Does your company have a Canadian parent, subsidiary, branch, or affiliate company? You can come to Canada on a work permit without obtaining Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) using the Intra Company Transfer Canada program.
The Intra Company Transfer (ICT) work permit application provides an excellent pathway for foreign workers to enter the Canadian labour market and gain Canadian work experience. An Intra Company transferee can be of any nationality. To qualify as an Intra-company transferee:
- A person must be transferred to a position in an executive, senior managerial, or specialized knowledge capacity
- A Canadian company needs to have a qualifying relationship with the foreign company
- A foreign multinational company must currently employ a person seeking employment in a Canadian parent, subsidiary, branch, or affiliate company.
- A person must have been employed by the same company that wants to transfer him to Canada in a similar full-time position for at least one year in the last three years.
This is an excellent pathway for both employers and employees because they do not require LMIA for this purpose because Intra-company transferees add significant benefits to the Canadian interests [IRPR 205(a)].
This pathway can lead to obtaining LMIA exempt work permit. Even though this is a temporary pathway, it can be a stepping-stone to get a Permanent Residency in Canada. Your one year of experience gained in Canada will make you eligible for express entry programs if you obtain CLB 5 for NOC B positions and CLB 7 for NOC O and A. The Provincial Nomination Programs are also available to these workers.
To add more to it, you can bring your dependents along with you. Your spouse can also work here in Canada by obtaining an open work permit.
Categories of Intra Company Transfers to Canada
A person can get LMIA exempt work permit under the pathways if their position falls in the following capacity:
- Executives direct the company’s management, establish the organization’s goals and policies, and receive direction from a higher level only.
- Senior Managers manage the organization, department, or subdivision, supervise and control other managers or supervisors, employees or an essential function within a company etc.
- Persons with specialized knowledge possess advanced expertise and proprietary knowledge of the company’s product, service, research, equipment, techniques, or management.
Initial Validity of Work Permit
If an Intra-Company Transferee is coming to Canada to open an office or get employed in a new office, the initial work permit will be issued for up to 1 year. Otherwise, an initial work permit can be issued for up to 3 years.
Renewals of Work Permit
Applicants can extend this work permit on a period of 2 years with a total duration of 7 years in the case of executives or senior managers and a total of 5 years in the case of a person who is applying under the capacity of having specialized knowledge.
After an Intra-company transferee has reached the maximum duration of the work permit, they must work full-time for one year outside Canada if they wish to reapply.
About Premier Immigration – Intra Company Transfer Canada Summary
Premier Visa and Immigration Services assists Canadian businesses in selecting and recruiting excellent Temporary Foreign Workers. We use various Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) pathways and LMIA exempt applications following the unique business needs of our clients.
We are Intra Company Transfer Canada experts, so contact us today to get started.
About the author:
Navkiran Kaur, MBA, Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant R709591
Email: navkiran@premierimmigration.ca
Intra Company Transfer Canada FAQs
How to apply for intra-company transfer in Canada?
If an intra-company transferee belongs to a visa-exempt country, he/she can apply at the Port of Entry. Others need to apply online.
What is the intra-company transfer Canada processing time?
Applicants who are applying under the Intra-company transfer program may qualify for a two-week processing time under the Global Skills Strategy. To get priority, your job must be either in NOC O or A, your employer has submitted an offer of employment using the employer portal and had paid the compliance fees. In all other cases, the standard processing time may vary depending upon the country from which an applicant is applying for an Intra-company transfer.