Intra-Company Transferee Work Permit (WP) is a pathway to Canadian Permanent Residence (PR) for business owners
and entrepreneurs. Foreign Nationals (FNs) from any country may qualify. Transferees are issued a work
permit
and later are usually in a strong position to obtain permanent residence in Canada.
To qualify for an Intra-Company Transferee WP, you should be currently employed by a company that has a parent
company, branch, subsidiary, or affiliate in Canada. The subsidiary or affiliate in Canada can be an established
company or a start-up Company. If you own an established company outside Canada and want to expand your business
to Canada, you should have capital to invest in the start-up company. There is no minimum investment
amount
specified, but the investment must make sense given your business plan.
INTRODUCTION
The Intra-Company Transferee pathway is a 2-stage pathway where an initial WP serves as the platform
to become a permanent resident of Canada. The steps involved are:
You should have a company in your home country and it should be eligible to transfer you to Canada under the
Intra-Company Transferee (ICT) Program
Establish your company in Canada: You can register your existing company’s branch or incorporate a
completely new related company in Canada.
Get transferred to your Canadian company as a Senior Manager (NOC 00 job) and apply for the Intra-Company
Transferee Work Permit
Obtain your work permit valid for one year, arrive in Canada and begin working for your company in Canada
Apply to Renew your Work Permit before it expires
Apply for Permanent Residence of Canada
ADVANTAGES OF THE INTRA-COMPANY TRANSFEREE PATHWAY
There is no minimum net worth requirement
There is no minimum investment amount required
The business can be established anywhere in Canada
The spouse of the owner/operator receives an open work permit and the dependent children receive a student
permit or temporary resident visa depending upon their age
The processing time is very short (since you don’t have to apply and wait for the LMIA before applying for
WP)
You can apply for PR after working for your business in Canada for one year
Work permit, if required, can be extended for two years at a time provided the business is still in
operation. Total duration of work permit (including extensions) can be upto seven years for executives and
senior managers, and five years for specialized knowledge workers
PROCESS
Step 1: You should have a company in your home country and it should be
eligible to transfer you to Canada under the Intra-Company Transferee (ICT) Program
To expand to Canada and apply for ICT WP:
Your company in your home country should be officially incorporated or registered with a registered office
and tax payment records.
Your company in your home country must be active – selling products or providing services.
Your company in your home country must be at least 1 year old.
Your company in your home country must have at least one employee.
While there is no minimum amount to operate a business in Canada, your company in home country must have
sufficient funds to expand your business to Canada.
Not every person from your company or business group can be transferred to work in Canada. The owner of the
company, executives, supervisors, and key staff individuals can be transferred to work in Canada if they are
being transferred to a position in an executive, senior managerial or specialized knowledge capacity.
Step 2: Establish your company in Canada
When establishing your company in Canada, you can register your existing company’s branch or
incorporate a completely new related company in Canada.
Choose a Canadian province where you wish to do business. Most provinces require that you have at least 1
Canadian director on your Board of Directors.
Canadian director(s) – could be a nominee director or a full-fledged director who is responsible and
answerable for managing your Canadian operations.
If you don’t have someone who can act as your Canadian Director, it is recommended that you get a Canadian
law firm’s guidance on this issue.
Also, choose the corporate structure of your Canadian organization. For more information on choosing a
business structure, you should take advice from a business lawyer or an accountant.
How your start-up company in Canada will be assessed?
Generally, the company must secure physical premises to house the Canadian operation, particularly in the
case of specialized knowledge. However, in specific cases involving your transfer as a senior manager or
executive, it would be acceptable that the address of the new start-up not yet be secured; for example, the
company may use its counsel’s address until you can purchase or lease a premise.
The company must furnish realistic plans to staff the new operation.
The company must have the financial ability to commence business in Canada and compensate employees.
When transferring you as an executive or manager, the company must demonstrate that it will be large
enough
to support executive or management function.
When transferring you as a specialized knowledge worker, the company must demonstrate that it is
expected to
be doing business and ensure that work is guided and directed by management at the Canadian operation.
Documentation requirements
In addition to documentation required to prove that your company in home country is eligible to transfer you and
the documentation required for your start-up company in Canada, following additional documentation will be
required while applying for Intra-Company Transferee WP:
Confirmation that you are currently employed by your company in home country (or anywhere outside Canada),
and are seeking entry to work in a parent, subsidiary, branch, or affiliate of that enterprise in Canada;
Confirmation that you have been employed (via payroll or by contract) continuously (full-time, not
accumulated part-time) by the enterprise outside Canada, in a similar full-time position, for at least one
year within the three-year period immediately preceding the date of WP application;
Outline of your position in an executive or managerial capacity or one involving specialized knowledge (i.e.
position, title, place in the organization, job description);
In the case of “specialized knowledge”, evidence that you have such knowledge and that the position in
Canada requires such knowledge;
Outline of the position in Canada (namely, position, title, place in the organization, job description);
Indication of intended duration of stay; and
Description of the relationship between the enterprise in Canada and the enterprise in the foreign country
(the Visa Officer may request tangible proof to establish the relationship between the Canadian and foreign
organization wishing to make the transfer).
