International Mobility Program: Intra-Company Transfers

ICT Program Overview

The Intra-Company Transfers (ICT) program, which falls under IMP, helps workers with special skills from big businesses in other countries work in Canada for a short time. This program is good for your job growth and helps share knowledge and culture between your home and host companies.

Canada uses this program to bring in smart people from other places, which helps the country be more innovative. By joining the ICT, you become part of a group of workers from all over the world who help make technology and business better.

The ICT program also makes it easier for you and your family to move to Canada. It helps you get used to your new job and life there. Joining this program can be an important step in making your career better and living in a place that helps you.

Intra-Company Transfers to Canada: Categories

When a company in Canada wants to bring workers with special skills from other parts of the company around the world, they use different types of Intra-Company Transfers.

Here are the main types, each made for specific kinds of jobs:

1. Executives: This group includes people who are in charge of the company or big parts of it. If you make important choices and help guide the company, you fit in this category. Executives are in charge of making company rules and starting new projects.
2. Senior Managers: If you manage everyday work and other managers or workers, this is your group. Senior managers often handle a big part of the company, like a whole department. They can hire or fire people.
3. 
   Specialized Knowledge Workers: This category is for workers who have unique and very important skills that the company really needs. If you know rare things that are important for the main work the company does, you belong here.
   

Each category is made to make sure the right people are in the right jobs. This helps the company use the best workers from around the world to build a strong team.

General Requirements for the Employee

To be part of the International Mobility Program as an Intra-Company Transferee, you need to show you’re really good at one of three things: being an Executive, a Manager, or having Special Knowledge. Each category has strict rules that look at how important your job is for the company’s work in Canada.

You’ll need to show proof of your job in the company and make sure it matches the program’s rules for bringing in workers from other countries.

Executive Capacity

Employees with executive jobs have top positions in their companies. They lead big parts or all of the business and make important choices with little help. As an executive, you help make the company’s plans and keep it going in the right direction. This job isn’t just about being in charge; it’s about showing what the company believes in and helping it reach its goals.

You make big decisions that change the direction of the company. You need to think of new ideas and change plans to match what the company wants to do and how the market changes. It’s important to think about how your choices will affect the company now and later.

Your job as an executive is more than just day-to-day work; it’s about making a work environment that helps people grow, be responsible, and feel like a community. You help make the setting for everyone on the team. You play a big part in making everyone feel like they belong and want to work hard.

In this job, your leadership should think about the future but also be realistic. You should help the company move forward while keeping things stable. You’re not just managing things; you’re guiding the company towards its future. This makes you a very important part of its success and its ongoing story.

Managerial Capacity

As a senior manager, your job is to oversee the work of different departments or groups in the company. You make sure these units do what they’re supposed to and help the company reach its main goals. You need to understand both the big plans of the company and the everyday details of your division.

In your role, you supervise and guide the work of other managers or professional employees. Your leadership helps teams work well together to reach common goals. You handle not just managing people, but also resources, projects, and working with other departments.

You play a key role in connecting the top leaders of the company with the workers. You turn big strategies into clear plans that your teams can follow. Focusing on both planning and doing is very important for the company’s success and structure.

As you think about the intra-company transfer program, remember that your leadership skills are essential for keeping the company running smoothly and effectively in different locations.

Specialized Knowledge

To qualify in this category, you need to show that your special knowledge is unique and very important to your company’s work. Here’s what to focus on:

• Uniqueness: Your knowledge should be special in your company, not something others can easily copy or learn. It might be about special technologies, processes, or ways of doing things that are important to the business.
• Critical Nature: Your job in the company must be very important; the knowledge you have should greatly affect how the company operates, makes products, or provides services.
• Advanced Expertise: You should show that you know a lot about your field, more than what most people in the industry know.

When applying, make sure to clearly show how you have used your knowledge in big projects and how it has helped your company succeed. This will make your application stronger and show that you’re an important part of your team.

General Requirements for the Multinational Company

Big companies with offices in many countries must follow certain rules to be part of the International Mobility Program’s Intra-Company Transfer category. Your company needs to show it has a special link with the Canadian company.

This link can be as a parent company, branch, part of the company, or a partner. Your company must also be actively doing business in both the home country and Canada.

It’s important to have enough workers in Canada. Your company should have employees in Canada who can help with the transfer and settling in of workers from other parts of the company. This helps things run smoothly and shows your company cares about its Canadian branch.

Eligibility Criteria Applicable to Both Senior Managerial and Specialized Knowledge Categories

For big companies using the Intra-Company Transfer program, both senior managers and workers with special knowledge must meet specific rules. These rules make sure that only the most qualified people move to a different country for work.

Here are the main rules you must follow:

• Duration of Employment: You should have worked full-time for at least one year in the past three years at a company office in another country.
• Operational Capacity: Your job must be very important, either as a manager or because of your unique knowledge that’s necessary for the company’s work.
• Company’s Business Health: Your company must be actively doing business. This shows that your transfer is for real work needs and not just for immigration.

These rules help keep the ICT program honest and make sure that your work is important to your company’s success in Canada. Your role is to do more than just fill a job; you should add value to your company’s bigger goals.

