The intra-Company Transfer program is designed for entrepreneurs who own a business and aim to establish a new business or affiliate in Canada. By establishing a company the business owners can relocate to any province of Canada.

A work Permit acquired through an intra-company transfer program is exempt from the requirement to obtain a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). 

There are 4 main requirements for being eligible for this program.

• registered Canadian company
• an office space under the name of this corporation
• business plan with financial forecasts
• future recruitment plan.

In general, if the above-mentioned requirements are met, a one-year work permit will be granted to the applicant (owner of the company). If the business owner provides proof of his/her organizationʼs ability to be established in Canada, this one-year work permit renews by the end of the year. 

Transferees must have at least 12 months of full-time work experience with the foreign enterprise before coming to Canada to perform comparable work. Important to point out that work in Canada must fall under one of three categories:

• Executive
  • An employee who primarily directs the management of the enterprise or as well as a major component thereof.

• Senior Managerial
  • An employee who manages all or part of the enterprise and supervises/controls the work of other managers or professional employees.

• Specialized Knowledge
  • An employee who can demonstrate specialized knowledge of the enterprise’s product or service or an advanced level of expertise in the enterprise’s processes and procedures.

Who is eligible:

Business owners, managers, and workers with special knowledge who have been working at least 12 months for the foreign company prior to the application are eligible for Intra-company transfer Canada.

What is the minimum investment for an Intra-company transfer program:

There is no minimum investment amount, but the owner or the foreign company must show sufficient funds in a bank account to start operations in Canada.

What documents are required:

a) ownership or registration of the foreign company;

b) active engagement in business for  the foreign company (tax payments; bank and financial statements, licenses, office lease, insurance, and salary payments, marketing material, contracts, etc.);

c) applicantʼs documents (proof of ownership of the company or proof of employment letter from the  foreign company in a managerial level, bank statement, etc.);

d) a business plan for the Canadian company.

What is the initial visa period for the Intra-company transfer program:

1-year work permit for start-ups;

2 years of work permit for the established companies.

What are the conditions for visa renewal for Intra-company transfer:

In order to be able to renew the visa, the Canadian company must secure an office and hire at least 1 Canadian citizen or permanent resident. Moreover, the business must be operational.

Can Family Members move to Canada too?

The family members are eligible to join the main applicant.  The spouse gets an open work permit and also children get study permits.  All Canadian public schools are free for the children of the main applicant.

Do I have access to healthcare:

During the validity of their visas, the applicant and his/her family members can get and access to free health care in Canada.

Processing  times of Intra-company transfer Canada program:

Usually, the Intra-Company Transfer program takes  1– 3 months.

Ability to stay  permanently:

There are various options to settle in Canada permanently, depending on the applicantsʼ business & language skills.

To learn if you or your company are eligible to apply to this program, please contact us and one of our licensed Canadian immigration consultants will schedule a call to answer all your question about the intra-company transfer program.