Work in Canada
International Mobility Program
1. International Trade Agreement Work Permits (NAFTA, GATS, CETA, etc.)
2. Intra-Corporate Transfers
3. International Experience Canada
4. Francophone Mobility
Temporary Foreign Worker Program (based on Labour Market Impact Assessment “LMIA”)
The Temporary Foreign Worker Program uses a Labour Market ImpactAssessment to make a determination about work permit approval and includes verydetailed advertising and recruiting requirements as well as other complianceobligations.LMIA is required to be filed with Employment and Social DevelopmentCanada (ESDC) prior to filing a work permit for the foreign national.
Spousal Open Work Permit
Spouses and common-law partners of foreign nationalsauthorized to work in Canada in certain managerial, executive or professional highly skilled occupations may be eligible for spousal work permits. These work permitapplications may be made alongside theprincipal application for a work permit.
Global Skills Strategy
The Global Skills Strategy came into effect in June 2017. The program is what is promised to be faster access to highly skilled foreign talent to help Canadian companies grow and prosper. The ambitious plan is aimed at reducing barriers and regulatory provisions, helping attract foreign investment, and speeding up the process to bring in foreign skilled talent. The two main pathways for this brain gain will be facilitating the faster and timely entry of skilled foreign workers for short-term Canadian positions and the Global Talent Stream for Canadian firms to scale-up their highly-skilled work force with global talent.
Advising on corporations’ internal immigration policies
In medium to large size international corporations it’s always prudent to implement and streamline internal policies and practices. This will assist immensely in transferring global talent in a time efficient manner.
Assisting with Compliance Reviews
The Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) includes an emphasis on compliance and enforcement. Inspections of 25% of workplaces that employ foreign nationals are subject to compliance reviews and inspections. The compliance reviews and inspections include not only employers of foreign nationals under the TFWP, but also the International Mobility Program (IMP) which includes intra-company transfers and certain free-trade agreement work permit categories (e.g., NAFTA).
Business Visitors
Certain business visitors may enter Canada to participate in international business activities without a work permit. Permitted activities include attending meetings, seminars and conferences, as well as providing certain contractual after-sales services. Business visitors may still require a Temporary Resident Visa to enter Canada and all business visitors must declare the purpose of their visit at the port of entry to be admitted.
Express Entry
The Federal Skilled Worker Program is for applicants who possess a high level of education and/or significant work experience that can be easily transferred to the Canadian labour market. The applicants must meet certain criteria in order to qualify for this category. The program uses a point system to assess candidates. This point system is not the same as the Comprehensive Ranking System used to rank candidates in Express Entry. In order to create a candidate profile and be assigned a score using the Comprehensive Ranking System, candidates must first qualify for either the Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trades or Canadian Experience Class. The points for the Federal Skilled Worker Program are a minimum requirement in order to be eligible to participate in Express Entry. The factors that grant points to the applicants are: education, language ability, work experience, age, arranged employment in Canada, and adaptability. Applicants who receive scores only slightly below the pass mark may be awarded discretionary points if they can demonstrate to the visa officer that they are able to successfully establish themselves in Canada (proof of settlement funds).
START-UP VISA
Start-Up Visa Program focuses on innovative entrepreneurs with new ideas. Once the applicants secure a significant investment commitment from a designated Canadian angel investor group, venture capital fund or business incubator and receive approval or “Certificate of Acceptance” from any of these private investment entities, they would be able to apply for permanent residency. Other eligibility requirements are to have a qualifying business, meet the language requirements and have sufficient funds to settle. In order to facilitate the fast entry of foreign entrepreneurs to Canada and initiate business ventures while their permanent residence application is in process, IRCC will accept work permit applications supported under this program.
STUDY IN CANADA
One of the most important requirements is getting an acceptance letter for a program from an eligible Canadian university or college, otherwise known as a Designated Learning Institution (DLI).
You must also show that you:
- have satisfactory proof of financial support for yourself and family (if applicable)
- are law-abiding and have no record of criminal activity (you may be asked to provide a Police Clearance Certificate)
- are in good health (a medical examination may be requested)
- have copies of photo ID and other applicable status documents
This is not a full list of requirements as they are different depending on your country of residence. We will advise you on the specific requirements based on the country that you are coming from.
Student Direct Stream (SDS)
If you are applying from China, India, Morocco, Pakistan, the Philippines, Senegal or Vietnam, you are considered under Student Direct stream (SDS) and may be able to get faster processing for your study permit. In most cases, IRCC tries to process SDS applications within 20 calendar days.