{"id":147322,"date":"2026-09-07T10:35:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-07T10:35:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/my.legal500.com\/guides\/?post_type=comparative_guide&#038;p=147322"},"modified":"2026-09-07T10:35:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T10:35:13","slug":"canada-corporate-immigration","status":"publish","type":"comparative_guide","link":"https:\/\/my.legal500.com\/guides\/chapter\/canada-corporate-immigration\/","title":{"rendered":"Canada: Corporate Immigration"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-147322","comparative_guide","type-comparative_guide","status-publish","hentry","guides-corporate-immigration","jurisdictions-canada"],"acf":[],"appp":{"post_list":{"below_title":"<div class=\"guide-author-details\"><span class=\"guide-author\">Sobirovs Law Firm<\/span><span class=\"guide-author-logo\"><img src=\"https:\/\/my.legal500.com\/guides\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1\/2026\/08\/sobirovs-logo-updated.jpg\"\/><\/span><\/div>"},"post_detail":{"above_title":"<div class=\"guide-author-details\"><span class=\"guide-author\">Sobirovs Law Firm<\/span><span class=\"guide-author-logo\"><img src=\"https:\/\/my.legal500.com\/guides\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1\/2026\/08\/sobirovs-logo-updated.jpg\"\/><\/span><\/div>","below_title":"<span class=\"guide-intro\">This country specific Q&amp;A provides an overview of Corporate Immigration laws and regulations applicable in Canada<\/span><div class=\"guide-content\"><div class=\"filter\">\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" placeholder=\"Search questions and answers...\" class=\"filter-container__search-field\">\r\n\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\t\t<ol class=\"custom-counter\">\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"question-block filter-container__element\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"filter-container__match-html\">What are the relevant government entities relating to immigration in your jurisdiction?<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button id=\"show-me\">+<\/button>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"question_answer filter-container__match-html\" style=\"display:none;\"><p>Canadian immigration is a shared federal and provincial responsibility, administered through a division of functions. The lead department is Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), which sets policy, issues ministerial instructions, and adjudicates work permits, study permits, temporary resident visas, permanent residence and citizenship. Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), through Service Canada, administers the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) and issues Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs).<\/p>\n<p>The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) conducts examinations at ports of entry, issues certain work and study permits on arrival, and is responsible for admissibility, detention and removals. The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) is the independent administrative tribunal that hears refugee, admissibility, detention and immigration appeal matters through its four divisions. At the sub-national level, the provinces and territories operate Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs), and Quebec selects its own economic immigrants under the Canada\u2013Quebec Accord through the Minist\u00e8re de l\u2019Immigration, de la Francisation et de l\u2019Int\u00e9gration (MIFI), which issues the <em>Certificat de s\u00e9lection du Qu\u00e9bec<\/em> (CSQ).<\/p>\n<p>The governing legislation is the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, SC 2001, c 27 (IRPA), and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, SOR\/2002-227 (IRPR). Citizenship is governed separately by the <em>Citizenship Act<\/em>, RSC 1985, c C-29.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"question-block filter-container__element\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"filter-container__match-html\">What are the options available for sponsor-based employment in your jurisdiction and timelines involved in securing a work permit?<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button id=\"show-me\">+<\/button>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"question_answer filter-container__match-html\" style=\"display:none;\"><p>Canada does not operate a single employer-\u2018sponsorship\u2019 licence in the manner of some jurisdictions. Employer-driven work permits flow through two channels. The first is the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), which requires a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from ESDC confirming that hiring the foreign national will not adversely affect the Canadian labour market, and that appropriate measures have been taken to try to fill the position domestically. The second is the International Mobility Program (IMP), which is LMIA-exempt and covers treaty-based and public-policy categories.<\/p>\n<p>LMIA-exempt IMP categories include intra-company transferees (executives, senior managers and specialised-knowledge staff under IRPR paragraph 205(a)), and professionals, traders, investors and intra-corporate transferees under the Canada\u2013United States\u2013Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), the Canada\u2013European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). The most time-sensitive hires typically use the Global Talent Stream under the Global Skills Strategy, which offers expedited processing timelines.<\/p>\n<p>Timelines vary by stream. As of spring 2026, ESDC published average LMIA processing of roughly 8 business days for the Global Talent Stream, 64 days for the high-wage stream and 58 days for the low-wage stream (advertising and recruitment periods are additional). Under the Global Skills Strategy, eligible high-skilled work permit applications carry a two-week processing service standard (80 per cent target). Standard work permit processing outside that stream fluctuates but average 3-4 months. Processing times should be checked against IRCC\u2019s live processing-times tool.