What roles qualify for an intra-company transfer?

Three categories: executives, who direct the organization or a major function with wide decision-making latitude; senior managers, who manage the organization, a department, or a function with real authority over staffing; and specialized-knowledge workers, who hold proprietary or advanced knowledge of the company's products, processes, or management not widely available elsewhere.

Does the Canadian entity need to be operating for a certain time first?

Not necessarily — new-office transfers are permitted, but they face significantly more scrutiny. Officers look for real premises, a credible business plan, financing, and a genuine plan to support the transferred position, since a shell 'office' set up only to justify the transfer is the category's leading refusal cause.

How much prior employment with the foreign company is required?

A commonly referenced benchmark is roughly one year of full-time, continuous, qualifying employment with the foreign entity within the preceding three years — but the applicable period and its details can vary by the specific program and facts, so this shouldn't be treated as a fixed universal rule. We confirm the requirement for your actual situation.

Is an ICT faster than an LMIA?

Usually, because it skips the ESDC LMIA stage and its recruitment requirements entirely. But a poorly evidenced ICT claim is slower than a strong LMIA, because refusals restart the process. The exemption only helps if the category genuinely fits the facts.

Can an ICT lead to permanent residence?

It can — Canadian experience gained on an ICT permit can support Express Entry's Canadian Experience Class or provincial nominee streams, and some employers plan the transfer with a PR pathway in view from the start. No permit guarantees PR; we plan the transfer with that long-term goal in mind regardless.

For multinational employers

Intra-Company Transfer

An intra-company transfer lets a multinational move an executive, senior manager, or specialized-knowledge employee to a genuinely operating Canadian parent, subsidiary, branch, or affiliate without an LMIA. The exemption is real — but officers scrutinize the corporate relationship, the role, and especially new-office transfers closely. We build the corporate and personal evidence the category actually requires before the offer is filed.

Short answer

An intra-company transfer (ICT) lets a multinational company move an executive, senior manager, or specialized-knowledge employee to a genuinely operating Canadian parent, subsidiary, branch, or affiliate without an LMIA. It generally requires the employee to have at least a year of qualifying employment with the foreign entity in the preceding three years, and officers apply the specialized-knowledge and executive/senior-manager tests strictly. New-office transfers face particular scrutiny over real premises, financing, and staffing plans. IRCC officers decide whether the claimed category and the resulting application are approved.

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Who it's for

Multinational companies expanding into Canada through a new office or affiliate
Established Canadian subsidiaries transferring executives or senior managers from abroad
Companies transferring specialized-knowledge employees whose expertise isn't easily replaced locally
Founders and leadership teams planning a Canadian entity's first transferred staff
Employers who need the corporate relationship between entities properly documented
Businesses whose previous ICT application was refused and needs the file rebuilt

Common scenarios

New office in Canada

Your foreign company is opening its first Canadian location and wants its own person running it. We build the premises, staffing, and business-plan evidence that new-office transfers face extra scrutiny over.

Established subsidiary, key transfer

Your Canadian entity has operated for years and now needs an executive or specialized-knowledge employee moved in. We verify the corporate relationship and the employee's qualifying history before filing.

Specialized knowledge, tested strictly

You want to transfer someone with deep, proprietary expertise in your systems or processes. We document that knowledge specifically, since officers apply the specialized-knowledge test strictly and ordinary familiarity doesn't qualify.

Evidence checklist

Corporate documents proving a genuine parent, subsidiary, branch, or affiliate relationship: ownership charts, registrations, shareholder agreements
Evidence of the employee's qualifying employment history with the foreign entity in an executive, senior-manager, or specialized-knowledge role
A detailed description of duties performed abroad, matched to the transfer category claimed
Proof the Canadian entity is genuinely active and operating: premises, staffing, financials
For new-office transfers, a credible business plan and financing evidence supporting the position
A description of the transferee's proposed Canadian role and reporting structure
The offer of employment filed through the IRCC Employer Portal with the compliance fee paid
Wage evidence consistent with the mainstream rate for the occupation

Exact requirements vary by program and profile — treat this as a planning baseline, not advice on your specific file.

Process overview

Corporate relationship review

We verify the qualifying relationship between the foreign and Canadian entities with real ownership and control documentation, not a nominal paper link.

Category and role match

We test whether the transferee's actual duties meet the executive, senior-manager, or specialized-knowledge threshold — the category that gets the most officer scrutiny.

Employer Portal filing

We prepare the offer of employment with the correct exemption code, business evidence, and wage data, and pay the compliance fee.

Transferee application

We build the worker's own permit application around the corporate and role evidence, and manage it through to decision.

Risks & common mistakes

Calling ordinary company knowledge 'specialized knowledge'.

Officers apply this test strictly, looking for proprietary or advanced expertise not widely available. Build genuine evidence of it, or choose a different route.

Using a shell entity for a new-office transfer.

New-office ICTs face particular scrutiny for real premises, financing, and staffing plans. Thin corporate substance is the leading refusal cause in this category.

Assuming any manager title qualifies as 'senior manager'.

The category requires real authority over staffing and operational decisions, not a title alone. Document the scope of authority actually held.

Treating the qualifying-employment period as a fixed universal rule.

The commonly referenced one-year-in-three benchmark can vary by program and facts. Confirm the applicable period for your specific case before relying on it.

Related pathways

LMIA-Exempt Options Employers Overview Global Talent Stream

Frequently asked questions

Next step

Get the corporate evidence right before the offer is filed.

Every file starts with an honest assessment: what you qualify for, what the evidence needs to show, and what the realistic timeline looks like. We prepare the strongest possible application — and we're direct with you about risk, because the final decision on every application rests with the officer, never with us.

Tell us about your situation

We review every enquiry and reply within one business day.