Step 3: Get transferred to your Canadian company as a Senior Manager (NOC
00 job) and apply for the Intra-Company Transferee Work Permit
Once you have your company registered in Canada and have the required documents, you can apply for a
WP.
Step 4: Obtain your work permit, arrive in Canada and begin working for
your company in Canada
It usually takes between 1-4 months for the Canadian authorities to process your WP application. If your work
permit application is approved, you will be issued a work visa to travel to Canada (depending on your
citizenship). The WP document will be issued at the port of entry upon your arrival to Canada. Your initial WP
will be valid for one year.
Step 5: Apply to Renew your Work Permit
If you want to apply for PR, you should do so after gaining one year of full-time work experience for your
Canadian company. You will have to renew your WP so that your work permit is still valid when you apply for PR
after gaining one year experience. The renewal application should be submitted well in advance of the expiry of
your initial WP. To renew your WP, you will have to provide evidence that:
Your Canadian company and your company in home country still have a qualifying relationship;
Your new office in Canada has engaged in the continuous provision of goods or services for the past year;
and
Your new office has been staffed. You should have at least 1 Canadian citizen or permanent resident employee
working for your company.
If your renewal application is approved, the renewal of your WP will be for two years. Renewal is not dependent
upon your company being profitable.
Step 6: Apply for Permanent Residence of Canada
Your pathway to PR would depend upon your individual profile and situation:
Through Express Entry system under Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
This could be the pathway to PR for you if you are already eligible for FSWP or become eligible for FSWP with 15
additional points in FSWP score for arranged employment. In addition to 15 points for FSWP, you will get 200
points for arranged employment in your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of Express Entry. With 200
additional CRS points you are likely to get an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for PR quickly.
You will get 15 additional points for FSWP and 200 additional CRS points for arranged employment if:
you have a valid work permit for a NOC 00 job that is exempt from needing an LMIA
you are currently working for an employer specified on that valid work permit
you have one year of full-time work experience (or an equal amount of part-time work) for that employer
you have a valid job offer from that employer for at least one year after IRCC issues your PR visa
To meet the above requirements, you should have already renewed your initial WP and you should have gained one
year experience of working for your Canadian company before applying for PR. You should get a new job offer from
your Canadian company. You can’t use the same job offer letter that you used to get your WP.
Note: Your CRS score will get a 200 points boost if your occupation on the WP is restricted to NOC 00 (based on
the Offer of Employment submitted through the Employer Portal by your company). If on the other hand, your
occupation on the WP is restricted to NOC 0, A, or B (based on the Offer of Employment submitted through the
Employer Portal by your company), your CRS score will only get a 50 point boost.
Through your Spouse or Common-law Partner
This could be the pathway to PR for you if you are not eligible for FSWP because you do not meet the
minimum requirements for language proficiency, education, or work experience.
Different situations under which your spouse or common-law partner could become the principal applicant for PR
(you and dependent children would be part of his/her application) are:
Your spouse or common-law partner is already eligible for FSWP or can become eligible for FSWP with 15
additional points for arranged employment: He/she arrives in Canada on Open Work Permit and immediately
starts looking for LMIA based job offers. If he/she gets such a job offer, he/she can get 50 additional
points for arranged employment in his/her Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of Express Entry. This
boost of 50 CRS points may be the difference between him/her remaining in the Express Entry pool of
candidates without any likelihood of getting an ITA or actually being invited to apply for PR.
Your spouse or common-law partner is already eligible for FSWP or can become eligible for FSWP with 15
additional points for arranged employment but a boost of 50 CRS points for arranged employment is
insufficient to get an ITA: He/she arrives in Canada on Open Work Permit and starts working in NOC 0, A, or
B job. After gaining at least one year of eligible Canadian work experience, he/she will gain additional
points in his/her CRS score due this work experience. In addition, he/she can further boost his/her CRS
score by 50 points for arranged employment by getting a LMIA based job offer from any employer or by getting
a valid job offer from the employer for whom he/she is working. These additional CRS points gained due to
Canadian Work Experience and arranged employment may be the difference between him/her remaining in the
Express Entry pool of candidates without any likelihood of getting an ITA or actually being invited to apply
for PR.
Your spouse or common-law partner is not eligible for FSWP because he/she does not meet the minimum
requirements for language proficiency, education, or work experience: He/she arrives in Canada on Open Work
Permit and starts working in NOC 0, A, or B job. After gaining at least one year of eligible Canadian work
experience, he/she may become eligible for Express Entry under Canadian Experience Class (CEC). In addition,
he/she will gain additional points in his/her CRS score due this work experience. He/she can further boost
his/her CRS score by 50 points for arranged employment by getting a LMIA based job offer from any employer
or by getting a valid job offer from the employer for whom he/she is working. Qualifying for CEC, CRS points
gained due to Canadian Work Experience and arranged employment may be the difference between him/her
remaining in the Express Entry pool of candidates without any likelihood of getting an ITA or actually being
invited to apply for PR.
