Working temporarily in Canada: Special categories—Business people

Business people include certain people entering Canada under the following free trade agreements:

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
Canada–Chile Free Trade Agreement (CCFTA)
General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS)
Important: Business visitor is a separate category with separate requirements. Business visitors do not require a work permit. For more information, see Jobs that do not require a work permit in the Related Links section at the bottom of this page.

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
Under Chapter 16 of NAFTA, citizens of Canada, the United States and Mexico can gain quicker, easier temporary entry into the three countries to conduct business or investment activities.

Business people covered by NAFTA do not need a labour market opinion from Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC). This means that Canadian employers do not need to have a job offer approved by HRSDC to employ a United States or a Mexican business person, as set out in NAFTA.

Business people covered by NAFTA must, however, comply with the general provisions on temporary entry to Canada.
NAFTA applies to four specific categories of business people: business visitors, professionals, intra-company transferees, and traders and investors.
Business visitor is a separate category with separate requirements. Business visitors do not require a work permit. For more information, see Jobs that do not require a work permit in the Related Links section at the bottom of this page.

A professional must:
be qualified to work in one of the more than 60 professions listed in Appendix 1603.D.1 of Chapter 16 of NAFTA (for example, accountant, computer systems analyst, engineer, management consultant and technical publications writer) and
have pre-arranged employment with a Canadian enterprise in an occupation that matches the qualification.
An intra-company transferee must:
have worked continuously for at least one year in the preceding three years for the same or affiliated employer in the United States or Mexico
be transferred to Canada to work temporarily for the same or an affiliated employer and
work in a capacity that is managerial, executive or that involves specialized knowledge.
A trader or an investor must:
be seeking to carry out substantial trade in goods or services, mainly between Canada and her or his country of citizenship, or conduct substantial investment activities in Canada, in a supervisory or an executive capacity, or in a capacity that involves essential skills
meet additional requirements under NAFTA and
have a work permit.

For more information on all categories, see Appendix G temporary foreign worker guidelines in the Related Links section at the bottom of this page.
Canada–Chile Free Trade Agreement (CCFTA)
The CCFTA is modeled on NAFTA and makes it easier for Canadian and Chilean citizens to temporarily enter each of the two countries. The rules and requirements are similar to those under NAFTA and cover the four categories of business people: business visitors, professionals, intra-company transferees, and traders and investors.
For more information, refer to the booklet Temporary Entry to Canada under the Canada–Chile Free Trade Agreement—A Guide for Chilean Business Persons, or consult Appendix B temporary foreign worker guidelines in the Related Links section at the bottom of this page.
General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS)
Under GATS, Canada has committed to making it easier for certain business people who are foreign service providers in certain sectors to access the Canadian market. The commitments apply to service providers from more than 140 World Trade Organization member countries.
Three categories of business people are covered: business visitors, professionals and intra-company transferees. Qualified business people can enter Canada more easily because they do not need a labour market opinion from HRSDC or, in the case of business visitors, a work permit.
For more information, refer to the booklet Temporary Entry to Canada under the General Agreement on Trade in Services, or consult Appendix D temporary foreign worker guidelines in the Related Links section at the bottom of this page.

Working temporarily in Canada: Jobs that do not require a work permit

Some temporary jobs in Canada may not require a work permit.
You may not need a work permit if you fall into one of the following categories:
Business visitors
Foreign representatives
Family members of foreign representatives
Military personnel
Foreign government officers
Students working on campus
Performing artists
Athletes and coaches
News reporters
Public speakers
Convention organizers
Clergy
Judges and referees
Examiners and evaluators
Expert witnesses or investigators
Health-care students
Civil aviation inspectors
Accident or incident investigators
Crew members
Emergency service providers
Business visitors
Business visitors do not need a work permit.

