Work permits are crucial for American residents to work in Canada. There are primarily two categories of work permits, the first one being the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).
The (LMIA) Labour Market Impact Assessment is a measure taken by the Federal government to understand and analyze the impact of hiring foreign workers on the wages and the recruitment of workers in Canada.
All jobs do not require an LMIA but some of them do. Jobs that demand an LMIA file petition with the Federal government to obtain a positive or neutral LMIA before recruiting the foreign worker.
The second classification of work permits is devoid of an LMIA. Canada’s interests which are based on its economy and society, don’t need the LMIA process for the second category.
The United-States-Canada-Mexico-Agreement (USMCA) might make U.S citizens eligible for a work permit without LMIA. CUSMA allows U.S citizens to work in Canada with flexibility, provided they have a job from an existing employer or a new one. Their work flexibility will also depend upon the intensity of their engagement in significant investments and Canadian trade.
Your work type will determine your work permit type. Suppose you simply transfer from within your current existing company only to an office branch; Intra-Company Transfer will help you in doing so.
The Global Talent Stream helps specific companies and occupations to move to Canada within four weeks. The Global Talent Stream (GTS) is an advanced program that works at a faster speed. This program is based on certain requirements that need to be fulfilled, especially during the hiring process. The requirements include the LMIA process and also those related to the salary.
Essentially, immigrating as a foreign worker in Canada gives you an added advantage. Economic immigration programs prove beneficial by providing more points or are curated explicitly for foreign nations having prior working experience in Canada.
If you have valid work experience in Canada, you can get additional points under the Express Entry.
Is it possible to work in Canada without having a work permit?
Business visitors often immigrate to Canada without having a Canadian work permit. These business visitors are foreign nationals who visit Canada to show active participation in the business activities on an international level without being involved in the Canadian labor market.
Specific business visitors can come to Canada based on the type of work they choose to do. They can decide to start a business or conduct a trading activity without even needing a work permit.
Business visitors, when arriving in Canada, must prove the following:
- Their intention of live in the country for less than six months.
- They have no intention of being involved in the Canadian labor market.
- Their primary business point lies outside Canada along with their income source and profit.
- Demonstrating the documents supporting the application.
- They need to fulfill basic entry requirements such as possessing travel documents, sufficient finances for their stay, a passport, the intention of leaving Canada toward the end of their visit, and are devoid of any health risks or criminal records.
There are numerous factors that lead business visitors to come to Canada, they are as follows:
- Fairs, business meetings, conventions, and conferences.
- For purchasing goods and services in Canada as a foreign entity.
- Providing due services after the sales. These may exclude work based on construction trade).
- Training under a parent company in Canada for the purpose of working outside Canada.
- To train foreign company employees of subsidiaries in Canada.
Possessing a Temporary Resident Visa or an Electronic Travel Authorization is mandatory for business visitors moving to Canada.
