Can you move your company to Canada with an ICT work permit?
Yes, if your company already operates in more than one country and you have worked for it in a senior or specialized role. The Intra-Company Transfer (ICT) work permit lets a foreign company send an executive, senior manager or specialized knowledge employee to a related Canadian company. It is exempt from the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) under section 205(a) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR).
This guide walks you through four steps: check eligibility, set up your Canadian company, apply, and build a business that passes renewal.
Moving your company at a glance
Key takeaway
ICT is not a way to start a business from scratch. Officers want an established, revenue-generating company abroad and a real plan for Canada. Immigration rules change often, so confirm the current requirements with a lawyer before you act.
How do you move your company to Canada? The four steps
Most moves need a few months of preparation before you file. Processing times then depend on your citizenship and where you apply, so check the IRCC processing times tool before you set dates.
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Step 01
Check eligibility
Confirm your company is an established multinational and that you hold a qualifying role.
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Step 02
Set up your Canadian company
Incorporate a related company in Canada and decide where to base it.
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Step 03
Apply for the work permit
File proof of both companies, your role, a business plan and a transfer letter.
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Step 04
Arrive and build
Open an office, hire locally and make sales so you can extend your permit.
Step 1: Does your company qualify for an ICT transfer?
Both your company and you, the person being transferred, must meet the requirements. Officers look at substance, not just paperwork.
- Already multinational. Your company must earn revenue in its home country and at least one other country. Canada can’t be its first foreign operation. Transfers under free trade agreements, such as CUSMA or CETA, don’t apply this rule.
- Actively doing business. It must sell goods or services regularly, with staff, customers and revenue, and keep doing so while you hold the permit.
- Operating history. In our practice, 12 months is the practical minimum. Three or more years is much stronger.
- Qualifying role. You work as an executive, senior manager or specialized knowledge employee.
- One year with the company. You need at least 1 year of continuous, full-time work in a similar role within the 3 years before you apply. Part-time work can’t be added up.
- Specialized knowledge is harder. You need both advanced knowledge of the company’s products or processes and advanced expertise. Officers may expect about 2 years with the company.
- Salary. Your Canadian base salary should meet the prevailing wage for the job and city. Officers apply this strictly to specialized knowledge transfers.
- Sales. There is no legal minimum. In our practice, officers tend to look for about CAD $250,000 or more in annual gross sales.
- Funds to expand. We recommend at least CAD $100,000 in accessible funds for your first year in Canada, including your salary, office lease and setup costs.
- A reserve. Keep money beyond year one in case the Canadian company isn’t self-sufficient yet.
- Explain why Canada makes business sense, such as serving North American customers or exporting from Canada.
- Your business plan should tie that reason to real activity: who you will sell to, who you will hire and how you will fund it.
Step 2: How do you set up your Canadian company?
Your Canadian company must be related to your foreign company through ownership and control. Client, supplier, franchise or minority-shareholder links don’t count.
Relationships that qualify
Subsidiary
How it works
Your foreign company owns and controls the Canadian company.
Typical use
The standard setup for a first Canadian office.
Affiliate
How it works
The same person or group owns and controls both companies.
Typical use
Owner-managed businesses where shares are held personally.
Branch
How it works
Your foreign company registers to operate in a province without a separate Canadian corporation.
Typical use
Less common; liability and tax effects need advice first.
Parent
How it works
The Canadian company owns and controls your foreign company.
Typical use
Groups restructuring around a Canadian head office.
Where should you incorporate?
| Federal (CBCA) | Ontario or B.C. | |
|---|---|---|
| Resident directors | At least 25% must be resident Canadians (1 if fewer than 4 directors) | No residency requirement |
| Other provinces | Register extra-provincially where you operate | Register extra-provincially in each other province |
| Best fit | Groups that already have Canadian resident directors | Most ICT founders without Canadian directors |
If you operate in more than one province, you must also register extra-provincially in each one, and some provinces require a local agent for service. Confirm current corporate rules with a Canadian corporate lawyer before you incorporate.
Step 3: What documents do you need for an ICT application?
Your application must prove three things: both companies are real and related, you hold a qualifying role, and the Canadian expansion is viable. Group your evidence around those points.
Registration showing the date the company was established, ownership records, and proof of active business: website, tax filings, licences, commercial lease and payroll remittances.
Employment contract, payslips, personal tax filings, proof of salary or dividends (for owners), an organization chart and reference letters.
Corporate tax returns and sales reports showing gross revenue, plus bank statements showing the funds available to expand.
Articles of Incorporation, share certificates or a shareholder agreement, and any lease or licences. For a new office, include a business plan covering your reason for expanding, activities, investment, cash flow and hiring plan.
A letter from the foreign company describing your current role, the Canadian position, your salary, the length of the transfer and why you are needed in Canada.
Resume, education and professional credentials, travel history, and police certificates or a medical exam if required. Show that you will leave Canada if your status ends.
How long is an ICT work permit valid?
Permit length depends on whether your Canadian office is new and on your category. The officer decides the final length.
| New office (C61) | Executive or senior manager (C62) | Specialized knowledge (C63) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First permit | Up to 1 year | Up to 3 years | Up to 3 years |
| Extensions | Show the office is operating; you may then qualify as C62 or C63 | Up to 2 years at a time | Up to 2 years at a time |
| Maximum total | 1 year as a new office | 7 years | 5 years |
Nationals of some treaty countries may receive different terms. See our <a href="/business-immigration/intra-company-transfer-program/">ICT work permit guide</a> for details on each category.