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"question-block filter-container__element\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"filter-container__match-html\">What are the primary options available for unsponsored work and investment in your jurisdiction?<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button id=\"show-me\">+<\/button>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"question_answer filter-container__match-html\" style=\"display:none;\"><p>Owner-operators and entrepreneurs commonly enter on a C11 work permit, an LMIA-exempt \u2018significant benefit\u2019 permit under IRPR paragraph 205(a), typically requiring the applicant to control at least 50 per cent of the Canadian business and to demonstrate significant economic, social or cultural benefit. Because such work no longer generates CRS points, the usual route to permanent residence now runs through <strong>PNP entrepreneur streams<\/strong>, which most provinces operate with investment, job-creation and business-performance conditions. Quebec runs its own entrepreneur, self-employed and investor streams, the latter through the Quebec Immigrant Investor Program, whose intake has repeatedly opened and paused and should be confirmed with MIFI before advising.<\/p>\n<p>For entrepreneurs and investors the landscape has narrowed significantly. The federal Start-Up Visa (SUV) program, which connected foreign founders with designated organisations, was subject to an annual intake cap from 30 April 2024 (about 10 start-ups per designated organisation) and closed to new applications from 1 January 2026, with a more selective \u2018high-impact\u2019 entrepreneur pilot signalled for 2026. The federal Self-Employed Persons Program is likewise paused to new applications.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"question-block filter-container__element\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"filter-container__match-html\">What are the requirements for becoming a sponsor of employment-based migrants and what are the role and reporting duties of sponsors?<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button id=\"show-me\">+<\/button>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"question_answer filter-container__match-html\" style=\"display:none;\"><p>Under the TFWP, an employer must obtain an LMIA from ESDC before the worker applies for an employer-specific work permit. This requires stream-specific advertising and recruitment, payment of the LMIA processing fee of CAD 1,000 per position, and adherence to the prevailing wage. Under the IMP, no LMIA is needed, but the employer must register in the Employer Portal, submit an offer of employment, and pay the employer compliance fee of CAD 230, which generates the offer-of-employment number the worker cites in the work permit application.<\/p>\n<p>Both TFWP and IMP employers are bound by the employer compliance regime in the IRPR. Employers must provide the wages, occupation and working conditions set out in the LMIA or offer, keep all relevant records for six years, and cooperate with inspections, which may be conducted during employment and for six years afterwards. Non-compliance can result in warnings, administrative monetary penalties, bans and publication of the employer\u2019s name on IRCC\u2019s public list of non-compliant employers.<\/p>\n<p>Underlying both of these applications is the need to demonstrate that the Sponsor has a documented need for the foreign worker, and the ability to support and compensate them for their work.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"question-block filter-container__element\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"filter-container__match-html\">Are applications filed electronically, or paper base? Is a physical visa\/work permit document issued or is an electronic approval issued?<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button id=\"show-me\">+<\/button>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"question_answer filter-container__match-html\" style=\"display:none;\"><p>Filing is electronic by default. Since October 2022, online submission has been mandatory for most temporary and permanent residence streams, with paper filing reserved for accessibility accommodation or documented technical inability. Applicants use the IRCC secure account, the newer IRCC portal (rolling out under the department\u2019s Digital Platform Modernisation initiative), the Permanent Residence Portal, the Employer Portal for IMP offers, and ESDC\u2019s LMIA Online portal.<\/p>\n<p>The documents issued are a mix of electronic and physical. An electronic travel authorisation (eTA) is purely electronic and linked to the passport. A temporary resident visa is a physical counterfoil placed in the passport. The work or study permit document is generally printed at the port of entry by CBSA, following a pre-arrival Port of Entry Letter of Introduction. Permanent residence is confirmed by an electronic Confirmation of Permanent Residence (eCOPR) together with a physical PR card.<\/p>\n<p>The visa document itself is now moving toward a digital format: on 27 November 2025 IRCC launched a pilot under which a small group of Moroccan citizens approved for a visitor visa were invited to receive a digital version of their visa in addition to the physical counterfoil, with the feedback gathered intended to shape the future delivery of digital immigration documents.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"question-block filter-container__element\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"filter-container__match-html\">Is an in-person attendance\/interview required as part of the visa\/work permit application process? Is an individual required to enrol their biometrics (digital photo, fingerprint scan) as part of the visa\/work permit process?