{"id":25520,"date":"2026-02-17T14:57:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T19:57:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/?page_id=25520"},"modified":"2026-03-13T11:05:36","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T15:05:36","slug":"medical-inadmissibility","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/medical-inadmissibility\/?lang=en","title":{"rendered":"Medical Inadmissibility"},"content":{"rendered":"<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-25521 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Picture1-1024x449.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"449\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Picture1-1024x449.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Picture1-300x132.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Picture1.jpg 1429w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><br \/>\nAcross Canada, people with disabilities and chronic health conditions are being told they are \u201ctoo costly\u201d to belong. Section 38(1)(c) of the <em>Immigration and Refugee Protection Act<\/em> (<em>IRPA<\/em>) reduces people to projected expenses, ignoring their lives, relationships, and contributions. The rule reinforces stigma and exclusion \u2013 and it has no place in an inclusive immigration system. <strong>No body is a burden. Every body belongs.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cI don\u2019t think I could have been happy in Canada after going through that whole process because it shattered my dream of Canada. It led me to realize that the picture Canada posts to the rest of the world is not the reality of Canada today.\u201d \u2013 <\/em>Clifford Perreira speaking about being processed under s. 38(1)(c) (Centre for Refugee Studies seminar, November 26, 2025)<\/p>\n<h5><strong>\u201cExcessive demand\u201d in a nutshell<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>Under s. 38(1)(c) of <em>IRPA<\/em>, a person can be denied entry or residence in Canada if they \u2013 or a family member \u2013 are expected to place an \u201cexcessive demand\u201d on publicly fnuded health or social services. Each year, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) sets a dollar threshold to define what counts as \u201cexcessive demand.\u201d If an applicant\u2019s projected costs exceed this threshold, they and their family members are deemed \u201cmedically inadmissible\u201d (see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/immigration-refugees-citizenship\/services\/immigrate-canada\/inadmissibility\/reasons\/medical-inadmissibility.html\">IRCC \u2013 Medical Inadmissibility<\/a>).<\/p>\n<h5><strong>Why \u201cexcessive demand\u201d must end<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>The \u201cexcessive demand\u201d rule is built on assumptions that have no place in a modern, rights-respecting immigration system. The rule treats disability and chronic health conditions as liabilities, rather than as part of the diversity of human experience. There is no evidence that the rule meaningfully reduces costs \u2013 but there is abundant evidence that it causes harm.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>It reinforces stigma and exclusion. <\/strong>By reducing people to the projected cost of their care, the law echoes outdated beliefs that people with disabilities or chronic conditions are burdens. It perpetuates stigma, particularly against people living with HIV, and forces applicants to defend their worthiness to belong.<\/li>\n<li><strong>It fails to achieve its stated purpose. <\/strong>IRCC has acknowledged that it lacks reliable data to estimate actual costs or savings. The data that IRCC does have suggests that the provision produces, at most, negligible savings \u2013 while imposing burdens on applicants, provinces, and IRCC itself.<\/li>\n<li><strong>It disrupts lives and separates families. <\/strong>People are denied education and work opportunities, permanent residence, and family reunification because of speculative estimates about future care needs. Many abandon their applications entirely because of the time, cost, and complexity required to prove they are \u201cnot a burden.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>It is out of step with Canada\u2019s human rights commitments. <\/strong>United Nations bodies have repeatedly called on Canada to repeal the provision. A law that discriminates by design \u2013 and produces no meaningful benefit \u2013 cannot be justified.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"frm_forms  with_frm_style frm_style_formidable-style\" id=\"frm_form_23_container\" data-token=\"508958cfacf6c9370e465c062c48dba0\">\n<form enctype=\"multipart\/form-data\" method=\"post\" class=\"frm-show-form  frm_pro_form \" id=\"form_contact-us\" data-token=\"508958cfacf6c9370e465c062c48dba0\">\n<div class=\"frm_form_fields \">\n<fieldset>\n<legend class=\"frm_screen_reader\">Join the Fight!<\/legend>\r\n<h3 class=\"frm_form_title\">Join the Fight!<\/h3>\r\n<div class=\"frm_fields_container\">\n<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"frm_action\" value=\"create\" \/>\n<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"form_id\" value=\"23\" \/>\n<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"frm_hide_fields_23\" id=\"frm_hide_fields_23\" value=\"\" \/>\n<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"form_key\" value=\"contact-us\" \/>\n<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"item_meta[0]\" value=\"\" \/>\n<input 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formnovalidate=\"formnovalidate\">Submit<\/button>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"item_key\" value=\"\" \/>\n\t\t\t<div id=\"frm_field_280_container\">\n\t\t\t<label for=\"field_htcjf\" >\n\t\t\t\tIf you are human, leave this field blank.