Can your family come with you on an ICT work permit?
Yes, your spouse and children can come with you. Since January 21, 2025, though, family work permits are more limited. Spouses of workers transferred under free trade agreements, such as CUSMA or CETA, follow separate, more generous rules.
Spouse or partner
Who qualifies
Your spouse can get an open work permit if you work in a TEER 0 or 1 job (most executives and senior managers) and your permit has at least 16 months left when they apply.
Watch out
A 1-year new-office permit usually won’t qualify. Plan your spouse’s status before you file.
Children
School
Minor children can attend preschool, primary and secondary school in Canada.
Work
Dependent children no longer get open work permits.
Step 4: What do officers check when you renew your ICT permit?
Your first permit is approved on a plan. Your renewal is judged on results. By the time you extend, you need proof that the Canadian business is real and still needs you.
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A genuine, active business
You are selling goods or services. You don’t need to be profitable, but the business should be viable.
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A physical office
Officers expect commercial premises in Canada, not a virtual setup.
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Local hiring under way
In our practice, officers expect at least one local employee by renewal.
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Unchanged ties abroad
The foreign company is still operating and the qualifying relationship still exists.
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Your role is still needed
Show that your leadership or expertise is essential to the Canadian team.
Common mistakes that sink ICT files
Canada as your first foreign market
Why it hurts
The general ICT route needs an existing multinational. A company that only operates at home usually won’t qualify.
What works instead
Check for a treaty route, or consider a C11 work permit or a provincial entrepreneur stream.
A shell Canadian company
Why it hurts
No office, staff or sales by renewal is a common reason extensions are refused.
What works instead
Budget for a lease and your first hire from day one.
Salary below the prevailing wage
Why it hurts
Low pay weakens your role, especially for specialized knowledge.
What works instead
Set base salary at or above the Job Bank median for the job and city.
No plan for family or PR
Why it hurts
A 1-year permit can leave your spouse without work rights and little time to build experience for PR.
What works instead
Map out your spouse’s status and your PR route before you file.
What are your paths to permanent residence after an ICT?
An ICT permit is temporary, but the Canadian work experience it gives you can lead to permanent residence. Plan your route before you apply. If you hold a senior management role, see our Express Entry senior managers guide.
Canadian Experience Class
Who it fits
Transferees with 12 months of full-time skilled work (TEER 0 to 3) in Canada.
Key point
Since March 25, 2025, a job offer no longer adds CRS points, so your score must stand on its own.
Senior managers category
Who it fits
Senior managers in NOC 00012 to 00015 with at least 12 months of Canadian work experience in the last 3 years.
Key point
Added in February 2026. Category draws can have lower CRS cut-offs than general draws.
Provincial Nominee Programs
Who it fits
Workers already employed in a province that has a skilled-worker stream.
Key point
A nomination adds 600 CRS points in Express Entry, or leads to a separate PR application.
Federal Skilled Worker Program
Who it fits
Candidates with 1 year of continuous, full-time skilled work, in Canada or abroad, who score at least 67 points on the selection grid.
Key point
Useful if you want to enter the pool before you have 12 months of Canadian experience.
Frequently asked questions about moving your company to Canada
It is an LMIA-exempt work permit under IRPR section 205(a). It lets a multinational company transfer an executive, senior manager or specialized knowledge employee to a related Canadian company: a parent, subsidiary, branch or affiliate.
Usually not. Under IRCC’s updated ICT instructions (2024), the general route requires a company that already earns revenue in at least one country outside its home country. Transfers under free trade agreements, such as CUSMA or CETA, don’t apply this rule. Otherwise, consider the C11 entrepreneur work permit or a provincial entrepreneur stream.
A new Canadian office usually gets up to 1 year at first. Established operations can get up to 3 years, with extensions of up to 2 years at a time. The maximum is 7 years for executives and senior managers and 5 years for specialized knowledge workers.
No. The ICT is LMIA-exempt, so your Canadian company doesn’t need to advertise the job or test the labour market. Your Canadian salary should still meet the prevailing wage for the job and city.
There is no legal minimum. In our practice, officers typically look for about CAD $250,000 or more in annual gross sales, plus at least CAD $100,000 in funds to cover your first year in Canada.
Yes. Your spouse can get an open work permit if you work in a TEER 0 or 1 job and your permit has at least 16 months left. Minor children can attend school, but they no longer qualify for open work permits.
Most transferees use the Canadian Experience Class after 12 months of skilled Canadian work, the Express Entry senior managers category added in 2026, or a Provincial Nominee Program. Job offers no longer add CRS points, so plan your score early.
If your company is too new, isn’t yet multinational, or you haven’t worked there for a year, look at the C11 entrepreneur work permit or a provincial entrepreneur stream with a C60 work permit. The Start-up Visa stopped accepting new applications on December 31, 2025.
Why expand your business to Canada?
Canada combines a stable legal system, access to North American markets and competitive business costs.
What Canada offers your business
Ready to move your company to Canada?
Moving your company is as much a corporate project as an immigration one. We help you choose the right structure, build an application that holds up, and plan for renewal and permanent residence from the start.
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