<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button id=\"show-me\">+<\/button>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"question_answer filter-container__match-html\" style=\"display:none;\"><p>In-person attendance and interviews are not generally required; filing and adjudication are conducted electronically, and interviews are exceptional (for example, where admissibility, credibility or fraud is in issue). The one near-universal in-person step is biometrics enrolment. Most temporary and permanent residence applicants must provide fingerprints and a digital photograph, subject to exemptions for, among others, children under 14, applicants over 79, United States nationals for temporary residence, and Canadian citizens and permanent residents.<\/p>\n<p>The biometrics fee is CAD 85 for an individual and CAD 170 for a family (maximum). For temporary residence applicants, biometrics remain valid for 10 years, so re-collection within that window is not required. Biometrics are collected at Visa Application Centres abroad, at designated Service Canada locations within Canada, and at Application Support Centres for those lawfully in the United States.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"question-block filter-container__element\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"filter-container__match-html\">What persons qualify as dependants? Can dependants work based on their dependant visa status? Are there any restrictions?<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button id=\"show-me\">+<\/button>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"question_answer filter-container__match-html\" style=\"display:none;\"><p>A dependant is a spouse, a common-law partner (at least one year of continuous cohabitation), a conjugal partner where applicable, or a dependent child. Under IRPR section 2, a dependent child is a child who is under 22 and not a spouse or common-law partner, or who is 22 or older but has depended substantially on a parent since before turning 22 because of a physical or mental condition.<\/p>\n<p>The spouse of the principal applicant can obtain an open work permit. However, effective 21 January 2025, IRCC narrowed the spousal open work permit Only the spouse or common-law partner (no longer dependent children) may qualify under the high-skilled measure, and only where the principal foreign worker is employed in a TEER 0 or 1 occupation, or in a selected TEER 2 or 3 shortage occupation, with a permit valid for at least 16 months. Spouses of international students qualify only where the student is in a master\u2019s programme of at least 16 months, a doctoral programme, or a listed professional programme.<\/p>\n<p>Broader eligibility (covering the spouse and, in some cases, children) is retained where the principal applicant is on a permanent residence pathway and for spouses of CUSMA and other free-trade agreement professionals. Minor dependent children may attend primary and secondary school for free and without their own study permit where accompanying a parent authorised to work or study; post-secondary study requires a study permit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"question-block filter-container__element\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"filter-container__match-html\">What is the general time frame and processes for obtaining permanent residence and citizenship for sponsored and unsponsored business-related immigration?<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button id=\"show-me\">+<\/button>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"question_answer filter-container__match-html\" style=\"display:none;\"><p>For Express Entry candidates (whether federal or through an Express Entry-linked PNP nomination), the permanent residence service standard is six months (80 per cent) from a complete electronic application, although processing has lengthened amid backlog pressures in 2026. Base (non-Express Entry) PNP applications take longer and vary by province and stream.<\/p>\n<p>Citizenship by grant requires physical presence in Canada as a permanent resident of at least 1,095 days within the five years immediately before applying, adequate knowledge of English or French at Canadian Language Benchmark level 4 for applicants aged 18 to 54, and a pass in the citizenship knowledge test for the same age group. Grant processing has lengthened to roughly 13 months as of spring 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Separately, Bill C-3, in force from 15 December 2025, extended citizenship by descent beyond the first generation where the Canadian parent can show a substantial connection of at least 1,095 days of physical presence in Canada before the child\u2019s birth or adoption.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"question-block filter-container__element\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"filter-container__match-html\">What productive type activities can a business visitor undertake and for how long?<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button id=\"show-me\">+<\/button>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"question_answer filter-container__match-html\" style=\"display:none;\"><p>A business visitor may enter without a work permit under IRPR paragraph 186(a) and section 187 where the primary source of remuneration, the principal place of business and the accrual of profits all remain outside Canada. Permitted activities include attending meetings, conferences and trade fairs; buying goods or taking orders; providing after-sales or warranty service on specialised equipment purchased or leased outside Canada (flowing from the original sale or lease agreement); attending board meetings; and giving or receiving training within a corporate group.<\/p>\n<p>The typical permitted stay is up to six months, and certain quality-assurance or inspection roles may be admitted for up to two years. The dividing line is the Canadian labour market: where a Canadian entity is directly engaging the individual\u2019s services or the individual is selling to the Canadian public, a work permit is required.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"question-block filter-container__element\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"filter-container__match-html\">Can remote work be carried out from your country?