Work Permits · International Agreements Hub
Free Trade Agreement Work Permits
Canada’s trade agreements: CUSMA, the CPTPP, CETA, the Canada–UK agreement and a family of bilateral FTAs, open LMIA-exempt work permits for professionals, technicians, intra-company transferees, traders and investors. The right agreement depends on your passport; the right category depends on your file.
No
LMIA required
T & F
Exemption code series across the agreements
10+
Agreements: CUSMA, CPTPP, CETA, UK & bilaterals
POE
Port-of-entry filing possible for visa-exempt applicants
The framework
How trade agreements unlock work permits
Under IRPR paragraph 204(a), work permits can issue without an LMIA where an international agreement provides for it. IRCC maintains instructions for each agreement: CUSMA (U.S. and Mexico), the CPTPP (Pacific partners), CETA (the EU), the Canada–UK Trade Continuity Agreement, and bilateral agreements with Chile, Colombia, Korea, Panama, Peru and Ukraine, plus GATS for professionals from WTO members.
Each agreement defines its own categories, typically professionals (listed occupations with credential requirements), intra-company transferees, and traders and investors, each with its own documentary tests, exemption codes and, in some agreements, hard time caps or spousal work rights.
These permits are employer-specific and still require an Employer Portal offer, but skip the labour-market test entirely. Start with the dedicated pages: CUSMA work permits, CPTPP work permits, CETA work permits, or compare the other LMIA-exempt permits.
The categories
Three doors, per agreement
Which door, and which agreement, depends on citizenship, occupation and corporate structure. The tests differ more than people expect.
Most used
Professionals
Listed occupations with credential requirements, under CUSMA’s Appendix 2, the CPTPP’s country annexes, CETA’s service-supplier sectors, the Canada–UK agreement and the bilateral FTAs.
- CUSMA: 63 professions for US & Mexican citizens
- CPTPP, CETA, UK & bilaterals: own lists & tests
- GATS: defined professions from WTO members
Intra-company transferees
Executives, senior managers and specialized-knowledge employees moving within a corporate family, available in nearly every agreement, alongside the general C61–C63 provisions.
- Qualifying corporate relationship
- One year of qualifying employment (typically)
- Executive, managerial or specialized knowledge
Traders & investors
For substantial trade between treaty countries, or substantial investments in Canada, supervisory, executive or essential-skills roles connected to that trade or investment.
- Substantial trade or investment test
- Supervisory, executive or essential roles
- Detailed financial documentation required
Step by step
How a free-trade application works
01
Confirm the category
Passport first: which agreement covers you. Then occupation and credentials against that agreement’s list.
02
Employer files the offer
Employer Portal offer of employment with compliance fee.
03
Build the evidence
Credentials, corporate documents or trade/investment records per category.
04
Apply — POE or online
Visa-exempt applicants can often apply at the border; visa-required nationals file online in advance.
05
Renew & plan PR
Extensions are common; PR strategy should start early.
Before you rely on it
The essentials of a free-trade application
Free-trade permits look simple and refuse hard, the categories are precise, and near-misses fail. What must line up:
- Citizenship of a treaty country (permanent residence is generally not enough)
- An occupation that actually matches the agreement\u2019s list and credential rules
- The right documentary package for your category, professional, ICT, trader or investor
- Employer Portal compliance on the Canadian side
Strategy
When free trade beats the alternatives
For a qualifying candidate, a treaty permit can be measured in days at a port of entry rather than months of LMIA processing, and it renews cleanly while PR plans mature.
Work with me
How I help
For applicants
Professionals & transferees
- Occupation-list and credential matching before you commit
- Port-of-entry packages prepared to survive scrutiny
- Corporate documentation for ICT and investor categories
- Renewals and the transition to permanent residence
For employers
Cross-border hiring
- Route comparison: treaty vs LMIA vs other exemptions
- Employer Portal filings and compliance
- Corporate structures that support ICT moves
- Workforce planning across treaty markets
Good to know
Free-trade permit questions, answered
CUSMA (U.S., Mexico), the CPTPP (Australia, Brunei, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam), CETA (EU member states), the Canada–UK Trade Continuity Agreement, and bilateral FTAs with Chile, Colombia, Korea, Panama, Peru and Ukraine. GATS covers professionals from WTO members in defined occupations.
Citizenship controls. A German engineer looks to CETA; a Japanese executive to the CPTPP; an American consultant to CUSMA. Some nationalities, Mexico and Chile among them, are covered by more than one agreement, and the requirements differ, so the comparison is worth doing before filing.
IRCC restructured the LMIA exemption codes for trade agreements: CUSMA categories now use T34–T38, the CPTPP uses T50–T55, CETA uses T41–T48, and the Canada–UK agreement uses F60–F67. Older references to codes like T23 or T24 are out of date.
No. The LMIA is skipped; employer compliance is not. The Canadian employer (or the applicant, where self-supported categories apply) files an offer of employment through the Employer Portal, pays the compliance fee and remains bound by its terms.
The International Mobility Program has non-treaty routes, significant benefit (C10), entrepreneurs (C11), intra-company transfers (C61–C63), and the LMIA process remains the default. The right route is a comparison exercise, not a guess.
Official Sources & Notes
Official sources: IRCC program delivery instructions – International free trade agreements · IRPR s. 204 (Justice Laws) · IRCC – LMIA exemption codes
This information is current as of July 2026 and is provided for general information only. It is not legal advice. Immigration programs, fees and requirements change frequently, and eligibility always depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, please book a consultation.
Cross borders the fast, compliant way
If your passport, occupation or corporate structure might open a free-trade door, find out before choosing a slower route. Book a consultation for the honest comparison.