The agreement allows citizens of Chile to work in Canada without a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).
More than 60 occupations and intra-company transferees may be hired by Canadian employers through this agreement.
CCFTA is modeled based on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and therefore most of the requirements and procedures are identical. Like in NAFTA, CCFTA facilitates temporary entry of four categories of persons into Canada.
Among these are:
Canadian employers can benefit from hiring Chilean nationals mainly through the Professional and Intra-Company Transferee categories. All work permits issued under CCFTA are LMIA-exempt. This exemption represents a considerable time saving in the application process.
Professionals from Chile can obtain a CCFTA Work Permit providing that their intended occupation in Canada is on the list of more than 60 approved professions.
A professional from Chile must seek a pre-arranged employment in Canada. This means having an employment offer for a salaried position with a Canadian business. Alternatively, the Canadian company must have a contract with the professional’s employer in Chile.
The qualifications required for a Chilean national to obtain a CCFTA work permit have remained the same as in the NAFTA agreement. Therefore, an applicant must meet the educational and/or work experience credentials as stipulated in the appendix to the original agreement.
All Chilean applicants who want to work in Canada as professionals must meet the below requirements.
The foreign national must:
An applicant for the CCFTA work permit must provide the following documentation:
Since the citizens of Chile do not require visa to enter Canada, applicants for CCFTA work permit for Professionals may apply on arrival to Canada at an airport, land crossing or harbour. Applicants who wish to obtain an approval prior to departing Chile, must apply online or by mail to the visa office in Chile.
CCFTA Work Permits are processed at a Canadian Port-of-Entry (POE) with all the supporting documentation momentarily. If the foreign national chooses to apply in advance through a visa office in Chile, the processing times are based on the standard processing times for work permits at the responsible office. Click here to verify the current processing times.
The validity of a CCFTA work permit is up to 3 years with the option to renew for up to 3 years each time. There is no restriction on the number of renewals as long as the applicant meets the requirements as a professional.
Accountant, Architect, Computer Systems Analyst, Disaster Relief Insurance Claims Adjuster, Economist, Engineer, Forester, Graphic Designer, Hotel Manager, Industrial Designer, Interior Designer, Land Surveyor, Landscape Architect, Lawyer (including Notary in the Province of Quebec), Librarian, Management Consultant, Mathematician (including statistician and Actuary), Range Manager/Range Conservationist, Research assistant (working in a post-secondary educational institution), Scientific Technician/ Technologist, Social Worker, Silviculturist (including Forestry Specialist), Technical Publications Writer, Urban Planner (including Geographer), Vocational Counsellor
Dentist, Dietitian, Medical Laboratory Technologist, Nutritionist, Occupational Therapist, Pharmacist, Physician (teaching or research only), Physiotherapist/Physical Therapist, Psychologist, Recreational Therapist, Registered Nurse, Veterinarian
Agriculturist (including Agronomist), Animal Breeder, Animal Scientist, Apiculturist, Astronomer, Biochemist, Biologist (including Plant Pathologist), Chemist, Dairy Scientist, Entomologist, Epidemiologist, Geneticist, Geologist, Geochemist, Geophysicist, Horticulturist, Meteorologist, Pharmacologist, Physicist (including Oceanographer in Canada), Plant Breeder, Poultry Scientist, Soil Scientist, Zoologist
College, Seminary, University
The NAFTA agreement rules apply identically to Chilean intra-company transferees.
Additionally, the applicant must be employed in executive or managerial position or one involving “specialized knowledge.” The applicant must be transferring to a company that is in a parent, branch, subsidiary, or affiliate relationship to the Chilean counterpart. Finally, e or she must be performing duties in Canada in the same capacity as in Chile.
Therefore, in order to qualify under this category, the applicant must be an employee of a Chilean enterprise for at least one year (full-time) within the three-year period immediately preceding the initial date of a CCFTA work permit application.
Additionally, the applicant must be employed in executive or managerial position or one involving “specialized knowledge.” The applicant must be transferring to a company that is in a parent, branch, subsidiary, or affiliate relationship to the Chilean counterpart. Finally, he or she must be performing duties in Canada in the same capacity as in Chile.
All Chilean applicants for intra-company transferees must meet the below requirements.
The foreign national must:
An applicant for the Intra-Company Transferee must provide the following documentation:
Note that officers may request tangible proofs to establish the relationship between the Canadian and Chilean enterprises.
Since the citizens of Chile do not require visa to enter Canada, applicants for CCFTA work permit for Intra-Company Transferees may apply on arrival to Canada at an airport, land crossing or harbour (also known as Port-of-Entry). Applicants who wish to obtain an approval prior to departing Chile, must apply online or by mail to the visa office in Chile.
CCFTA Work Permits are processed at a Canadian Port-of-Entry (POE) with all the supporting documentation momentarily. If the foreign national chooses to apply in advance through a visa office in Chile, the processing times are based on the standard processing times for work permits at the responsible office. Click here to verify the current processing times.
Identically to NAFTA, intra-company transferees are a subject of a cap for the total time they may stay in Canada with a CCFTA work permit.
As a rule, intra-company transferees can be issued an initial work permit of up to three years. None the less, individuals permitted to enter Canada to open an office or to be employed in a new office are issued an initial permit for a maximum period of one year.
Extensions can be granted for a duration of up to two years if the person continues to comply with the requirements for intra-company transferees.
Participants in executive or managerial capacity may not exceed seven years in total.
Correspondingly, participants in positions requiring specialized knowledge may not exceed five years in total.