<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button id=\"show-me\">+<\/button>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"question_answer filter-container__match-html\" style=\"display:none;\"><p>Yes. IRCC\u2019s position is that a foreign national may work remotely from Canada, on visitor status, for a foreign employer or for their own foreign business, because doing so does not involve entering the Canadian labour market. Such a person may generally remain for up to six months as a visitor. The boundary is that the work must be for non-Canadian employers or clients; performing services for a Canadian entity, or selling to the Canadian public, engages the labour market and requires a work permit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"question-block filter-container__element\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"filter-container__match-html\">Are there any productive work \/ revenue generating activities that can be carried out as a visitor and without the need for a work permit? If so, what activities and for how long?<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button id=\"show-me\">+<\/button>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"question_answer filter-container__match-html\" style=\"display:none;\"><p>Yes, but only where the revenue does not derive from entering the Canadian labour market. A foreign salesperson taking orders, a remunerated foreign company director attending a board meeting, and a remote worker paid by a foreign employer may all earn income while in Canada as visitors, typically for up to six months. Activities that serve Canadian clients or the Canadian public, by contrast, require a work permit. The permitted business-visitor activities under IRPR section 187 (discussed above) are the principal examples of lawful, revenue-linked activity without a permit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"question-block filter-container__element\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"filter-container__match-html\">Is there a remote work or nomad visa category in your jurisdiction? If not, how likely is it that this will be implemented in future?<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button id=\"show-me\">+<\/button>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"question_answer filter-container__match-html\" style=\"display:none;\"><p>Canada has no dedicated digital-nomad or remote-work visa. The \u2018digital nomad\u2019 measure promoted under the June 2023 Tech Talent Strategy was not a new visa category; it simply publicised the existing six-month visitor allowance, with the intended pathway being to obtain a work permit if the individual secures a Canadian job offer. As of July 2026, no dedicated stream has been launched, and none has been formally proposed.<\/p>\n<p>In our assessment, a dedicated nomad visa is unlikely in the near term. The policy direction is firmly toward reducing overall temporary resident numbers in Canada to below five per cent of the population by the end of 2027, which cuts against creating a new temporary resident category.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"question-block filter-container__element\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"filter-container__match-html\">How easy is it to switch visa categories\/jobs\/employer from within country? And\/or if made redundant, can the individual regularise their stay in another capacity and what is the timeframe allowable?<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button id=\"show-me\">+<\/button>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"question_answer filter-container__match-html\" style=\"display:none;\"><p>An employer-specific (closed) work permit holder must obtain a new work permit before starting work for a new employer or in a new occupation; open work permit holders may change freely. To reduce the disruption of this rule, IRCC maintains an interim work authorisation policy (renewed with effect from 27 May 2025 and, at present, with no fixed expiry) that lets an eligible closed-permit holder who has already applied for a new employer-specific permit begin the new role once IRCC issues written authorisation, typically within about 10 to 15 business days of the request.<\/p>\n<p>A worker who is made redundant must stop working. Options to regularise status include applying to change to visitor status, applying for a new work permit, or, where status has already been lost, applying for restoration within 90 days of losing status (provided the person complied with previous conditions and does not work while the application is pending). Principal permanent residence applicants may also qualify for a bridging open work permit where their permit is expiring.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"question-block filter-container__element\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"filter-container__match-html\">What common issues or concerns may arise for employers under business immigration in your jurisdiction?<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button id=\"show-me\">+<\/button>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"question_answer filter-container__match-html\" style=\"display:none;\"><p>The most pressing concern is compliance exposure. Employers face unannounced inspections, escalating administrative monetary penalties, and public naming for breaches such as paying wages below those set out in the LMIA or offer, or failing to keep records for the required six years. A second concern is unpredictability: measures now change frequently by ministerial instruction, and the recently enacted Bill C-12 gives the Governor in Council new power to suspend, cancel or vary immigration documents and pause intake in the public interest.<\/p>\n<p>Practical operational issues include the low-wage LMIA restrictions (refusal to process in high-unemployment regions and reduced caps and durations), longer processing times for some streams, and the removal of arranged-employment CRS points, which has disrupted the traditional \u2018work permit to permanent residence\u2019 sequencing that many employers relied upon to retain talent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"question-block filter-container__element\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"filter-container__match-html\">Is there a fast track process \/ certification that business can obtain to expedite visa \/ permit processing?