Intra-Company Transfer

Move key employees, executives, managers, and specialized staff, into a related Canadian entity without requiring an LMIA (Labour Market Impact Assessment) or GTS (Global Talent Stream). This is a direct application for a work permit for existing employees who worked at the related entity abroad for at least 1 year. The work permit can be requested through online consular processing or by the Canadian border officer on arrival. A proper strategy must be set in place depending on the transfer timelines and the stage the Canadian entity is at.

The ICT lets a global company with a multinational presence move existing employees to a parent, subsidiary, branch, or affiliate in Canada without a labour market test. It's one of the fastest ways for a company to build or lead a Canadian operation by transferring key employees. The applicant must have worked with a related entity abroad for 1 year to qualify. Within ICT, there are 3 streams:

1. Executives and senior managers
2. Specialized-knowledge workers who hold company-specific proprietary knowledge but are not at a manager level
3. Founders or other executive-level employees starting up the Canadian operation

Citizens of visa-exempt countries such as the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and the EU can apply for the ICT work permit on arrival in Canada when the Canadian entity is already set up and established. In the case of start-up Canadian entities, consular processing is preferred.