The intra-company transferee category is part of the international mobility program. The intra-company transferee allows global companies with subsidiaries in Canada to transfer high-skilled employees to work in Canada temporarily. To communicate their expertise to Canadian firms, thus enhancing management efficiency, expanding Canadian exports, and improving Canadian competitiveness in international markets.

Qualified Intra-company transferees require work permits; however, they are exempt from Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). These highly skilled workers provide economic benefits to Canada by transferring their knowledge and proficiency to Canadian companies.

Intra Company transfer eligibility

Intra-Company Transfer Eligibility

Read more details about eligibility criteria on the Canadian Government website.

1.Employment duration:

At the transfer, the foreign employee must have been employed for the foreign company continuously at a similar position for at least one year on a full-time basis (minimum of 30 hours). Only high skilled positions such as executives, senior managers, functional managers, and specialized knowledge workers who will be transferred into a similar role in Canada can qualify for this category.

2. Foreign Company

Must be a legitimate, registered company, conducting business in Canada on a regular, systematic, and continuous basis by providing goods or services. The company must be in operation for at least 1.5 years or longer.

3. Association between the foreign company and Canadian entity

The association must be a parent, subsidiary, branch, or affiliate relationship.

4. Canadian company

A Canadian company must be a legal corporation conducting business or will conduct business (start-up company).

Applying for Intra-Company Transfer work permit – LMIA exempt

Intra-company transfer work permit varies based on the county of the nationality of the transferee. Foreign nationals from visa-exempt countries can apply for their work permit at the port of entry; all others must apply online.

Intra Company Transfer Canada

Transition to permanent residence for intra-company transferees

Intra-company transferees are often strong candidates to become permanent residents in Canada. After one year, intra-company transferee can use their Canadian work experience gained on Intra-company permits to apply for permanent residence through Express Entry.
Together with a valid job offer, the foreign national can increase their CRS (Comprehensive Ranking System) score by 50 or 200 points, thus increasing their chance of being selected from the Express Entry pool of applicants.

Intra-company work permit duration

Executives and Senior Managers – up to 7 years
Specialized knowledge workers – up to 5 years
Should the foreign worker wish to re-apply for intra-company transferee after reaching their maximum work permit duration, they must complete at least one year of full-time employment at the company outside Canada.

To check out all the business immigration options Call us today!

+1 (416) 661-4487
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Jane Katkova & Associates – Canadian Immigration, Global Mobility Experts

FAQs about Intra-Company Transfer

For Canadian immigration purposes, an intra-company transferee is an employee who is reassigned by a foreign company to work at a Canadian subsidiary, branch, affiliate or parent company. Canada offers visas and work permits for intra-company transferees if the applicant meets the eligibility criteria.

The Intra-Company Transfer (ICT) category permits international companies to temporarily transfer their qualified employees to Canada for the purpose of improving organization efficiency, expanding Canadian exports, and strengthening competitiveness in foreign markets.

Depending on the application, as each application may have its own consideration, the processing time for an Intra Company Transfer Canada application will be 1 to 2 months upon submission.

Under the Intra-Company transfer program, there are three categories of foreign workers: executives, senior managers, and workers with specialized knowledge who may apply for work permits, if they:

  • are currently employed by a company and seeking entry to work in a parent, a subsidiary, a branch, or an affiliate of that enterprise;
  • are transferring to an enterprise that has a qualifying relationship with the enterprise in which they are currently employed, and will be undertaking employment of that company;
  • are being transferred to a position in an executive, senior managerial, or specialized knowledge capacity;
  • have been employed continuously by the company that plans to transfer them outside Canada in a similar full-time position for at least one year.

Inter in Latin means “BETWEEN”, so intercompany means conducted between or involving two or more companies. Intra in Latin means “WITHIN”, so intracompany means occurring within a company, especially among employees or branches of the same company.

An intra-company transfer to Canada has numerous advantages for employees who are looking to advance their international career while still employed by the same company. Employees can benefit from learning new best practices and working with diverse teams within a well-structured intra-company environment. Working in Canada provides an opportunity to gain greater proficiency in both official languages, as well as expand on cultural knowledge and build deeper relationships with fellow co-workers across the globe.

The first step is determining eligibility. To apply for intra-company transfer to Canada, your employer must be a member of an approved list of companies with locations in Canada and abroad. Additionally, your role within the organization must meet intra-company transfer requirements as established by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). If eligible, you will need to apply for a work permit under the intra-company transferee category. For assistance and more information fill out this form, or contact us by phone: 1 (416) 661-4487 or by email: info@katkova.com