Intra-Company Transfer Work Permits

Canada Work Permits | Temporary Residence Canada

Intra-company transfer work permits provide an excellent opportunity for businesses to either expand into the Canadian market or to send employees to Canada for temporary project work or temporary relocation. This work permit category applies to businesses of all sizes and types.

What Are The Criteria?

In order to qualify for an intra-company transfer work permit, three criteria must be met:

• the employee must currently be employed by a company outside of Canada and have at least one year of experience with that company in the three years immediately prior to the transfer;
• the employee must have worked as an executive/senior manager or as a specialized knowledge worker and be entering Canada to assume a similar role; and
• the employee must be transferred to a parent branch, subsidiary, or affiliate of his/her foreign-based employer.

The Benefits of the Intra-Company Transfer Work Permit

In most cases, applicants from TRV-exempt countries may apply for their intra-company transfer work permit directly at a Canadian port-of-entry or pre-clearance facility. In this situation, the application will be decided on the spot, thereby eliminating otherwise lengthy processing times.

One of the greatest benefits to the intra-company transfer category is the length of time this type of work permit may be valid for. Executives/senior managers holding intra-company transfer work permits may enter and work in Canada for a cumulative/maximum total of seven years, and specialized knowledge workers for up to five years. Employees entering to open a new office or entering on a periodic basis are only eligible for an initial Intra-Company Transfer work permit of one year.

How To Ensure You Qualify

It is important to thoroughly evaluate your situation to determine if the Intra-Company Transfer work permit is the appropriate choice for you or your employees. The three factors described above are rigorously defined and applied by Citizenship and Immigration Canada, so every application must be meticulously prepared and presented.

A consultation with a Bomza Law Group immigration lawyer will help you to determine eligibility and to devise the most effective strategy to obtain an intra-company transfer work permit.