Your spouse or common-law partner is not eligible for FSWP because he/she does not meet the minimum
requirements for language proficiency, education, or work experience for this program and is not eligible
for CEC because he/she does not meet the language proficiency required for this program or despite being
eligible for CEC, does not have enough CRS score to get an ITA: After gaining at least one year of eligible
Canadian work experience, he/she can be eligible to apply for PR through a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)
of the province he/she is living and working in.
NEED HELP?
Get in Touch for more information or for assistance in applying for Intra-Company Transferee Work Permit (WP) or
for creating Express Entry profile or for applying for Permanent Residence (PR) after receiving Invitation to
Apply (ITA) through Express Entry system or for applying for Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).
Intra-Company Transferee Work Permit (WP) is a pathway to Canadian Permanent Residence (PR) for business owners and entrepreneurs. Foreign Nationals (FNs) from any country may qualify. Transferees are issued a work permit and later are usually in a strong position to obtain permanent residence in Canada.
To qualify for an Intra-Company Transferee WP, you should be currently employed by a company that has a parent company, branch, subsidiary, or affiliate in Canada. The subsidiary or affiliate in Canada can be an established company or a start-up Company. If you own an established company outside Canada and want to expand your business to Canada, you should have capital to invest in the start-up company. There is no minimum investment amount specified, but the investment must make sense given your business plan.
INTRODUCTION
The Intra-Company Transferee pathway is a 2-stage pathway where an initial WP serves as the platform to become a permanent resident of Canada. The steps involved are:
ADVANTAGES OF THE INTRA-COMPANY TRANSFEREE PATHWAY
PROCESS
Step 1: You should have a company in your home country and it should be eligible to transfer you to Canada under the Intra-Company Transferee (ICT) Program
To expand to Canada and apply for ICT WP:
Step 2: Establish your company in Canada
When establishing your company in Canada, you can register your existing company’s branch or incorporate a completely new related company in Canada.
How your start-up company in Canada will be assessed?
Documentation requirements
In addition to documentation required to prove that your company in home country is eligible to transfer you and the documentation required for your start-up company in Canada, following additional documentation will be required while applying for Intra-Company Transferee WP:
Step 3: Get transferred to your Canadian company as a Senior Manager (NOC 00 job) and apply for the Intra-Company Transferee Work Permit
Once you have your company registered in Canada and have the required documents, you can apply for a WP.
Step 4: Obtain your work permit, arrive in Canada and begin working for your company in Canada
It usually takes between 1-4 months for the Canadian authorities to process your WP application. If your work permit application is approved, you will be issued a work visa to travel to Canada (depending on your citizenship). The WP document will be issued at the port of entry upon your arrival to Canada. Your initial WP will be valid for one year.
Step 5: Apply to Renew your Work Permit
If you want to apply for PR, you should do so after gaining one year of full-time work experience for your Canadian company. You will have to renew your WP so that your work permit is still valid when you apply for PR after gaining one year experience. The renewal application should be submitted well in advance of the expiry of your initial WP. To renew your WP, you will have to provide evidence that:
If your renewal application is approved, the renewal of your WP will be for two years. Renewal is not dependent upon your company being profitable.
Step 6: Apply for Permanent Residence of Canada
Your pathway to PR would depend upon your individual profile and situation:
Through Express Entry system under Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
This could be the pathway to PR for you if you are already eligible for FSWP or become eligible for FSWP with 15 additional points in FSWP score for arranged employment. In addition to 15 points for FSWP, you will get 200 points for arranged employment in your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of Express Entry. With 200 additional CRS points you are likely to get an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for PR quickly.
You will get 15 additional points for FSWP and 200 additional CRS points for arranged employment if:
To meet the above requirements, you should have already renewed your initial WP and you should have gained one year experience of working for your Canadian company before applying for PR. You should get a new job offer from your Canadian company. You can’t use the same job offer letter that you used to get your WP.
Note: Your CRS score will get a 200 points boost if your occupation on the WP is restricted to NOC 00 (based on the Offer of Employment submitted through the Employer Portal by your company). If on the other hand, your occupation on the WP is restricted to NOC 0, A, or B (based on the Offer of Employment submitted through the Employer Portal by your company), your CRS score will only get a 50 point boost.
Through your Spouse or Common-law Partner
This could be the pathway to PR for you if you are not eligible for FSWP because you do not meet the minimum requirements for language proficiency, education, or work experience.
Different situations under which your spouse or common-law partner could become the principal applicant for PR (you and dependent children would be part of his/her application) are:
NEED HELP?
Get in Touch for more information or for assistance in applying for Intra-Company Transferee Work Permit (WP) or for creating Express Entry profile or for applying for Permanent Residence (PR) after receiving Invitation to Apply (ITA) through Express Entry system or for applying for Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).