In case you missed the opportunity to apply for an Open Work Permit for H-1B visa holders, don’t fret! There are still other ways which will allow you to work in Canada. Some of the highly popular ways to work in Canada for those who hold a H-1B visa are Global Talent Stream, Intra-Company Transfer, CUSMA or even a business visitor.
Canada launched this initiative to invite H-1B visa holders to Canada on 16 July under its Tech Talent Strategy . However, the condition for this temporary measure was that it will be open for a year or until it has 10,000 applications. Only two days after the launch of this initiative, the cap of 10,000 applications was reached.
Other Ways to Immigrate to Canada for H-1B Visa Holders
After the temporary measure of applying for an Open Work Permit for H-1B visa applicants was shut down, many started wondering how they can still immigrate to Canada. No worries, as mentioned above, there are still some easy ways by which one can work in Canada. Sometimes, the employer doesn’t even need to get an LMIA.
Let’s take a look at those temporary worker pathways for H-1B visa holders below.
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Intra-Company Transfer (ICT)
There are many companies that have their branches in different countries. And sometimes they transfer their employees to other branches to manage workflow and facilitate employee movement. So, if an H-1B visa holder’s company has a branch in Canada as well, the visa holder could just ask for a transfer. Then, the employee could apply for an Intra-Company Transfer Work Permit which will allow them to work in Canada.
Global Talent Stream (GTS)
The Global Talent Stream of Canada is specially for those in the IT sector. In case an employer wants to hire an employee under this program, then they must first submit an LMIA. An LMIA or Labour Market Impact Assessment is a document that employers in Canada need to submit to show that they will not be negatively impacting the Canadian labor market by hiring international workers. IRCC generally processes GTS applications within two weeks.
Business Visitors
Business visitors can come to Canada for various reasons. They could do so to provide after-sales services, maybe get training by a Canadian parent company, or to train other employees. They may also come to Canada if they have a business meeting to attend or buy Canadian products and goods.
Canada United States Mexico Agreement (CUSMA)
Canada United States Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) is basically for Mexican citizens. These citizens work in multinational companies with a branch in Canada too. Well, they can come to work in Canada and their employer does not even have to get an LMIA.
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