INTRA-COMPANY TRANSFERS
Possibly, without an LMIA.
An intra-company transfer may let a related foreign company move an executive, senior manager or employee with specialized knowledge to a Canadian operation.
The job title is not enough. The companies, the employee's history, the Canadian role and the business evidence must all fit the legal requirements and tell one consistent story.
Last updated: July 27, 2026
What are you trying to do?
You do not need to know the immigration terminology. Choose the situation closest to yours.
I want to transfer an employee to Canada
Your company may be able to use the International Mobility Program instead of applying for an LMIA.
My company is opening a Canadian office
A new office case needs a credible Canadian business plan, suitable premises and evidence that the operation can support the transferred role.
My employer wants to transfer me to Canada
Your past role, the Canadian position and your relationship with the foreign company all matter.
They say I have specialized knowledge
Experience alone is not always enough. The file must show advanced expertise and company-specific knowledge that matters to the Canadian operation.
We have companies in two countries
The Canadian and foreign entities must have a qualifying parent, subsidiary, branch or affiliate relationship.
We are ready to submit through the Employer Portal
Before the offer is filed, confirm the exemption category, role, wage, dates, duties and corporate evidence all agree.
An ICT is more than a transfer letter
An intra-company transferee usually receives an employer-specific work permit. The employer may not need a Labour Market Impact Assessment, but the exemption still has to be proven.
The company side
The foreign and Canadian businesses must have a qualifying relationship and normally be actively doing business. The Canadian operation must have a real need for the position.
The employee side
The employee must fit an eligible role, have the required history with the related foreign company and be coming to perform genuine temporary work in Canada.
I want to transfer an employee to Canada
Start with the role, not the person you hope to move.
The company should be able to explain:
- why the Canadian operation needs this position now
- whether the role is executive, senior managerial or specialized knowledge
- how the Canadian duties differ from ordinary operational work
- how the employee's foreign experience prepares them for the Canadian role
- how the foreign and Canadian entities are connected
- how the Canadian business can support the position and salary
If those answers are unclear internally, the immigration application will usually be unclear too.
My employer wants to transfer me to Canada
A transfer decision by the company does not automatically create immigration eligibility.
Your file should clearly show:
- your employment with the related foreign business
- the length and continuity of that employment
- your actual foreign duties, not only your title
- the Canadian job, duties, wage and work location
- why the Canadian role fits an eligible ICT category
- that you can perform the role described
- that you meet the general requirements for a temporary work permit
The foreign reference letter, Canadian offer, Employer Portal submission, organizational charts and application forms should describe the same role and the same history.
Not sure whether the role fits an ICT category?
A consultation can assess the corporate relationship, employee history, proposed Canadian duties, exemption category and evidence gaps before the employer files the offer.
Which type of employee may qualify?
A senior title does not prove executive or managerial capacity. A long employment history does not, by itself, prove specialized knowledge.
They say I have specialized knowledge
This is often the most difficult ICT category to document.
The application should make two ideas visible:
Advanced expertise
The employee has knowledge or skill at a level beyond what is ordinarily found in the industry or occupation.
Company-specific knowledge
The employee understands the company's products, services, research, systems, equipment, techniques, processes or management in a way that is important to the Canadian business.
Useful evidence may include detailed project history, internal responsibilities, training records, proprietary systems, product knowledge, organizational dependency and a clear explanation of why the knowledge is difficult to replace quickly.
How must the companies be related?
The Canadian and foreign businesses generally need a qualifying relationship, such as a parent, subsidiary, branch or affiliate relationship.
The labels used by the companies are not decisive. The ownership and control evidence must support the relationship.
Evidence may include
- corporate registration and incorporation records
- share registers and ownership documents
- group organizational charts
- financial statements and tax records
- commercial agreements
- proof that both businesses are actively operating
- records showing common ownership or control
Where the structure is complicated, the submission should explain it in plain language and point the officer to the documents that prove each link.
My company is opening a Canadian office
A newly incorporated company is not automatically ready for an ICT.
The file should explain how the Canadian operation will become active and how the transferred employee will establish or lead it.
Officers may look closely at:
- the foreign company's operating history and financial capacity
- the ownership relationship
- a realistic Canadian business plan
- premises or a credible plan to secure suitable premises
- initial financing and projected expenses
- the Canadian staffing and growth plan
- the proposed employee's authority and duties
- whether the business can support the role within a reasonable period
A business plan should not read like promotional material. It should make the operating model, numbers, timing and transferred employee's function understandable.