<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button id=\"show-me\">+<\/button>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"question_answer filter-container__match-html\" style=\"display:none;\"><p>Yes. The Global Skills Strategy is Canada\u2019s principal expedited route. Eligible high-skilled workers hired through the Global Talent Stream benefit from a two-week processing service standard for both the LMIA (via the Global Talent Stream) and the work permit, provided the application is complete and submitted online from outside Canada.<\/p>\n<p>There is no general \u2018trusted employer\u2019 certification in force nationally, although ESDC has piloted a Recognised Employer Pilot within the TFWP to reduce the administrative burden for repeat, compliant employers of certain occupations. Beyond these, LMIA-exempt IMP categories (such as intra-company transfers and free-trade professionals) are themselves faster because they avoid the labour-market test entirely.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"question-block filter-container__element\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"filter-container__match-html\">What are the recent trends, both political and social that have impacted (or are anticipated to impact) your jurisdiction with regard to immigration policy and law?<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button id=\"show-me\">+<\/button>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"question_answer filter-container__match-html\" style=\"display:none;\"><p>The defining trend is a deliberate contraction. In October 2024, the Immigration Levels Plan 2025\u20132027 cut permanent resident targets to 395,000 for 2025 (down about 21 per cent) and, for the first time, set targets to reduce the temporary resident population, aiming to bring it below five per cent of Canada\u2019s population. The subsequent Immigration Levels Plan 2026\u20132028 (November 2025) stabilised permanent resident admissions at 380,000 per year and pushed the sub-five-per-cent goal to the end of 2027.<\/p>\n<p>Socially, public opinion shifted markedly: for the first time in a generation, a majority of Canadians told pollsters immigration was too high, driven chiefly by housing affordability and cost-of-living pressures. Politically, the government led by Prime Minister Mark Carney, with Lena Metlege Diab as Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, has anchored its mandate in returning immigration to \u2018sustainable levels\u2019 while continuing to attract top global talent.<\/p>\n<p>Concrete measures flowing from these trends include national caps on international study permits, tighter post-graduation work permit eligibility (language thresholds and field-of-study alignment from 1 November 2024), greater engagement with provincial counterparts, and the low-wage TFWP restrictions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"question-block filter-container__element\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"filter-container__match-html\">Are there any new and \/ or anticipated changes impacting immigration law and \/ or policy in your jurisdiction?<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button id=\"show-me\">+<\/button>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"question_answer filter-container__match-html\" style=\"display:none;\"><p>Several significant changes are recent or anticipated. The Start-Up Visa closed to new applications from 1 January 2026, with a new, more selective \u2018high-impact\u2019 entrepreneur pilot signalled for later in 2026. Similarly, the Self-Employed Persons Program has been paused until 2027 as the government works down backlogs and evaluates the program. Express Entry category-based selection was recalibrated for 2026, with transport, senior managers and researchers with Canadian experience, and military personnel added, agriculture and agri-food retired, and the minimum qualifying work experience raised from six months to one year.<\/p>\n<p>On the legislative front, Bill C-12 (the Strengthening Canada\u2019s Immigration System and Borders Act) has become law, granting the government broad powers to cancel, suspend or vary immigration documents and to pause intake by order in council, alongside new asylum-ineligibility rules. Provincial Nominee Program allocations, which were halved for 2025, were substantially increased to about 91,500 for 2026, signalling renewed reliance on provincial selection.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"question-block filter-container__element\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"filter-container__match-html\">How do you see technology developing and evolving to support immigration process in the future?<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button id=\"show-me\">+<\/button>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"question_answer filter-container__match-html\" style=\"display:none;\"><p>IRCC already uses advanced analytics and machine learning to triage certain application streams, automating the eligibility assessment of routine files while reserving refusals for human officers. In 2025 the department published its first Artificial Intelligence Strategy (2025\u20132027), which contemplates email triage, document-fraud and morphed-photo detection, and large-language-model file summarisation for officers, all on a \u2018human-in-the-loop\u2019 basis that bars autonomous decisions.<\/p>\n<p>The clear benefit is speed for well-prepared, \u2018routine-eligible\u2019 applications. The corresponding concern, raised by the Canadian Bar Association, is transparency and procedural fairness, particularly for unrepresented and racialised applicants, and the absence of a dedicated statutory framework governing automated decision-making. We expect continued expansion of e-processing and analytics, accompanied by growing scrutiny on judicial review.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"question-block filter-container__element\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"filter-container__match-html\">What are the Right to Work requirements in your jurisdiction?