They may still need a temporary resident visa. For details, see the Visit section on the left-hand side of this page.
A business visitor is someone who comes to Canada to engage in international business activities without directly entering the Canadian labour market.
Business visitors must prove the following:
their main source of payment is outside Canada and
their main place of business is outside Canada.
Important: “Business person” is a different category with different requirements. See Business people in the Related Links section at the bottom of this page.

Foreign representatives

Diplomats and official representatives of other countries or the United Nations and their staff can work in Canada without a work permit.

Family members of foreign representatives
Accredited family members of diplomatic agents and those whose status is equivalent to a diplomat can work in Canada without a work permit.

These people must have written authorization from the Office of Protocol of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada. The authorization is in the form of a note when it comes from an embassy or high commission. It is in the form of a letter when it comes from an international organization. For more information, see the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada link in the Related Links section at the bottom of this page.

Military personnel

Members of an armed force from another country can work in Canada without a work permit if they have movement orders stating that they are entering Canada under the terms of the Visiting Forces Act.
Foreign government officers

Canada has exchange agreements with some countries for officials to work in each other’s government departments. Government officials coming to work in Canada do not need a work permit to work in Canada, but they must bring a formal letter of agreement if they will be working here for longer than three months.

Students working on campus

Certain foreign students in Canada can work without a work permit on the campus of the institution where they are studying. For more information, see Study on the left-hand side of this page.
Performing artists
Foreign artists coming to Canada to perform, as well as their essential support staff—the people that are integral to the performance—can work without a permit if they are only performing here for a limited period of time and will not be performing in a bar or restaurant.
If they will be performing in a bar or restaurant, performers and their staff each need a work permit.
Performing artists coming to work in Canada cannot enter into an employment relationship with the Canadian group that has contracted for their services. They must also not perform for the production of a movie, television or radio broadcast.
Athletes and coaches
Foreign teams, athletes and coaches can compete in Canada without a work permit.
News reporters
Reporters working for foreign newspapers, television channels, news agencies or companies involved in reporting news events can work in Canada without a permit if they are reporting on events here.
Public speakers
Guest speakers, commercial speakers or seminar leaders can speak or deliver training in Canada without a work permit as long as the event is no longer than five days.
Convention organizers
Organizers and administrative staff of international meetings or conventions being held in Canada do not need a work permit.

Note: People providing audiovisual services and other “hands-on” help at these events must have a work permit to work in Canada.
Clergy
People coming to Canada to work as ordained ministers, lay persons or members of a religious order do not need a work permit to perform their religious duties or assist a religious group. These religious duties may include preaching doctrine, presiding at liturgical functions or providing spiritual counselling.
Judges and referees
Officials at international amateur competitions can come to Canada to judge or officiate without a work permit.
Examiners and evaluators
Professors and academic experts coming to Canada to evaluate or supervise academic projects, research proposals or university theses do not need a work permit. This applies to Canadian research organizations as well as to academic institutions.
Expert witnesses or investigators
Experts coming to Canada to give evidence before a regulatory body, tribunal or court of law do not need a work permit.

Health-care students

Foreign health-care students can do their clinical clerkships or do short-term work in Canada without a work permit if the main purpose of the work is to acquire training. Health-care students must have written approval from the Canadian regulatory board responsible for their occupation. A normal training practicum should not exceed four months.
Note: Foreign health-care students must undergo a Canadian immigration medical examination before coming to Canada.

Civil aviation inspectors

Inspectors coming to Canada to inspect the flight operations or cabin safety of commercial airlines doing international flights do not need a work permit.
Accident or incident investigators
Accredited representatives or advisers coming to Canada to work on an aviation accident or incident investigation conducted under the authority of the Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board Act do not need a work permit.

Crew members

Foreign members of crews working on foreign vehicles (for example, flight attendants and members of ships’ crews) do not need a work permit if the vehicle is in Canada for the international transportation of cargo or passengers.

Emergency service providers

People coming to Canada to help out in an emergency do not need a work permit if they are coming here to help preserve life or property. Examples of emergencies would be natural disasters, such as floods or earthquakes, or industrial accidents threatening the environment.