A new trade agreement for business people, those who are getting transferred by a company to Canada, investors, and professionals from the war-besieged Ukraine quietly came into effect on July 1 this year.
Under the Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement (CUFTA), these foreign nationals are being granted temporary entry into Canada once their applications have been approved.
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has created a new page on its website to explain how these business people and their spouses can apply under CUFTA.
The new trade agreement allows business people to visit Canada for an initial stay of up to six months with possible extensions if the applicant is able to provide documentation that satisfies the processing officer of the applicant’s need to have their stay extended.
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Ukrainian business people can come to Canada under CUFTA for any of the following business activities:
- meetings and consultations
- research and design
- manufacturing and production
- marketing
- sales
- distribution
- after-sales or after-lease services
- general services
- meetings and consultations
Citizens and permanent residents of Ukraine who work for businesses there and are hoping to offer their services to the parent company, one of its subsidiaries or an affiliate in Canada can do so under CUFTA provided they are going to be working as an executive, manager, or a specialist.
At the time of submitting their application, all intra-corporate transferees must meet the following requirements:
- be a citizen or permanent resident of Ukraine
- have been continuously employed by the transferring company for at least one year within the previous three years
- show their employment or partnership was in an enterprise in Ukraine
- be transferred to a qualifying enterprise in Canada
Employees Transferred From Ukraine To Canada Can Qualify Under CUFTA
“The onus is on the applicant to provide evidence that they meet the eligibility requirements of the exemption and will be able to perform the work being sought as stated in the International Mobility Program (IMP) offer of employment,” notes the IRCC.
Applicants must provide the following documents:
- proof of citizenship or permanent residence in Ukraine;
- confirmation that the foreign national is currently employed by an enterprise outside of Canada;
- confirmation that in the three-year period immediately preceding the date of application, the foreign national had been employed continuously outside Canada by the enterprise for one year, and;
- either:
- an offer of employment number generated by the Employer Portal when submitting the offer or;
- the Offer of Employment to a Foreign National Exempt from a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) form if authorized by the client experience branch or immigration program guidance branch to submit the form.
Ukrainians can also apply under CUFTA to establish, develop or administer an investment to which a substantial amount of capital was committed or is in the process of being committed. The foreign national may be the owner of the enterprise committing the funds or an employee of the enterprise.
The applicant must be in a supervisory or executive role or a role which involves essential skills such as setting up a specific franchise or a laboratory.
CUAET Extension Deadline Looming As Program With July 31 Deadline
Professionals from Ukraine hoping to apply under CUFTA must have an IMP offer of employment in an eligible Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities (TEER) 0 or 1 occupation.
They should also have a post-secondary credential of four or more years of study and any additional educational requirements as per their specific occupation in the National Occupational Classification (NOC) system and two years of paid work experience in the sector of activity of the contract.
The launch of CUFTA came only weeks before a deadline for those Ukrainians who have applied to come to Canada under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization For Emergency Travel (CUAET) was set to expire on July 31.
Ukrainians who applied under CUAET have until then to arrive in Canada and apply for an inland study permit and an open work permit free of charge.
Settlement services will remain available to all Ukrainian temporary residents and their dependants in Canada until March 31 next year.
But the one-time financial assistance and the emergency temporary accommodations supports is no longer be available to any CUAET holders who arrived in Canada after March 31 this year.
With CUAET no longer taking applications from overseas, Ukrainians wishing to come to Canada from abroad can apply for a visa or a work or study permit through the IRCC’s existing temporary resident programs but are now subject to fees and standard requirements.
