A work permit may not be required for certain IT specialists who come to Canada as Business Visitors.
The visitor is the term used to describe a foreign national traveling to Canada for business. As they cannot be employed while traveling, a work visa is not required.
As a business visitor, you must demonstrate the following qualities:
- Six months is not the length of your intended stay.
- Canada is not your intended destination for employment.
- All of your business is conducted outside of Canada, including your primary revenue source and profit source.
- The application you submitted has supporting documentation.
- A valid passport is required, you are prepared for your stay and return home, you have a plan to depart Canada as soon as possible after your visit, and you pose no threat to Canadians’ safety, security, or health.
Business visitors may include IT personnel if they meet the following criteria:
After-sale assistance
It is necessary to provide after-sales support for cross-border transactions. A Canadian corporation may be required to perform maintenance and service on a product purchased from a foreign company. IT employees from abroad may need to travel to Canada for this task. A sophisticated technological product, such as a computer program or machinery, can be the product.
Occasionally, foreign companies need to acquire specialist knowledge in order to service their products. Business Visitors would then be able to enter the country with the employees.
Workshop participants and special guests
In this category are visitors who are giving seminars or participating in workshops in Canada. The ever-expanding relevance of technology in today’s modern society has resulted in an increased number of seminars and workshops devoted to tech-related topics. It is therefore possible to allow foreign professionals to access Canada as Business Visitors in order to benefit Canadians from their specialized knowledge.
Training
The technology industry also frequently encounters people who enter Canada to attend training at a Canadian branch of a global corporation.
It is possible to require company-specific expertise in order to utilize certain hardware or software. Often, there is no substitute for specific hardware or software training. Foreign nationals cannot be allowed to train as Business Visitors in these situations.
Need a lawyer?
Although Canadian immigration authorities exercise great latitude in evaluating potential immigrants, you have complete discretion over whether to hire a lawyer. Therefore, border agents may refuse entry to business visitors who are supposed to be considered business visitors.
A knowledgeable immigration lawyer can tell you what steps to take to increase the likelihood that your admission to Canada will be approved if you are planning to enter Canada for work.
