How to Get an Intra Company Transfer Work Permit in Canada

An Intra Company Transfer or ITC work permit allows international companies to temporarily transfer their senior executives or employees to work for its Canadian subsidiary, affiliate, or branch. In many respects, an ITC is the Canadian counterpart to the American L1 visa.

To obtain this work permit, 3 main requirements must be met:

1. Establish the business relationship between the Canadian company and the foreign company;
2. The applicant has a minimum of 1 year of full time work experience with the relevant company outside Canada within 3 years preceding the application;
3. The applicant is either a senior level executive/ manager or has specialized knowledge relevant to the position in consideration

If the applicant is an executive, that person must direct management, set goals and use discretion in high level decision making. As a functional manager, the applicant must operate at the senior level, be involved in overseeing daily operations, and coordinate with other functional managers and senior level executives.

For those applying under the specialized knowledge category, s/he must show that there is 'proprietary knowledge' and ‘advanced level of expertise' which contributes to the overall productivity of the Canadian company. This knowledge should be scarce within the foreign firm and the industry to qualify as specialized. It must also be proven that these skills are not easily transferable and critical to the position applied for.

The good news is that this work permit is LMIA (Labor Market Impact Assessment) exempt, which relieves the Canadian company of onerous paperwork and research. Once approved, the ITC will be valid for one year initially, and the visa can be renewed.

The documentation required for this kind of application is extensive, complex, and full of nuances. It is crucial to make your submission as robust as possible, as a refusal at the port of entry will complicate your immigration matter. To make sure you have the proper documentation, and to guide you through the process, contact Toronto lawyer, Janice Warren.