A guide for IT professionals on how to acquire a work permit
Canada has a high demand for international IT talent due to its reliance on the technology sector. Canadian government expedites the processing of work permits for IT professionals, and there is a wide variety of work permits to choose from. Among the options available to IT professionals are the Intra-Company Transfer (ICT), Global Talent Stream (GTS), and CUSMA Professionals.
Global Talent Stream
Helping Canadian businesses acquire foreign IT talent is one of the Global Talent Stream’s main goals. Talented workers can apply for work visas through the Global Talent Stream and get them in just two weeks. An expedited Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) may also be available to firms seeking to hire IT, specialists. It ensures that foreign workers won’t pose a threat to the Canadian workforce.
Among the tech job categories that qualify are computer programmers, media creators, analysts, consultants, and managers of computer and information systems.
CUSMA Professionals
CUSMA allows Americans and Mexicans qualified to work in Canada to receive work permits. Under CUSMA, foreign IT specialists can be hired significantly more quickly since LMIAs are not required in advance. The CUSMA professional work permit covers approximately 60 jobs or professions that are eligible for a permit under CUSMA. Information technology occupations include computer analysts, technical magazine writers, graphics designers, and computer hardware engineers.
Intra-Company Transferees
A work permit option that does not call for an LMIA is intra-company transfers (ICT). An ICT work visa is only available to foreign workers who have worked for at least a year for a company overseas. As well as have a qualifying relationship with them (e.g., subsidiaries, affiliates, parents, or branches).
ICT work permits can be obtained under three different categories. Professionals in the ICT sector typically qualify under the third category, which requires them to have “specialized knowledge of the organization’s products or services.”
