- North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
- Other Free Trade Agreements (FTAs)
- General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS)
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
NAFTA lets citizens of Canada, the United States
and Mexico enter into each other’s countries for temporary business or investment reasons.
A Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is not required. This means that Canadian employers do not need to have a job offer approved by Employment and Social Development Canada to hire an American or a Mexican business person.
There are four groups of business people under NAFTA:
- business visitors
- professionals
- intra-company transferees
- traders and investors
Each group must meet the general rules under NAFTA for temporary entry to Canada.
Business visitors (NAFTA)
This is the same as a regular business visitor; it is someone who comes to Canada to take part in international business activities without being part of the Canadian labour market. They stay in Canada for a few days or a few weeks but are able to stay for up to six months. Business visitors do not need a work permit.
Professionals
To work in Canada as a professional, you must:
- be qualified to work in one of the jobs set out in NAFTA (for example, accountant, computer systems analyst or engineer),
- have a job offer from a Canadian business in that field and
- have a work permit.
Intra-company transferee
This is a person who is sent to work for the same company in a different country. If this is your case, you must:
- have worked
- on an on-going basis,
- for at least one year in the last three years,
- for the same or a related employer in the United States or Mexico,
- be transferred to Canada to work short term for the same or a related employer,
- work as a manager, as an executive or in a job that uses specialized knowledge, and
- have a work permit.
Traders and investors
To work in Canada as a trader or investor, you must:
- be involved in planning, as a supervisor or executive, or in a role that involves essential skills,
- a large amount of trade in goods or services, mainly between Canada and your home country, or
- a large investment in Canada by you or your company,
- meet any other rules of NAFTA and
- have a work permit.
Other Free Trade Agreements
Other free trade agreements (FTAs), such as
- the Canada-Chile FTA,
- the Canada-Peru FTA,
- the Canada-Colombia FTA, and
- the Canada-Korea FTA
These agreements are modelled on NAFTA to make it easier for business people from one country to enter another country for a short time.
The rules are similar to those under NAFTA and cover business people such as:
- business visitors,
- professionals,
- intra-company transferees and
- traders and investors.
General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS)
Under GATS, Canada agreed to make it easier for foreign business people to access the Canadian services market. This applies to service providers from more than 140 World Trade Organization member countries.
Three groups of business people are covered:
- business visitors,
- professionals and
- intra-company transferees.
Qualified business people can enter Canada more easily because they do not need an LMIA from the Government of Canada or, in the case of business visitors, a work permit.
If you plan to travel to Canada for business purposes, contact us to discuss your business entry requirements.