The Canada’s Intra-Company Transfer  (ICT) programme is one of the corporate immigration channels available under the Canadian immigration framework for foreign business owners wishing to grow their operations in Canada. Through the ICT pathway, this track of the International Mobility Programme enables qualified foreign business owners to relocate their activities, receive a work permit, and apply for permanent residency (PR). If you are one, we highly recommend that you keep reading.

Understanding ICT Program

Under Canada’s intra-company transfer programme, owners, operators, investors, functional managers, and employees with specialised industry expertise stand to gain from luring international companies to extend their operations. Successful foreign business owners can apply for the ICT WP to grow their companies in Canada, but inorder to be given a work permit, they must fulfil other requirements like proving ownership and creating economic value in Canada.

Requirements From The Applicant

A Canadian home firm requires its applicants to meet certain requirements in order to be considered. These include,

• working for the company for a minimum of 12 months,
• having Canadian activities that employ Canadians,
• and being associated with the Canadian company as a parent, subsidiary, or affiliate. 

Immigration authorities will conduct due diligence to ensure that a foreign company expanding into Canada for the first time has a solid business plan, is profitable, creates jobs, and is big enough to need an executive or manager.

Businesses that are introducing ICT applications for the first time in Canada need to demonstrate their financial stability and potential for success, which includes recruiting local staff. You must also ensure that you meet the requirements for ICT applications and can grow successfully in the nation by presenting a compelling business case and supporting the choice to expand.

Step To Apply For The Visa

In order to apply for ICT Canada immigration programme, applicants must fulfil the necessary requirements. Such as gathering substantial proof, preparing a compelling case for Canadian immigration officials, justifying their eligibility and need for a stay in Canada.

If this is your first ICT application, you should follow the following steps:

1. Register your firm in Canada if it is a parent, subsidiary, or associate of your home company.

2. Make a business plan that outlines your planned course of action, your market

study of Canada, and your approach to running a profitable enterprise. Make sure to include your recruiting plan and cash flow projections for a minimum of two to three years, as per industry standards.

3. Assemble the required documents (bank statements, investment fund papers, articles of business, etc.) and prepare your work permit application.

4. Submit your work permit application, then watch for the result.

The nationality of the applicant affects the application procedure for an ICT Work Permit.

Canada’s more lenient immigration regulations are advantageous to certain nations. Here, the catch is that you may apply for an ICT Work Permit at the port of entry if you are from a country where visas are not required.

Visa Validity

ICT work permits typically have a two-year total validity duration with a one-year beginning period. A three-year work permit is preferable for non-citizens; it can be extended to five years for knowledge workers with specialist training and seven years for managers and executives. However, only newly established Canadian enterprises may receive one-year permits from immigration authorities. Because of free trade agreements with Canada, nationals of visa-exempt countries and US residents may be eligible for a three-year ICT work permit.

Eligibility Requirement for ICT Visa

The eligibility for an ICT work visa varies based on the type of employer, including employees, established businesses, and start-ups. In order to be eligible to apply, workers

must be employed by a multinational corporation based outside of Canada that is relocating its staff there. Or they should be transferred to a Canadian business that serves as the parent company, affiliate, subsidiary, or branch of their employer abroad.

Candidates must fulfil the conditions for temporary entrance and have worked full-time in a comparable capacity for at least one year straight during the preceding three years in order to be eligible. The “one continuous year” employment requirement and full-time employment, however, might not apply in some situations, such as part-time employment for a global firm with offices abroad. It is possible for Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to waive this requirement for applicants for ICT work permits:

• The number of years the employee has been employed by their MNC
• The degree to which their role abroad is comparable to the role they will play in Canada.
• The scope of the part-time job.
• Whether the business requesting the ICT work permit appears to be exploiting the programme’s objectives.

Employment Requirement Waiver: The following is a tad bit technical, we understand but in a foreign multinational corporation’s recent merger or acquisition, the “one continuous year” employment requirement may be waived if the employee has worked for one of the new corporation’s affiliates for at least a year in the previous three years. The new corporation must demonstrate it has assumed the former company’s debts, liabilities, assets, and interests while continuing the same business line.

ICT Work Visa Application: An ICT work visa application is required for established foreign multinational corporations (MNCs) with Canadian subsidiaries, affiliates, branches, or companies. In order to ensure a regular exchange of goods and services, a foreign national employee must be assigned to a Canadian business and actively participate in regular trade with the Canadian company that accepts the applicant.

Establishing a Business in Canada: Foreign multinational corporations wishing to establish a business in Canada must meet certain requirements. They must demonstrate their ability to cover startup expenses, including payroll, provide a business plan outlining their hiring and business operations in Canada, and provide evidence of having acquired or actively seeking a physical location for the start-up.

Complete Paperwork: It is important to make sure you present all required documentation—including superfluous paperwork and proof of a foreign company’s active involvement in commercial dealings—to increase your chances of being granted an ICT work visa.

The submission of unnecessary paperwork could cause immigration inspectors, who are often busy, to overlook crucial evidence. For ICT applications, starting with a business plan, work with an immigration attorney or counsellor who has knowledge of ICT applications. Their business plan should include key components, a market entry strategy, and feasibility assessments for evaluation by the IRCC officer.