<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button id=\"show-me\">+<\/button>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"question_answer filter-container__match-html\" style=\"display:none;\"><p>Canada does not operate a standalone, prescribed \u2018right-to-work check\u2019 of the kind found in the United Kingdom or United States. Instead, the obligation operates through IRPA. Under section 124, it is an offence to employ a foreign national who is not authorised to work, and section 124(2) provides that an employer who fails to exercise due diligence to determine whether the employment is authorised is deemed to know that it is not.<\/p>\n<p>In practice, this means an employer must verify that the worker holds a valid permit and that the intended role falls within that permit\u2019s conditions (in particular, closed work permits authorise only the named employer and occupation). Discharging this due-diligence standard is the effective \u2018right to work\u2019 requirement, and it is reinforced by the employer compliance regime under the IRPR.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"question-block filter-container__element\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"filter-container__match-html\">What are the types of civil and criminal penalties employers may face for non-compliance with immigration rules i.e. employing an individual who does not have the Right to Work?<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button id=\"show-me\">+<\/button>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"question_answer filter-container__match-html\" style=\"display:none;\"><p>Criminal liability arises under IRPA. Employing a foreign national who is not authorised to work is an offence under section 124(1)(c), punishable under section 125 by a fine of up to CAD 50,000 and\/or two years\u2019 imprisonment on indictment, or up to CAD 10,000 and\/or six months on summary conviction. A due-diligence defence is available in respect of certain offences.<\/p>\n<p>Administratively, the employer compliance regime imposes conditions under IRPR sections 209.2 (IMP) and 209.3 (TFWP). Breaches attract a points-based system of administrative monetary penalties of up to CAD 100,000 per violation and up to CAD 1,000,000 per employer per year, bans ranging from one year to permanent, and mandatory publication of the employer\u2019s name on IRCC\u2019s public list of non-compliant employers. Enforcement has intensified: ESDC reported penalties roughly doubling year-on-year in 2024\u201325.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"question-block filter-container__element\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"filter-container__match-html\">Are there labour market testing requirements in your jurisdiction and if so, what do they involve?<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button id=\"show-me\">+<\/button>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"question_answer filter-container__match-html\" style=\"display:none;\"><p>Yes, for the TFWP. The LMIA is Canada\u2019s labour-market test: ESDC must be satisfied that hiring the foreign worker will have a neutral or positive effect on the labour market. Employers must conduct minimum recruitment and advertising before applying, and demonstrate that they have made efforts to fill their requested position from within the domestic labour market. For high-wage positions, this means at least three recruitment activities (including a Job Bank posting) advertised for at least four consecutive weeks, together with a transition plan; for low-wage positions, the advertising period was extended to at least eight consecutive weeks, with mandatory youth targeting and outreach to under-represented groups.<\/p>\n<p>The IMP is entirely LMIA-exempt, so intra-company transfers, free-trade professionals and spousal open work permits involve no labour-market test. Recent restrictions bear noting: since 26 September 2024, ESDC refuses to process low-wage LMIAs in census metropolitan areas with unemployment of six per cent or more (with sectoral exemptions), and LMIA validity has been reduced to six months.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"question-block filter-container__element\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"filter-container__match-html\">Are there quota requirements, restrictions or a cap on the numbers of foreign nationals hired per company in your jurisdiction?<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button id=\"show-me\">+<\/button>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"question_answer filter-container__match-html\" style=\"display:none;\"><p>There is no general national cap on the number of foreign nationals a company may employ. The binding limit is a proportional cap in the low-wage TFWP stream. Since 26 September 2024, low-wage temporary foreign workers may generally make up no more than 10 per cent of the workforce at a specific work location (reduced from 20 per cent), with 20 per cent retained for sectors such as construction and healthcare. Small employers face tighter limits from 1 April 2026.<\/p>\n<p>High-wage positions and all IMP categories are not subject to a proportional cap. At the macro level, the Immigration Levels Plan 2026\u20132028 sets national temporary resident arrival targets, which indirectly constrain the overall supply of work permits.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"question-block filter-container__element\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"filter-container__match-html\">Are there any exit procedures in your jurisdiction, if an individual is departing permanently?<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button id=\"show-me\">+<\/button>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"question_answer filter-container__match-html\" style=\"display:none;\"><p>There is no formal individual exit inspection on leaving Canada. However, since the Entry\/Exit Program became fully operational, the CBSA collects departure information (through air carrier passenger manifests and shared land-border records) and shares it with other agencies, so departures are recorded systematically.<\/p>\n<p>Permanent residents departing should be mindful of the residency obligation in IRPA section 28: to keep permanent resident status, a person must be physically present in Canada for at least 730 days in every rolling five-year period (with limited credit for time spent abroad accompanying a Canadian citizen spouse or working for a Canadian business). There is no departure tax on emigration as such, although tax residency consequences arise under separate Canadian tax law.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"question-block filter-container__element\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"filter-container__match-html\">Are there any requirements for medical certificates or vaccinations for your jurisdiction?<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button id=\"show-me\">+<\/button>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"question_answer filter-container__match-html\" style=\"display:none;\"><p>An immigration medical examination, conducted by an IRCC-designated panel physician and valid for 12 months, is required for all permanent residence applicants, for temporary residents intending to stay more than six months who are from or have resided in designated countries, and for anyone intending to work in a job that requires protecting public health (such as health care, childcare or teaching).<\/p>\n<p>There is no general vaccination requirement for immigration to Canada, and all COVID-19 border and vaccination measures were removed with effect from 1 October 2022.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"question-block filter-container__element\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"filter-container__match-html\">Are there any language requirements for your jurisdiction?<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button id=\"show-me\">+<\/button>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"question_answer filter-container__match-html\" style=\"display:none;\"><p>Language ability in English or French is central to economic permanent residence but is generally not required for work permits. Express Entry candidates must take an approved test (IELTS General Training or CELPIP-General for English; TEF Canada or TCF Canada for French) and meet program minimums \u2014 for example, Canadian Language Benchmark 7 for the Federal Skilled Worker Program and, for the Canadian Experience Class, CLB 7 for TEER 0 and 1 occupations or CLB 5 for TEER 2 and 3.<\/p>\n<p>Citizenship applicants aged 18 to 54 must demonstrate English or French at CLB level 4. Some work permit streams (certain caregiver and trade categories) carry their own language conditions, but most employer-driven work permits do not impose a language test.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"question-block filter-container__element\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"filter-container__match-html\">What are the government costs associated with a typical employment based visa?<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button id=\"show-me\">+<\/button>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"question_answer filter-container__match-html\" style=\"display:none;\"><p>For a typical employer-driven case, the principal government fees (unchanged as of April 2026) are: the LMIA processing fee of CAD 1,000 per position (TFWP only); the work permit fee of CAD 155; the open work permit holder fee of CAD 100 where applicable; the employer compliance fee of CAD 230 (IMP only); and the biometrics fee of CAD 85 per individual (CAD 170 per family).<\/p>\n<p>So, for example, an IMP work permit typically involves the employer\u2019s CAD 230 compliance fee plus the worker\u2019s CAD 155 permit fee and CAD 85 biometrics; a TFWP case adds the CAD 1,000 LMIA fee, which by law cannot be recovered from the worker. Restoration of status, where needed, costs CAD 246.25 in addition to the permit fee.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"question-block filter-container__element\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"filter-container__match-html\">Is a local contract of employment required in order to obtain a work based visa or work permit? Are there salary or other thresholds to be met by the migrant?<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button id=\"show-me\">+<\/button>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"question_answer filter-container__match-html\" style=\"display:none;\"><p>For LMIA-based (TFWP) hiring, a signed local job offer is required, and the employer must pay at least the prevailing (median) wage for the occupation and region as published on the Job Bank. Since 8 November 2024, positions are classified as high-wage or low-wage by reference to the provincial or territorial median hourly wage plus 20 per cent; those at or above the threshold are high-wage, and those below are low-wage, with different rules attaching to each.<\/p>\n<p>For LMIA-exempt IMP categories, a formal offer of employment must be submitted through the Employer Portal, but there is no fixed statutory salary threshold; wages must nonetheless be consistent with the offer and with prevailing conditions to satisfy the compliance regime. Intra-company transferees and free-trade professionals are assessed against category-specific criteria rather than a wage floor.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"question-block filter-container__element\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"filter-container__match-html\">What are the maximum periods of stay for individuals on an employment based visa \/ work permit?<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button id=\"show-me\">+<\/button>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"question_answer filter-container__match-html\" style=\"display:none;\"><p>There is no statutory cumulative cap on time spent in Canada as a worker; the former \u2018four-years-in, four-years-out\u2019 rule was rescinded in December 2016. In practice, the duration of a permit tracks the underlying LMIA or offer of employment.