\t\t\t<\/label>\n\t\t\t<input  id=\"field_htcjf\" type=\"text\" class=\"frm_form_field form-field frm_verify\" name=\"item_meta[280]\" value=\"\"  \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<input name=\"frm_state\" type=\"hidden\" value=\"lmzoOStk0LCTHWNk+4KNP\/C6lBl6tM6njJuZZpC9b4LsTlE6lvtWmKUFPF3Z8d94\" \/><\/div>\n<\/fieldset>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/form>\n<\/div>\n\n<h5><strong>Resources<\/strong><\/h5>\n<h6>HIV Legal Network<\/h6>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/immigration-and-travel-to-canada-for-people-living-with-hiv-questions-and-answers\/?lang=en\">Immigration and Travel to Canada for People Living with HIV \u2013 Questions and Answers (October 16, 2023)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/statement-challenging-the-constitutionality-of-canadas-excessive-demand-regime-in-federal-court\/?lang=en\">Challenging the constitutionality of Canada\u2019s \u201cexcessive demand\u201d regime in Federal Court (April 17, 2024)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/returning-to-federal-court-in-constitutional-challenge-of-canadas-excessive-demand-regime\/?lang=en\">Returning to the Federal Court in constitutional challenge of Canada\u2019s \u201cexcessive demand\u2019 regime (September 12, 2025)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/statement-on-the-federal-courts-decision-regarding-public-interest-standing-in-the-medical-inadmissibility-challenge\/?lang=en\">Statement on the Federal Court\u2019s Decision Regarding Public Interest Standing in the Medical Inadmissibility Challenge (November 27, 2025)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h6>United Nations<\/h6>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/tbinternet.ohchr.org\/_layouts\/15\/treatybodyexternal\/Download.aspx?symbolno=CRPD%2FC%2FCAN%2FCO%2F2-3&amp;Lang=en\">Concluding observations on the combined second and third periodic reports of Canada (April 15, 2025)<\/a> \u2013 Recommending the repeal of s. 38(1)(c) <em>IRPA<\/em><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/juris.ohchr.org\/casedetails\/3069\/en-US\">Grainne Sherlock v Australia (March 19, 2021)<\/a> \u2013 Confirming the rights violations of Australia\u2019s own \u2018medical inadmissibility\u2019 provisions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Government of Canada<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ourcommons.ca\/Content\/Committee\/421\/CIMM\/Reports\/RP9322080\/cimmrp15\/cimmrp15-e.pdf\">Building an Inclusive Canada: Bringing the <em>Immigration and Refugee Protection Act <\/em>in Step with Modern Values (December 2017)<\/a> \u2013 Recommending the repeal of s. 38(1)(c) <em>IRPA<\/em><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/immigration-refugees-citizenship\/news\/2018\/04\/government-of-canada-brings-medical-inadmissibility-policyin-line-with-inclusivity-for-persons-with-disabilities.html\">Government of Canada brings medical inadmissibility policy in line with inclusivity for persons with disabilities (April 18, 2018)<\/a> \u2013 Federal government agreeing to repeal s. 38(1)(c) <em>IRPA<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h6>In the News<\/h6>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thestar.com\/news\/canada\/he-was-refused-a-study-permit-extension-because-hes-hiv-positive-now-hes-challenging-canadas\/article_91937c24-063e-11ef-b177-dfeeb5385f5f.html\">HIV-positive student fighting Canada\u2019s admissibility rules (June 3, 2024)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/listen\/live-radio\/1-48-on-the-island\/clip\/16059984-an-hiv-advocate-says-federal-ministry-immigration-needs\">An HIV advocate says federal ministry of immigration needs to change what\u2019s known as the \u2018excessive demand\u2019 provision (April 30, 2024)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h6>Other<\/h6>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Gbx6Z6o_SRY&amp;list=PPSV\">\u2018Bad\u2019 Bodies, Borders and Un-Belonging: Conversations about Medical Inadmissibility (November 26, 2025)<\/a> \u2013 Seminar hosted by Centre for Refugee Studies<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/repeal38.weebly.com\/about-us.html\">It\u2019s time to repeal s. 38(1)(c)<\/a> \u2013 Campaign by University of Toronto HLTD06 H3 Fall Class of 2025<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Across Canada, people with disabilities and chronic health conditions are being told they are \u201ctoo costly\u201d to belong. Section 38(1)(c) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) reduces people to projected expenses, ignoring their lives, relationships, and contributions. The rule reinforces stigma and exclusion \u2013 and it has no place in an inclusive immigration &#8230; <a title=\"Medical Inadmissibility\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/medical-inadmissibility\/?lang=en\" aria-label=\"More on Medical Inadmissibility\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-25520","page","type-page","status-publish"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/25520","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25520"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/25520\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25606,"href":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/25520\/revisions\/25606"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}