Intra-Company Transferee
International Mobility Program (IMP) allows high-skilled foreign workers to temporarily work in Canada as an Intra-Company Transferee (ICT).
If an international company has a location (branch, subsidiary, or affiliate) in Canada that company can transfer their employee to the Canadian location. Employers bringing international staff to Canada as intra-company transferees are exempt from the requirement to obtain a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) as they provide significant economic benefit to Canada through the transfer of their expertise to Canadian businesses.
General Requirements
Intra-company transferees may apply for work permits without an LMIA, if they:
- Are currently employed by a parent company that has a subsidiary, a branch, or an affiliate in Canada.
- Have been employed continuously by the parent company in a similar full-time position (not accumulated part-time) for at least one year in the previous three-year period.
- Are being transferred to a position in one of three categories: executive, senior manager, or worker with specialized knowledge.
- Are coming to Canada for a temporary period only.
- Comply with all immigration provisions for temporary work in Canada.
Requirements for the company
The parent company must secure physical premises in Canada and must have the financial ability to start its business activity and compensate its employees.
The parent company must demonstrate a qualifying relationship with the subsidiary, the branch or the affiliate in Canada, both of them must be actively “doing business” (regularly and continuously providing goods and/or services).
