Ways to Move to Canada with CUSMA
                     Ways to Move to Canada With CUSMA
To work or do business in Canada, eligible citizens of the United States and Mexico may bypass some red 
tapes.  Workers, dealers, and investors may now travel to Canada without having to go through the Labor 
Market Impact  Assessment (LMIA) process, according to a new agreement between Canada, the United 
States, and Mexico  (Cuba) (CUSMA). Before July 1, 2020, CUSMA was known as the North American Free 
Trade Agreement, or  NAFTA.
Unless they are CUSMA Investors, CUSMA work permit applicants traveling directly from the United States 
may  submit their applications at a border crossing.
There are four different sorts of CUSMA categories:
CUSMA Professionals
CUSMA Intra-Company Transfers 
 CUSMA Traders
CUSMA Investors
CUSMA Background
The CUSMA results from an advantageous economic agreement that was established between Canada, the  
United States, and Mexico.
Chapter 16 of the CUSMA is limited to the temporary admission of chosen business individuals and does not  
address permanent entry. Therefore, it has no impact on the right to permanent residency. The temporary  
entrance is defined under the Agreement as an entry with no intention of establishing permanent residence.
United States, Mexico, and Canada are all obligated to comply with various duties under the CUSMA. They  
include printing a public awareness brochure on temporary admission under the CUSMA and the distribution  
of statistical information, among others.
www.emigratecanada.com
The rising public perception of the CUSMA and the necessity of sharing information with our CUSMA 
partners  necessitates that the data submitted into the GCMS be as precise and complete as possible to 
achieve our  reporting and statistical duties.
Periodically, a trilateral Temporary Entrance Working Group, comprised of officials from departments with 
inter-  est in the temporary entry of employees, meets to monitor and administer Chapter 16 of the CUSMA, 
which  governs the implementation and administration of temporary access. This working group is co-
chaired by the  Director of Temporary Resident Policy and Programs (SST) and immigration authorities from 
the United States  and Mexico. The Working Group is also tasked with developing measures to enable the 
temporary immigration  of business people on a reciprocal basis, which will be discussed later.
Ways to Move to Canada With CUSMA: Professionals
CUSMA professionals must have a job offer or a contract in one of the targeted professions in Canada to be 
 eligible for the programme. There are 63 skilled occupations in the fields of medicine, education, science, 
and  other subjects.
Depending on the vocation, applicants must show proof of their educational degrees and documentation of 
their  work experience in the sector. It is not intended for individuals who seek to establish their own 
businesses in  Canada.
It is also permissible for CUSMA Professionals to go to Canada as business guests, providing that the 
traveller  is not actively soliciting employment or advising clients, nor is the traveller meeting with any of the 
latter.
Work permits are valid for three years. They may then be renewed for up to three years and unlimited times  
provided that the professionals continue to satisfy all of the requirements. Immigration officers, on the other  
hand, must be confident that the work is still temporary and that the applicant is not seeking to circumvent  
ordinary immigration procedures by using CUSMA entry.
Ways to Move to Canada With CUSMA: Intra-Company Transfers
Employees from the United States or Mexico who are transferring to a Canadian branch may be eligible for  
CUSMA Intra-Firm Transfers.
The move must be made solely to obtain temporary work in Canada. To be eligible, candidates must have  
held a position equivalent to the one they would be taking up in Canada for their U.S. or Mexican employer  
for at least one of the three years before their application. In addition, they must be currently employed by  
the company at the time of application.
They must be in a managerial, executive, or specialized knowledge function to be considered for this 
position.
CUSMA Traders
CUSMA Traders must be in Canada to undertake a significant trade in goods or services between Canada 
and  the United States or Mexico, according to the rules of the CUSMA. “Substantial trade” is defined as 
trade in  which more than 50% of the value of the goods and services traded is between Canada and one of 
the other  CUSMA countries. For example, the transaction’s volume or value might account for 50% of the 
total amount  due in the transaction. www.emigratecanada.com
CUSMA Investors
CUSMA investors must make a significant investment in a new or existing Canadian company, and they 
must  intend to expand and oversee the company’s operations in the country after that. Work permits in the 
CUSMA  Investor category may also be provided to personnel who are critical to the firm’s operation.
Temporary Entry for Workers
Under the terms of the USMCA, business people from the United States and Mexico will be able to 
temporarily  access Canada for a variety of activities, including trade, investment, and the exchange of 
goods and services.  In addition, it does away with the need for all those who may be impacted to submit an 
LMIA (Labour Market  Impact Assessment), and it streamlines the whole application process in general.
Travel restrictions apply while entering Canada via CUSMA
It has been brought to our attention by the Canadian Border Services Agency that their job offer must be 
with a  firm or organization that is still in existence. All applicants for CUSMA work visas from any other 
country must  apply for one and get authorization to travel from Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship 
Canada before they  can begin their job in the United States. This group of persons will not be permitted to 
travel, and they will not  be allowed to apply for a CUSMA work visa at a port of entry if they do so.
Foreign nationals seeking work in Canada must also be traveling for a compelling reason to be eligible for  
the position. Workers in critical infrastructure who are CUSMA professionals or intra-company transfers will  
be permitted to enter and may be exempted from compulsory quarantine if they do not exhibit coronavirus  
any signs or symptoms of coronavirus infection.
www.emigratecanada.com