A parent applying for their son's study permit (from India, via SDS) was facing a 4-week wait for a medical exam appointment in Mumbai — a delay that risked missing the Fall 2022 intake deadline. Their son happened to be visiting them in Singapore for a short period and they asked whether the medical exam could be completed there instead of India, given the study permit application listed India as the residency.
What the thread confirmed:- The upfront medical exam can be completed at a panel physician in any country, not only your country of residence — location of the medical exam doesn't need to match the country you're applying from.
- One member shared a direct example: they personally got their medical done in Dubai while their study permit application was still processed with India as the country of residence, then sent their passport to the India VFS office.
- Suggestions for specific panel physicians were also shared (e.g., certain hospitals in Ahmedabad) for those who prefer to keep the exam within India but need faster appointment availability elsewhere in the country.
Practical takeaway: if appointment availability is a bottleneck for your upfront medical exam, you're not restricted to booking it only in your country of residence — any IRCC-approved panel physician worldwide can perform it, and the rest of your study permit application (including passport submission) can proceed through your normal country of residence's VFS office as usual.