NAFTA WORK PERMIT | NAFTA Work Permit

NAFTA is the North American Free Trade Agreement; it is an agreement between United States, Canada and Mexico. Citizenship and Immigration Canada provides an attractive option to workers and professionals allowing them to apply for a work permit under the NAFTA agreement. Professionals and workers that come under this category usually do not require a Labour Market Impact Assessment. This essentially means that in most cases, Canadian employers may not need to have the job offer approved by Employment and Social development Canada before hiring an American or Mexican worker or professional. However, in most cases in order to qualify there are certain requirements that you may need to comply with.

There are four categories that are under NAFTA.

NAFTA professional’s work permits;
NAFTA Intra-Company Transfers;
NAFTA Traders and Investors;
NAFTA business visitors.

To qualify as a professional under this category you must be qualified to work in one for the professions set out under NAFTA. NAFTA provides a list of professions (accountants, engineer etc), and to qualify your profession must appear on the list.

Secondly, you would require a job offer from a Canadian business in that profession. You would also have to meet the minimum credential requirements for the profession or job you are applying for. You may also be required to have at least one year work experience in the specified field.

Applications for work permits as a NAFTA professional may be commenced at a port of entry or at a consulate. There is a maximum period of one year at a time for work permits issued under NAFTA. The foreign worker would still have to prove that the visit is temporary, but there is no limit to the number of extensions.