Clients of Immigrant Services Guelph-Wellington (ISGW) will no longer have to travel to Kitchener to complete their medical examinations for their immigration and permanent resident requirements.
Two doctors will be providing services as local immigration medical examiners at an office in Guelph for clients who require an immigration medical examination. The office will have two medical examiners, Dr. Bakker and Dr. Casale.
Until recently, clients from Guelph and Wellington County were required to travel to the office on Victoria Street in Kitchener for their medical examinations where Bakker and Casale served their clients.
Sandra Cocco, executive director of ISGW, said the journey to the office was often an arduous one for clients.
“I remember we assisted a family of seven from Kenya in the middle of a frigid winter,” said Cocco.“Imagine, just arriving in a foreign country, you do not speak the language and you begin venturing out to Kitchener on public transit with your children.”
Immigration and permanent residency applicants are required to go through a number of medical examinations which are typically required within 30 days of arriving to Canada as a refugee.
“Having medical examiners serve our community is a step in the right direction for Guelph”, said Cocco.
The physicians’ office at 21 Surrey St. W., Unit 303 will open on May 3. It will run from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
The office is expected to serve approximately 2000 applicants a year and hopes to soon launch an online booking system that will be available through their website. The office is funded by the federal department of immigration, refugees and citizenship Canada.
Clients can also book an appointment with a settlement counsellor for assistance with the immigration medical examination process.
Details on services can be seen on the ISGW website.