Canada has its Foreign Trade Agreements (FTA) with many foreign countries. These agreements facilitate the mobility and exchange of foreign workers between the participating countries. The employees entering Canada through this category need a work permit, but are exempt from the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).
Canada is a party to following agreements. The eligibility and entry conditions are different in each one of them, but the same LMIA exemption applies.
1. NAFTA – The North American Free Trade Agreement It is the largest FTA to which Canada is a party. 2. CETA – The Canada-European Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) This agreement with Chile, Peru, Columbia and Korea grants permission to visitors, professionals, intra-company transferees, and traders and investors to work in Canada. 3. GATS – The General Agreement on Trade in Services This agreement authorizes professionals to enter Canada as a professional or an intra-company transferee.