Intra Company Transfer to PR Canada

“Who is eligible for Intra Company Transfer to PR Pathway?”

The Intra-Company Transfer (ICT) program in Canada is a valuable immigration pathway for foreign skilled workers and business owners looking to establish or expand their operations in Canada. This program allows qualified employees from multinational companies to transfer to their Canadian branches, subsidiaries, or affiliates, ultimately leading to permanent residency (PR) opportunities.

This guide will review the steps that will take you from Intra Company Transfer to PR Canada requirements for foreign skilled workers and business owners.

Intra Company Transfer to PR Route for Business Owners

ICT is an immigration pathway that allows qualified foreign business owners to transfer their businesses to Canada and acquire work permits. The ICT pathway will allow you to obtain an ICT Work Permit and eventually permanent residence (PR). The spouse and children of the principal applicant will usually be granted open work permits and study permits.

The Government of Canada encourages such individuals to start operations in the country because it creates jobs for Canadians and benefits the economy.

Business owners, entrepreneurs or self-employed who either want to transfer home company or establish and operate a new business/startup in Canada.

To use this route, you first determine whether you and your business meet the ICT’s minimum eligibility requirements.

• Before expanding to Canada, the home company must have been in existence for at least 12 months (at least 3 years for a strong case)
• The domestic business must have a healthy financial position and be able to support overseas activities in Canada
• The candidate for an ICT Work Permit must have worked for or been actively involved with the home company for at least a year in the 3 years preceding the immigration application
• The home company must be a parent, subsidiary, or associate of the Canadian business
• Operations in Canada must contribute to the creation of jobs for Canadians

Entrepreneurs or self-employed applying for Intra-Company Transfer for the first time must demonstrate that expanding to Canada makes financial sense for them. The Canadian government would expect that their newly formed activities have a good chance of being successful and growing to the point where they can afford to engage local staff. Therefore, besides satisfying the fundamental eligibility requirements for Intra Company Transfer, entrepreneurs must establish a strong business plan and justify the expansion.

Before applying for Intra Company Transfer, as an entrepreneur, you must make sure they fit the basic requirements. Additionally, candidates must prepare a strong business case for the Canadian immigration authorities.

After that, you must gather convincing evidence in favour of their ICT application to provide thorough justifications for why their presence in Canada is necessary and how they fit the qualifying requirements.

• Register the business as a parent, affiliate, or subsidy of a foreign company.
• Obtain an employment number or valid authorization from the Immigration Program Guidance Branch (IPG) to submit an IMM 5802 form.
• Pay the employer compliance fee.
• Apply for the ICT Work Permit

Once approved, you can move to Canada as an entrepreneur through the Intra Company Transfer Visa. You can check the average processing time for the ICT Work Permit on IRCC’s official website.

Foreign entrepreneurs can be qualified to use the Express Entry Programs to apply for PR after working full-time as an employee in their established Canadian business for a year.

Once you have established your business in the country, you can apply for permanent residence using the Express System’s Federal Skilled Worker Program or Canadian Experience Class Program.

As a business owner, you will have ”Arranged Employment” status (job offer) through your own business in Canada on your Express Entry application, which awards you an extra 50 or 200 CRS points.

The ICT to PR Canada route for foreign skilled workers can initially seem complicated, but this process is very straightforward. You must first determine if your company has a branch, subsidiary, or affiliate company in Canada. Next, you must see if you meet the employment requirements for the ICT Work Permit.

If you successfully make it to Canada under the Intra Company Transfer Work Permit, you must then gain skilled work experience at the Canadian company branch you have transferred into. You can then use this Canadian work experience to boost your application for permanent resident status through the Express Entry or Provincial Nominee Programs.

If selected to come to Canada under ICT, you will be granted a 1-year work permit. This will allow you to work for the company’s Canadian branch and get work experience.

You should note that you won’t be eligible to apply for permanent residence during this initial 1-year period.

You can then apply to get your work permit extended when it is about to expire. The length of this extension will vary depending on your job type.

• People in executive positions can extend their work permits for 5 years
• Senior management positions and employees with “specialized knowledge” can extend this work permit for up to 7 years.

After entering Canada, your main goal should be to obtain as much skilled work experience as possible. So, you should ensure you extend your work permit and get several years of work experience with the Canadian company you were hired to work for under ICT. There are two ways to transition from Intra Company Transfer to PR Canada.

ICT to PR Through Express Entry

You generally need only one year of Canadian work experience to apply for Canadian immigration through Express Entry’s Federal Skilled Worker and Canadian Experience Class programs. However, having more Canadian work experience will give you an extra 50 Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points, boosting your chances of being selected for permanent residence in Express Entry draws.

Permanent Residence Through Provincial Nominee Programs

A valid Canadian job offer and Canadian work experience also make you eligible to apply for permanent residence through one of Canada’s numerous provincial nominee programs.

You will generally need your employer to support your application if you intend to pursue this immigration route, which becomes a challenge with many employers who deny supporting the applicant. So, the Express Entry route is a better and faster way for foreign skilled workers to transition from Intra Company Transfer to PR.

The Intra Company Transfer to PR route can be useful for many different types of people who wish to transfer to Canada. Please look up the eligibility requirements for the Intra Company Transfer Canada here.

We specialize in the ICT Work Permit Process. You can contact our experts here for more information. Our skilled team of Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants understands the requirements for both employers and employees under ICT and can assist you with optimizing your application. Start your journey to Canada with the help of the experts at Elaar Immigration.