with the barcode), and the letter confirming the interview date and time. You should have received it by e-mail after sending the Packet 3 e-mail to Montreal. The packet 4 letter that starts off like "this office has completed the review of the below-referenced immigrant visa case. You are now ready for an interview at the U.S. Consulate General in Montreal, where all interviews for immigration to the US from Canada are processed. This letter provides information on the next steps you must take to continue with your immigrant visa case." and ends with your case number, name, and preference category. I was SO CONFUSED because every time I called Medisys they said they needed the letter with the interview date and time etc. Just print everything and bring it with you.

And I'm happy to help Good luck in the process! How far along are you? A year ago this honestly seemed so big and scary and impossible but I've actually been very impressed with how smooth the process has been, knock on wood. If you need any hotel/restaurant recommendations I can help too and if you have twitter you can follow me if you want! twitter.com/ crookedroom

Edited June 12, 2016 by tkelt

[NikLR 13,230]

Ir1/cr1 packet 4 has the interview date and time,

I only stripped ti my pants and had my abdomen checked.

Also its not flu season so you shouldn't need a flu shot.

Its odd they wanted you to have one.

Edited June 12, 2016 by NLR

[tkelt 11]

Ir1/cr1 packet 4 has the interview date and time,

I only stripped ti my pants and had my abdomen checked.

Also its not flu season so you shouldn't need a flu shot.

Its odd they wanted you to have one.

My packet 4 letter didn't have the interview date and time, it just said that I was ready to schedule the interview and the medical. I then received an email after I scheduled the interview with the date and time.

And yeah I thought it was a bit odd too, but I got it months ago so I just showed them the proof and they were fine with it.

[NikLR 13,230]

My packet 4 letter didn't have the interview date and time, it just said that I was ready to schedule the interview and the medical. I then received an email after I scheduled the interview with the date and time.

And yeah I thought it was a bit odd too, but I got it months ago so I just showed them the proof and they were fine with it.

that's how K1 do it. IR1/CR1 is different.

[samack 79]

It was a bit uncomfortable! I wish I had known, but I don't even think they do it for everyone? A friend of mine went through this exact process 3 years ago and they didn't check her breasts or anything. Who knows. I would just go there expecting it, though.

You can get your flu shot at your doctors office or any pharmacy! I'd highly recommend getting it beforehand so you don't end up being charged.

I was so confused about it as well. What they are looking for is the packet 4 confirmation, and what I thought they needed was the DS-160 confirmation (with the barcode), and the letter confirming the interview date and time. You should have received it by e-mail after sending the Packet 3 e-mail to Montreal. The packet 4 letter that starts off like "this office has completed the review of the below-referenced immigrant visa case. You are now ready for an interview at the U.S. Consulate General in Montreal, where all interviews for immigration to the US from Canada are processed. This letter provides information on the next steps you must take to continue with your immigrant visa case." and ends with your case number, name, and preference category. I was SO CONFUSED because every time I called Medisys they said they needed the letter with the interview date and time etc. Just print everything and bring it with you.

And I'm happy to help Good luck in the process! How far along are you? A year ago this honestly seemed so big and scary and impossible but I've actually been very impressed with how smooth the process has been, knock on wood. If you need any hotel/restaurant recommendations I can help too and if you have twitter you can follow me if you want! twitter.com/ crookedroom

Thanks again! I have everything printed out but I'm going to double and triple check it all before I leave. My medical is on July 11th and my interview is on the 20th, so I'm going to take the train from New Brunswick (12 hours. It hurts. But I've gone by train to Toronto a few times and that's even worse) on the 10th, have my medical in the afternoon on the 11th, and visit my fiance from the 12th-19th. We'll be able to spend my birthday together, which I'm really looking forward to because we won't have seen each other in 7 months by that point. We had plans to spend time together long before that, but major life events and work kept getting in the way. I managed to get a hotel room that's a bit far from Medisys but close to a place that makes a sandwich I've been craving for, literally, year (priorities) for the night before my interview, and I'm staying at one of the McGill residences/hotels for the interview because it's cheap, rated pretty highly, and very centrally located.

We went into this whole thing pretty uninformed, which means we had no idea how long it was going to take. I'd only just discovered VJ when we sent in our first paperwork and now I'm the expert in our relationship, haha. I think we waited for our NOA2 a tad longer than a lot of people seem to, and then I had to get my passport renewed and a name situation sorted out, so we had the NOA2 for a few weeks before I could do anything else. I'm happy to be at the stage where I can start repacking and getting rid of things that are too expensive to ship, but I've also had some stress-related crying going on because I'm not sure how to get rid of as much as I'm going to need to. Do you have any advice on shipping things to the states? I'd use U-Pack, but our part of the country is a total no-go.

Good luck to you guys on everything going forward! It's a long, stressful journey, but totally worth it in the end.

Ir1/cr1 packet 4 has the interview date and time,

I only stripped ti my pants and had my abdomen checked.

Also its not flu season so you shouldn't need a flu shot.

Its odd they wanted you to have one.

I'll hope for just the pants but prepare for the whole shebang, haha. I also think it's really weird that they're asking for the flu shot - they only said "vaccinations" to me over the phone and didn't specify - but I'll go see about getting it this week. I've never had a flu shot because I was always sure I'd get sick afterward, but I'd rather get it out of the way now. The Medisys representative I spoke to, "Mr. Lou" (and my co-workers laughed and said "Mr. Lou and Dr. Pigeon?! It sounds like a show for kids!"), told me to bring $340 plus an extra $200 in case I need any shots. I'd rather not tap into that extra $200.

[aprilhynes 2]

Do you have to pay for the medical by cash?

[simsim2 50]

Nope Visa MC Interac Amex or cash

[mrskent 11]

I just received my medical on Tuesday, did you get your results 3 business days after the fact? I'm hoping the results will be available tomorrow as my interview is on Monday -fingers crossed-

Thank you so much for your review! It was so helpful to me!