How the ICT process usually works
Step 1: Confirm the exemption route
Determine whether the transfer fits the general intra-company transferee provisions or an applicable free trade agreement.
Step 2: Build the corporate record
Document the foreign business, Canadian business, qualifying relationship and active operations or new-office plan.
Step 3: Define the Canadian role
Confirm the duties, wage, location, reporting structure, duration and ICT category.
Step 4: Submit the offer of employment
Where required, the Canadian employer submits the LMIA-exempt offer through the Employer Portal and pays the employer compliance fee before the work permit application is filed.
Step 5: Submit the work permit application
The employee applies with the offer number and the supporting evidence required for the transfer and for temporary entry.
Step 6: Prepare for follow-up
IRCC may request further documents, and some applicants may need biometrics, a medical examination or additional admissibility evidence.
What the officer is looking at
The officer is testing whether the application is legally eligible, factually credible and supported by reliable documents.
Officer perspective
The file should make it easy to answer:
- Are these businesses genuinely related?
- Are they actively doing business, or is the new-office plan credible?
- Did the employee actually work for the related foreign company as claimed?
- Is the Canadian role truly executive, senior managerial or specialized knowledge?
- Does the Employer Portal offer match the letters, forms and supporting evidence?
- Is the proposed transfer temporary and credible?
Officers do not have to repair a vague corporate structure or infer why ordinary duties should qualify. The application should connect each requirement to clear evidence.
Read the Immigreen Evidentiary Clarity Framework
Common weaknesses in ICT applications
Relying on the job title
“Director,” “manager” or “specialist” does not establish what the person actually does.
Using generic specialized-knowledge claims
The file says the employee is essential but does not explain the knowledge in concrete terms.
Leaving the corporate relationship unexplained
Documents are submitted without a clear ownership map or explanation of control.
Submitting inconsistent duties
The foreign reference, Canadian offer, forms and Employer Portal entry describe different work.
Presenting a promotional business plan
Optimistic claims replace operating details, financial support and a realistic staffing plan.
Ignoring the foreign company
The application focuses on Canada but does not adequately prove the foreign business and employment history.
Filing before the role is settled
Wage, location, reporting lines or duties change after the employer submits the offer.
Treating LMIA-exempt as evidence-exempt
No LMIA is required, but the employer and employee still carry the burden of proving eligibility.
Assuming the permit is permanent
An ICT work permit is temporary. Permanent residence requires a separate plan and eligibility assessment.
Before the employer files the offer, make sure the story holds together
An ICT review can examine:
- the qualifying corporate relationship
- the employee's foreign work history
- the proposed Canadian category and duties
- specialized-knowledge evidence
- new-office viability
- Employer Portal details
- consistency across corporate records, letters and forms
- temporary-entry and admissibility concerns
Frequently asked questions
Usually not when the transfer qualifies under the International Mobility Program or an applicable international agreement. The employer and employee must still prove that the exemption applies.
No. The employee generally needs to fit an eligible executive, senior managerial or specialized-knowledge category and meet the applicable employment-history requirements.
Possibly. New-office cases require additional evidence showing the foreign company's capacity, the qualifying relationship, suitable Canadian operations and a credible plan that can support the transferred role.
No. Officers look at actual duties, authority, reporting structure and the function being managed. A title alone is not enough.
It generally involves advanced expertise together with proprietary or company-specific knowledge that is important to the Canadian operation. The application should prove the knowledge with concrete work history and supporting records.
The applicable requirement depends on the legal route used. Under the general ICT framework, the employee is normally expected to have qualifying full-time employment with the related foreign company for at least one continuous year within the preceding three years. A trade agreement may use different wording or requirements.
No. It is a temporary work permit. Canadian work experience may later support a separate permanent residence plan, but eligibility must be assessed under the rules in force at that time.
The Canadian employer normally submits the LMIA-exempt offer of employment and pays the employer compliance fee, unless an exemption applies, before the worker submits the work permit application.
You may also want to read
Official resources
International Mobility Program
IRCC: Hire through the International Mobility Program
Employer Portal
LMIA exemptions
IRCC: Find out if an LMIA is required
Free trade agreements
IRCC: Work under a free trade agreement
Official sources checked July 27, 2026. Program rules and processing instructions can change.
Your company knows why the transfer matters. The application must make that clear to the officer.
Immigreen can help organize the corporate relationship, employee history, Canadian role and supporting evidence into a file that is coherent and officer-readable.
Not sure how much professional help you need? You may be able to prepare the matter yourself, work with an RCIC / immigration consultant, or use a lawyer where that is the better fit. Compare lawyer, RCIC, and DIY options.