By Bahar on Saturday, December 05 2015
Category: Canadian Immigration

NAFTA Work Permit Canada

What is NAFTA Work Permit?

NAFTA stands for the North American Free Trade Agreement and it is an agreement between Canada, the United States, and Mexico that was established in 1994. The NAFTA work permit for Canada allows citizens from either the United States or Mexico to temporarily immigrate to Canada to work.

Business Visitor Visa

A business visitor visa allows an individual to take part in international business activities in Canada. They are allowed to stay for a maximum for up to six months. If you are a business visitor, you will not require a work permit and are not eligible for NAFTA benefits as it is not under NAFTA. Instead business people will require a work permit and are under NAFTA and the categories for business people are detailed below (are under the categories for the NAFTA work permit).

Categories under NAFTA Work Permit

There are four categories under the NAFTA work permit that require the work permit. These categories are:

  1. NAFTA professionals

  2. Intra company transferees

  3. Traders

  4. Investors

These categories have different requirements and are distinct from each other.

More importantly, the prospective employer will not need to obtain a Labour Market Opinion which is a rather extensive process.

NAFTA professionals

Canadians who want to work in the U.S. under the NAFTA list of professions can do so by applying as a NAFTA professional.

The requirements to become a NAFTA professional in Canada are:

The documentation that you need to show in your application include:

The permit can be applied for prior at a Canadian consulate or visa office or at directly at a port of entry where the officer will adjudicate a decision on your application at the border. This permit can be valid for one year and can be given extensions of one year each within Canada.

Intra company transferee

The NAFTA work permit also allows a foreign company to send a foreign national to a Canadian company.

The requirements for this process are:

In addition to these requirements, you have to be able to prove through documentation that there was prior possession of investment capital or there currently is possession of investment capital devoted to an enterprise owned by a Canadian company. Our team can help in this process.

The permit for an intra company transferee is at most three years but can be given extension terms of two years each time. For an individual in an executive/managerial position it can be extended for a maximum of up to seven years and for a specialized knowledge employee it is up to five years. For those transferees who are opening up a new business, the initial term will be up to a year.

Traders

The requirements to become a trader in Canada are:

The application process to become a NAFTA trader is more complicated than the other routes. Supporting documentation must be given to prove the above criteria along with the trade and work permit application.

The permit to work as a trader in Canada is one year but can be extended to 2 more years for a total of three years.

Investors

There are requirements to become a NAFTA investor in Canada and they are:

The work permit for an initial investors NAFTA permit is one year but can be extended to a maximum of 2 years more for a total of 3 years.

The US Visas

The TN visa is similar to the Canadian NAFTA work permit but instead allows a Canadian or Mexican citizen to work in the U.S. The L-1 visa which is an intra-company transfer in the U.S allows a foreign company to send a professional worker to the U.S. The Canadian investor visa is known as the E-2 investor visa in the U.S. and the Canadian trade visa is known as the E1 visa in the U.S.

What can we do for you?

At Akrami and Associates, we have helped hundreds of clients receive the NAFTA work permit even in the most complex situations. We have helped our clients in drafting the necessary and supporting documentation and forms, guided them through the process, eased the process for them and we can help you too. Whether you have any questions, or are looking to book a consultation in person or over the phone with one of our legal representatives, feel free to give us a call today at 416-477-2545 or toll free at 1-877-820-7121.

If you are looking to file the application on your own, you can purchase our very informative and affordable Do It Yourself Immigration Kits which detail the whole process for you, what can you expect and much more. If you purchase our Elite Do It Yourself Immigration kit bundle, you will get a consultation and a final review on your application by our legal representatives. We are here to help.

With Akrami & Associates there is always a way!!

Related Posts

Leave Comments