This section contains policies, guidelines, and procedures used by IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) staff for work immigration to Canada.
Global free trade agreements have easy conditions for entering a business in Canada. Qualified people under Free Trade Agreements (FTA) need a work permit but are exempt from the Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).
Chile, Colombia, Peru, and South Korea have global free trade agreements similar to North America, which will allow temporary entry to four categories for business owners: commercial marketers, experts, intracompany transferees, merchants, and capital.
Notes for Business Immigration to Canada:
As of July 1, 2020, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has been dismantled through the Canada-United States-Mexico Free Trade Agreement, but there is still no change in the temporary entry of business owners.
As the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) has regulations for the entry of commercial marketers, experts, inter-company transferees, traders, and investors, the entry conditions for some categories are different and diverse.
The Canada-United Kingdom Trade Continuity Agreement (CUKTCA), the CETA (Comprehensive Trade and Economic Agreement), and the LMIA (Labor Market Impact Assessment) codes are also helpful.
According to the General Agreement on Trade (GAT) in Services in work immigration to Canada, the entry code for trade professionals is T33, and the GAT code for intra-company transferees is C12.
Canadian Free Trade Agreements (R204):
- The North American Free Trade Agreement, effective July 2020, cancelled the Agreement between Canada, the United States of America, and Mexico. (T21, T22, T23, T24);
- Agreement between Canada, America, and Mexico;
- Canada-Chile FTA, Canada-Peru FTA, Canada-Colombia FTA, Canada- Korea FTA, T21, T22, T23, T24, (T25: Korean or Colombian spouse);
- European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA);
- Commercial Marketers T43, T44, T46, T47, T48, (T45: for spouses of intercompany recipients);
- Canada, United Kingdom, and Northern Ireland Trade Continuity Agreement (CUKTCA);
- Public Service Contract.
T33 and C12: Based on general conditions
186 (A) and 205 (A): IRPR (Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations)
- Canada-Panama Free Trade Agreement (T23) – R186 (A) and R205 (A);
- Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
186 (A) and 187: Conditions of care of refugees
T50, T51, T52, (T53: for spouses)