The International Mobility Program is a program that allows high-valued foreign workers to work in Canada temporarily, making them become what is known as an Intra-Company Transferee. If an international company has a Canadian location, the company itself can apply to have their employees registered and eventually transferred over to the Canadian location. The Intra-Company Transfer Visa gives companies the ability to do this without applying for a LMIA. This transfer is a LMIA-exempt work permit. Qualified workers require certain work permits however, and need to be considered economically beneficial to Canadian business.

WORKER REQUIREMENTS

These are the requirements for foreign workers to be applicable for an intra-company transfer:

• Currently employed by an international company looking for entry in Canada through a brand, affiliate or other subsidiary of the company
• Being transferred to an executive or high-level managerial role
• Employment has been continuous by the company and being transferred to similar position for at least one year. Proof of employment can be shown through payroll
• Coming to Canada only for a temporary period
• Having complied with all immigration requirements

COMPANY REQUIREMENTS

These are the requirements for the employer/company to meet to be applicable for ICT:

• In most cases, having a physical location to run the Canadian operation (mostly for specialized knowledge)
• Sufficient funds and financial backing to running a business in Canada as well as being able to pay staff
• Must have a realistic plan to staff the Canadian operation
• Have proper conditions met when transferring executives, managers and specialized knowledge workers

DOCUMENTS NEEDED

Documents that are needed for ICT include:

• Documents proofing that the worker is currently employed by a multi-national enterprise outside of Canada
• Proof of employment of at least one year in a continuous full-time role outside of Canada
• Detailing the applicant’s position in an executive or managerial position
• For specialized knowledge workers, proof the person has expertise and the position in Canada requires said knowledge
• Details of the position in Canada including name, title, place in the company and job description
• Outlining intended duration of stay
• Details surrounding the relationship between the company in Canada and the International company

The average processing time for ICT can be anywhere between 2 to 10 weeks, pending on the prioritization of the application. Normal ICT Visa’s last for one year, any renewals must be done and give evidence to why the ICT should be extended.