Find out what qualifies as a business visitor when foreign nationals travel to Canada to conduct business with the assumption that they won’t be applying for jobs there.
Business travelers to Canada are granted some specific employment advantages that are not extended to all foreign workers arriving in this country. One of the benefits is being exempt from needing a work permit for Canada.
Why does Canada let business visitors enter without work permits?
Allowing international businessmen to conduct business in Canada has a significant positive impact on the country’s economic growth. This is so that Canada can maintain its economy, which depends on international collaboration and relationship-building. Canada has reciprocal links with numerous nations through trade agreements and economic alliances that permit Canadians to conduct business there. As a result, Canada functions in a very similar manner since reciprocity is essential to the country’s economic growth.
Taking the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA, formerly known as the North American Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA) as an example, as a member of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and the G7, Canada places great emphasis on making sure that international business can be conducted in Canada easily and smoothly.
Again, because of this, certain business travelers visiting Canada are permitted to enter the country and begin working right away.
Note: To conduct business in Canada, visitors may still need a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) or an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA).
What requirements must foreign nationals satisfy in order to be allowed to travel to Canada on business?
Foreign nationals must present a few things to Canadian authorities before they can enter the country and conduct business. For instance, potential business visitors must:
Show proof that you’re only planning on staying in Canada for up to six months.
Demonstrate that they do not intend to enter the Canadian labor market
Prove that the company’s primary location of operation, as well as its primary source of revenue and profit, is located outside of Canada.
Display the supporting documentation for your application as required.
Satisfy the minimal entrance requirements for Canada
Canada’s fundamental admission requirements include the following with regard to the last bullet on the list above:
Possessing a valid travel authorization (ex. passport)
Having enough money to stay in Canada and go back to your own country
Having a strategy for leaving Canada after their visit
Demonstrating they pose no threat to Canadians’ safety, security, or health
The two sections that follow will now offer the required clarification regarding the precise categories into which Canada subdivides incoming potential business visitors.
Who in Canada is not regarded as a business visitor?
It is crucial that we first make clear the conditions under which a foreign individual traveling to Canada to conduct business is not regarded as a business visitor.
Those going to Canada to carry out tasks requiring practical building and construction
After the signing of the initial sales or lease/rental agreement, individuals arriving in this country work under a service contract arranged by a third party (not the Canadian corporation or a foreign organization operating together).
Foreign workers not protected by a warranty who carry out work in Canada
If the foreign worker entering Canada is employed by a foreign firm that a Canadian organization directly hired for the service. An agreement between a Canadian corporation and a foreign entity in this circumstance constitutes an entry into the Canadian Labor market.
For instance, if a Canadian company hires a U.S. company and the U.S. company sends a team to work on-site in Canada, both U.S. team members would be working there and the foreign company would be paid for their contribution to the project. The Americans in this case would not be considered to be business visitors.
Who in Canada is regarded as a business visitor?
Here are a few instances where visiting foreign nationals are deemed to fit Canada’s definition of business visitors, on the other hand:
Individuals who are responsible for maintaining, repairing, supervising installers, erecting (apart from physical installation like pipefitting), and testing commercial or industrial equipment (ex. computer software)
Individuals wanting to service or repair equipment that was bought or leased outside of Canada, provided that the repairs are covered by the original or extended sales, lease, rental, or guarantee.
Individuals updating software on equipment that has already been purchased or leased
Individuals who install, configure, or instruct others on new software
When contracts for this work have been arranged as a part of the initial sale, lease, or rental agreement or are an extension of the original agreement, individuals handling these agreements must come to Canada.
What opportunities are available to qualified business visitors while they are in Canada?
Here are some diverse activities that a business traveler to Canada can partake in throughout their time in the nation, in keeping with the information previously provided. Business travelers may:
Attend business conferences, conventions, and trade shows
Buy products or services in Canada on behalf of a foreign organization
Order products or services.
Offer after-sales support (excluding hands-on work in the construction trades)
Get training from a Canadian parent corporation to work abroad
Train the staff of a Canadian branch of a foreign corporation
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