Canada has a bilateral and multilateral Free Trade Agreements with various countries. These agreements facilitate movement through borders. Certain employers can hire foreign nationals without having to obtain a Labour Market Impact Assessment if they are able to demonstrate that hiring a foreign national will have a positive impact on the Canadian Market.
These also include certain professionals that are not required to be an intra-company transferee but want to engage in employment by a Canadian employer. The foreign national must have the necessary education and professional credentials to perform the job in Canada. The professional qualifications and credentials must be recognized and in accordance with Canadian mandates.
Generally, foreign workers eligible under a FTA require a work permit to work in Canada, but are exempt from obtaining a Labor Market Impact assessment (LMIA), making the process of obtaining a work permit seamless, inexpensive, and quick.
The Canada-United States-Mexico (CUSMA) agreement is the largest FTA to which Canada is a party, and is similar to several Free Trade Agreements to which Canada is a party:
The Canada-European Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), along with the Chile, Peru, Columbia and Korea FTAs are akin to CUSMA and all contain provisions that grant temporary entry to 4 categories of business persons: business visitors, professionals, intra-company transferees, and traders and investors.
Under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), professionals are authorized to enter under either as professionals or intra-company transferees.
Entry requirements vary significantly from one category to another. However, the same LMIA exemption applies.