<\/p>\n<p>Since 26 September 2024, low-wage LMIA-based permits are limited to a maximum of one year, while high-wage LMIAs may support permits of up to three years. IMP categories vary: intra-company transferees, for example, may generally be admitted for up to three years initially (one year for a new office), with total limits of seven years for executives and senior managers and five years for specialised-knowledge staff. Permits are renewable subject to continued eligibility.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"question-block filter-container__element\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"filter-container__match-html\">Does your jurisdiction allow dual nationality?<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button id=\"show-me\">+<\/button>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"question_answer filter-container__match-html\" style=\"display:none;\"><p>Yes. Canada has permitted dual (and multiple) citizenship since the current Citizenship Act came into force on 15 February 1977, and Canadian law does not require a person to renounce a prior citizenship on becoming Canadian. Dual citizens should note the practical rule that, since 2016, Canadian citizens must travel to Canada using a Canadian passport.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"question-block filter-container__element\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"filter-container__match-html\">What are the most positive aspects of your immigration system compared to the rest of the world?<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button id=\"show-me\">+<\/button>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"question_answer filter-container__match-html\" style=\"display:none;\"><p>Canada\u2019s enduring strengths are transparency, breadth and pathways to permanence. Express Entry is a points-based, published-criteria system that offers a clear, six-month service standard for a large share of skilled applicants and a genuine route from temporary work to permanent residence and, ultimately, citizenship. The Global Skills Strategy\u2019s two-week processing for high-skilled talent is among the fastest in the world.<\/p>\n<p>The system is also federal and plural: the Provincial Nominee Programs and Quebec\u2019s selection powers allow regions to tailor selection to local labour needs, and family members frequently receive work and study rights. Canada permits dual citizenship, welcomes accompanying dependants, and maintains one of the highest per-capita permanent-immigration intakes among comparable economies, even after the recent reductions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"question-block filter-container__element\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"filter-container__match-html\">Are you facing any challenges resulting from a shortage of skills. If yes, which skills?<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button id=\"show-me\">+<\/button>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"question_answer filter-container__match-html\" style=\"display:none;\"><p>Yes. Canada faces persistent shortages in health care (physicians, nurses and allied professionals), the skilled trades and construction, transport, and parts of the science, technology, engineering and mathematics sector. These shortages are mirrored in Express Entry category-based selection, which for 2026 prioritises health and social services, the trades, transport, education, and senior managers and researchers with Canadian experience.<\/p>\n<p>The construction shortage is especially acute given the national housing agenda: Statistics Canada data show construction among the sectors reporting the greatest hiring difficulty. In March 2025, IRCC responded by adding trades to Express Entry categories, creating an apprenticeship study-permit exemption, and reserving a permanent residence pathway for a limited number of out-of-status construction workers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"question-block filter-container__element\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"filter-container__match-html\">Are there any plans in place to address green skills and\/or to support transition to green economies?<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button id=\"show-me\">+<\/button>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"question_answer filter-container__match-html\" style=\"display:none;\"><p>There is no dedicated \u2018green skills\u2019 immigration category in Canada. The principal green-economy statute, the Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act, received royal assent on 20 June 2024, but it is a governance and accountability framework (five-year action plans, a secretariat and a tripartite partnership council) rather than an immigration measure, and its 2026\u20132030 action plan funds domestic apprenticeship and green-trades training rather than creating a migration pathway.<\/p>\n<p>Green-economy labour needs \u2014 in areas such as electric-vehicle and battery manufacturing, grid electrification and clean construction \u2014 are therefore addressed only indirectly, through the existing trades and STEM streams of Express Entry category-based selection. In our view, a distinct green-skills immigration stream is possible but not currently on the legislative agenda.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n<div class=\"word-count-hidden\" style=\"display:none;\">Estimated word count: <span class=\"word-count\">5090<\/span><\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t<\/ol>\r\n\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"\/wp-content\/themes\/twentyseventeen\/src\/jquery\/components\/filter-guides.js\" async><\/script><\/div>"}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.legal500.com\/guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comparative_guide\/147322","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.legal500.com\/guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comparative_guide"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.legal500.com\/guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/comparative_guide"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.legal500.com\/guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=147322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}