New opportunities for jobs and trade with Canada’s economic partners are being developed through the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).
That trade agreement, which came into effect on July 1, 2020, replaced the quarter-century-old North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Under CUSMA – which is also called the United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) in the United States – business people can gain temporary entry without having to get a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).
Read More Canada Immigration News
More Canada Jobs For Economic Immigrants Due To Wave Of Retirements
Canada Jobs: Top 10 Cities To Find Work In 2022
Canada Expands Advanced Data Analytics To Improve Temporary Visa Application Processing
The work permit exemptions under CUSMA remained the same as under NAFTA.
But now there are talks between Canada and Mexico, dubbed the Canada-Mexico High-Level Economic Dialogue (HLED), to rebuild those nations’ economies in a post-COVID-19 world and push through strategic initiatives deemed to be of benefit to both countries.
In a joint statement in August, Canada’s International Trade Minister Mary Ng and Mexico’s Secretary of the Economy Tatiana Clouthier said those initiatives would include the promotion of inclusive trade strategies in favour of underrepresented groups, such as women, youth, and Indigenous peoples.
Watch Video
“These efforts will allow us to create jobs, increase competition, and achieve a resilient and inclusive economy,” they stated.
In Canada, the immigration-related provisions of CUSMA are covered under the International Mobility Program (IMP).
If you are a candidate looking for a Canada job, or an employer looking to recruit foreign talent from abroad, immigration.ca can help. Access our expertise through our in-house recruitment enterprise www.skilledworker.com, “the leader in foreign recruitment”.
Business people who are citizens of the U.S. and Mexico are exempt from LMIA requirements when entering Canada for activities related to the trade of goods or services or to invest.
And Canadians entering the U.S. or Mexico receive similar treatment under the agreement.
The trade deal breaks down business people into four categories.
There are:
Business visitors are those who engage in international business activities related to:
These people are allowed to enter Canada and carry out their activities without the need for a work permit.
Professionals, the second of the four groups of business people, are defined under the trade agreement as those who enter the country to provide pre-arranged professional services, including:
Professionals are LMIA-exempt but require a work permit and include the following 63 occupations deemed to be professional:
General Occupations
Medical/Allied Professionals
Scientists
Teachers
The third group of business people are intra-company transferees, managers, executives, or employees with specialized knowledge from American or Mexican companies being transferred to a linked Canadian business.
They are LMIA-exempt but need a work permit.
The final group of business people, traders and investors, are those who carry on substantial trade in goods or services between the U.S. or Mexico and Canada or commit a substantial amount of capital in Canada. They must be supervisors or executives or have essential skills.
Traders and investors are LMIA-exempt but also require a work permit.
The IMP, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) program through which all of this activity is allowed under CUSMA, is an economic immigration program that allows Canadian employers to hire foreign workers on work permits without requiring an LMIA.
Here’s how it works.
Employers looking to hire a foreign worker through the IMP normally pay a $230 employer compliance fee. When an employer is hiring through an open work permit holder, the fee is not required.
Other fee-exempt positions include those covered by a non-trade agreement, certain research positions and charitable or religious work.
The job offers themselves must be made through the IRCC’s Employer Portal once the employer has created an employer profile.
Getting into the Employer Portal can be done in one of two ways. The employer can:
The offer of employment on the Employer Portal must then include information about:
The information entered could be used in federal government employer compliance audits.
Employers can also sometimes be exempt from the fee and the need to go through the Employer Portal because of the nature of the work done by the business.
Among those that are exempt from employer compliance fees are:
When these employers hire a temporary worker, they select “No, I am exempt from paying fees for this Offer of Employment” when prompted in the Employer Portal.
Employers submitting a job offer will receive an offer of employment number. The foreign worker requires this number to complete their work permit application.
Once the work permit application is approved, the foreign worker receives:
The letter of introduction is exchanged for a work permit at the port of entry, provided all the requirements are still met.
The IMP is primarily administered by the IRCC but other federal government departments are involved in the program, including the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).
IMP is separate from the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), which is primarily administered by ESDC with help from the IRCC and CBSA.
Discover the latest trends in Canadian immigration with a notable decline in permanent residency applications.…
Learn about the Parti Québécois' call to halt temporary immigration in Quebec, its impact on…
In a recent panel discussion at the Canada Strong and Free Network conference in Ottawa,…
Discover Saskatchewan's enhanced Immigration Services Act, bolstering protection for foreign workers, combating fraud, and facilitating…
Discover how newcomers to Canada can access a wide range of benefits and tax credits…
Discover how immigrant children in Canada outshine their counterparts, excelling in education and earning higher…
This website uses cookies.