The criteria foreign business people must meet to enter Canada without a work permit just became stricter.
Canada’s immigration legislation has long provided a work permit exemption allowing individuals to enter the country for certain business purposes. This allowed relatively easy access for travellers from certain countries to enter Canada for valid business purposes with very little evidence or paperwork. New instructions issued to immigration officers this month will tighten the rules on who meets this exemption and the qualifying evidence that should be provided.
A primer on business visitors
Found at section 186(a) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, the business visitor work permit exemption facilitates international business activity in Canada by allowing foreign nationals to enter Canada for certain business matters, so long as they are not directly entering the Canadian labour market. Permissible business activities under this exemption may include:
