Employee relocation to Canada is possible through the International Mobility Program which comes with specific requirements. These requisites apply to companies transferring workers, as well as to employees moving to Canada to complete their activities.
Below, our lawyers explain the requirements associated with personnel relocation to Canada. You can rely on our immigration lawyers in Canada if you want to apply for intracompany transfer (ICT) visas for your foreign workers.
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Procedure for obtaining an intracompany transfer visa for Canada
Applications for work permits may be submitted at a Canadian Port of Entry (POE), at the proper Visa Application Centre (VAC). They can be filed online, or in person, depending on the resident’s citizenship and country of residency.
Our lawyers are at your disposal with specialized services related to personnel relocation to Canada in terms of visa applications.
We are at your service if you want to apply for Canadian residency. The Express Entry visa which is dedicated to skilled personnel is one of the most employed by those who have good qualifications and are sought by Canadian companies to fill out unoccupied positions. Contact us for details on the program.
Canada’s International Mobility Program
The International Mobility Program of Canada allows highly skilled foreign people to work temporarily in Canada as intra-company transferees.
A foreign person working for a multinational corporation may be qualified to transfer to one of the company’s locations in Canada without having to apply for a regular work visa. The program enables employee relocation to Canada from any country of the world.
The program comes with requirements for both employees and employers, which is why we recommend asking for the support of our immigration lawyer in Canada if you are interested in it.
We can help you move to Canada from any country. For example, if you want to immigrate to Canada from the United States, you can use specific programs. The two countries have been working closely on making relocation as easy as possible for both American and Canadian citizens from one country to the other, and for Canada you can rely on us.
Personnel relocation to Canada – requirements for employees
Find below the conditions for employee relocation to Canada for foreign workers:
- the worker must be employed by a global corporation looking to settle in Canada to work at a parent, subsidiary, branch, or affiliate of the organization;
- the applicant must hold an executive, senior managerial, or another position requiring specialized expertise level in Canada;
- within the previous 3 years, the applicant must have worked for the company full-time for at least one year.
Our immigration specialists can offer detailed information on the requirements applicable for foreign employees being transferred to Canada. We can also assist in applying for regular work permits, if you are interested in another immigration pathway based on employment. Do you want to open a company in another country, such as Bahrain? We can put you in contact with our partners.
Employee relocation to Canada – requirements for companies
Not only employees must comply with specific requirements, but also the hiring companies must respect certain conditions. These are:
- the relationship between the foreign enterprise and the domestic company must be one of parent, subsidiary, branch, or affiliate;
- the two businesses must provide services or sell goods from one country to another on a continuous basis.
Feel free to address our Canadian immigration law firm for information on the steps preceding intra-company transfers.
If you are interested in the requirement for citizenship in Canada, the main aspects you should know is that there are several ways through which you can obtain it. Among them, naturalization, ancestry, and marriage are the most often used. Depending on your case, our immigration lawyer can help you apply for a Canadian passport.
What to consider about intracompany transfers to Canada
Some of the most important aspects to consider about personnel relocation to Canada is that the visas issued have limited validity. For example, Senior managers and executives can stay in Canada for up to 7 years, while knowledge specialists for up to 5 years. Also, the foreign worker must work at least a full year for the company outside of Canada if seeking to reapply for an intra-company transferee after using up their maximum work permit length.
With respect to the most recent data on immigration to Canada:
- 2021 brought 405,330 new immigrants to the country;
- out of these, 198,085 foreign citizens chose Ontario as their new home;
- British Columbia was the second preferred province for 69,270 immigrants;
- the third position was occupied by Quebec with 50,170 new immigrants.
If you are interested in employee relocation to Canada and need support, please contact us.
