The Intra-Company Transfer (ICT) category allows a multinational employer to transfer certain key employees from a foreign branch, subsidiary, or affiliate to a qualifying Canadian entity. The ICT work permit is exempt from the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) requirement under the International Mobility Program (IMP) — the employer does not need to demonstrate that no qualified Canadian was available for the position.

The exemption is justified under IRPR r 205(a) on the basis that the transfer provides a significant benefit to Canada through the movement of specialised knowledge or managerial expertise within a multinational enterprise. The ICT category is available to workers from all countries — it is not limited to CUSMA/USMCA trade agreement countries.

The ICT exemption is found in IRPR r 205(a), which permits work without an LMIA where the work would create or maintain significant social, cultural, or economic benefits or opportunities for Canadian citizens or permanent residents. IRCC policy specifies that intra-company transferees in executive, senior managerial, or specialised knowledge roles qualify under this provision. The employer must submit an Offer of Employment through the IRCC Employer Portal before the work permit application is submitted.

Three categories of workers are eligible for the ICT permit:

• Executives: Persons who direct the management of the organisation or a major component of it, establish goals and policies, exercise wide latitude in decision-making, and receive only general supervision from higher executives or a board of directors
• Senior managers: Persons who manage the organisation or a department/subdivision, supervise and control the work of other supervisory, professional, or managerial employees, have authority to hire/fire or recommend such actions, and exercise discretion over day-to-day operations
• Specialised knowledge workers: Persons who possess knowledge at an advanced level of expertise and proprietary knowledge of the organisation's products, services, research, equipment, techniques, or management — knowledge that is not commonly available in the Canadian labour market

Qualifying relationship: The sending and receiving entities must have a qualifying corporate relationship — parent, subsidiary, branch, or affiliate. The Canadian entity must be actively doing business (not merely a shell or holding company).

Prior employment requirement: The transferee must have been employed by the sending entity outside Canada for at least 1 year within the 3 years immediately preceding the application (for specialised knowledge workers, the 1-year period must be continuous and full-time).

Maximum duration: Executives and senior managers may receive permits of up to 3 years, renewable to a maximum of 7 years total. Specialised knowledge workers receive up to 1 year initially, renewable to a maximum of 5 years total.

The specialised knowledge category is frequently scrutinised by IRCC officers. "Specialised knowledge" must be genuinely advanced and proprietary — general professional expertise that any qualified practitioner in the field would possess does not qualify. Applicants should document how their knowledge is specific to the employer's products, systems, or methodologies and why it is not readily available in the Canadian market.

ICT permit holders who accumulate sufficient Canadian work experience in a skilled occupation (NOC TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3) may be eligible to apply for permanent residence through the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) under Express Entry after 1 year of qualifying work experience.

For current fees, refer to the IRCC fee schedule. For current processing times, use the IRCC processing times tool.