Documentation Requirements

To apply for the Intra-Company Transfer program, you need to gather certain papers to show you qualify and your company in Canada is really working. These documents are important to confirm your job and to help you start your new position smoothly at the Canadian part of your global company.

First, you must get a letter from your current boss. This letter must talk about your job, how long you’ve been working there, and why you’re moving. It should clearly say your job title, like executive, senior manager, or a worker with special skills. It should also say that you’ve worked there for at least one year in the past three years.

You also need to show that the Canadian company is really doing business. You can use business licenses, company tax returns, or an office lease as proof. These papers prove that the Canadian office is real and doing proper business.

Remember to include organization charts that show your job in the company’s structure, both in your home country and in Canada. This helps the immigration officers see your important role and how it fits with what the company needs.

Work Permit Duration and Limits

As you learn more about the International Mobility Program, it’s important to understand how long intra-company transfer work permits last and what limits they have.

If you’re thinking about taking breaks from working in Canada, remember that the time you spend outside Canada can be added back, which could make your work permit last longer.

It’s important to know that the longest time specialized knowledge workers can stay is 5 years, while managers or executives may be allowed up to 7 years.

Breaks in Canadian Service

If you leave Canada for a short time, you can add that time to your work permit to make it longer. This helps you work in Canada for more time and not lose time for trips you need to take outside the country. Using this option can help your career and your company’s work in Canada.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Plan Your Time Away: Choose carefully when you leave Canada. Think about what you need personally and when your job is busy.
2. Keep Records: Save all papers about your trips and time outside Canada. You need these when you ask to make your work permit longer.
3. Talk to HR: Tell the people who handle workers at your company about your travel plans. Talk about how you can add this time to your work permit under the ICT program rules.

Recaptured Time

Understanding recaptured time is important to get the most out of your work permit under the Intra-Company Transfer Program. If you’re part of a global team, each day you work helps your company.

If you need to leave Canada for a while, for personal or business reasons, this doesn’t mean you lose time on your work permit.

Recaptured time lets you add back the time you spent outside Canada to your permit. It’s important to keep good records of your travels because you’ll need to show these when you extend your work permit. This helps make sure your work is valued, no matter where you are.

This is especially helpful for workers who travel a lot because of their jobs. By knowing and using recaptured time, you can keep working well without worrying about traveling to other countries affecting your permit.

Duration of Work Permit Limit

Work permits for the Intra-Company Transfer Program last from 1 to 2 years, based on the job and what the worker does. Here are the longest times for different groups:

Group	Duration
Specialized Knowledge Workers	Up to 5 years
Managers or Executives	Up to 7 years
Start-up company transferees	Starts at 1 year, can be made longer

These time limits help workers use their skills fully while allowing for career growth. You’re joining a team that works all over the world, not just another office. These set times help you focus on sharing important skills and knowledge needed for the company to do well in Canada.

Knowing these limits lets you and your company plan better. It makes sure that your time helps both you and the company grow. Whether you’re bringing new ideas from other countries or getting ready for a leadership job, these rules give you a clear plan for your time in Canada’s market.

Guidelines When Assessing Start-Up Companies

When looking at start-up companies under the International Mobility Program, you must check two important things: what the company needs and how long work permits are given for.

First, make sure the company has more than the least amount of money it needs, including total sales and money it can use, to support its work in Canada.

Think about the usual one-year work permit for start-up transferees. This shows that these companies are just starting and allows for more time later if they do well.

Requirements for the Company

Start-up companies that want to be part of the Intra-Company Transfer Program must show they have enough money. They need at least 250,000 in sales each year and 100,000 in available funds to pay for costs in the first year. This makes sure the start-up can run smoothly and support its staff.

Here are important points for your application:

• Proof of Financial Health: You must provide recent financial statements that show your sales and available money. This step is very important to prove your business is stable and trustworthy.
• Business Plan: Write a plan that explains what your business will do in the coming year. Include how much money you expect to make, who your customers are, and how you want to grow. Your plan should show a clear way to keep being successful.
• Commitment to Canadian Operations: Show that you are dedicated to growing and keeping your Canadian office. Share your ideas for investing, hiring plans, and how you’ll help the local market.

Duration of Work Permits

For start-up companies in the Intra-Company Transfer Program, work permits usually last one year. This time lets authorities and the company see if the business fits well in the Canadian economy.

During this year, you must get ready to ask for more time on your permit. Show that your business is active and follows Canadian rules. Focus on keeping good financial records and growing in a smart way.

Keep clear records of how your company is doing and how it meets Canadian rules.

Transition to Permanent Residence for Intra-Company Transferees

Intra-Company transferees who want to live in Canada permanently must meet certain rules and follow specific steps through the Express Entry system. Here’s what you need to think about:

• Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) Score: You need a high CRS score to rank well in the Express Entry pool. Your age, education, work experience, and language skills are important.
• Canadian Experience Class (CEC): If you have worked in Canada, it could help your application. As an intra-company transferee, your Canadian work experience is valuable under the CEC, one of the three programs in Express Entry.
• Connection to the Community: Building strong ties to your local area can make your application better. Being active in community events and groups shows you care about Canada.

Make sure to update your Express Entry profile with any new skills or qualifications to keep your application strong.

This process is about more than just meeting requirements; it’s about becoming part of Canadian society.