Immigration, Refugees & Citizenship Canada (IRCC) makes allowance for individuals to come to Canada for business purposes on a short-term basis, without the need for a work permit. This is generally allowed for people who are intending to be in Canada for six months or less, and whose work will not have an adverse effect on the Canadian job market.

Immigration, Refugees & Citizenship Canada (IRCC) makes allowance for individuals to come to Canada for business purposes on a short-term basis, without the need for a work permit. This is generally allowed for people who are intending to be in Canada for six months or less, and whose work will not have an adverse effect on the Canadian job market.

Although IT professionals need work permits for most forms of ongoing work, there are several ways in which they can come to Canada as business visitors. These include the following:

• After-sales service: Canadian business frequently purchase sophisticated equipment or computer systems from international suppliers. These purchases often require installation, configuration or maintenance which has to be done by individuals with proprietary knowledge of the equipment or processes. Therefore, employees of the foreign supplier will usually be allowed to enter Canada as business visitors in order to provide this service.
• Delegates and speakers: Canada is a popular venue for conferences, workshops and seminars, many of which cover IT/technology subjects. Delegates and guest speakers are allowed to travel to Canada to attend and participate in these events without needing to apply for work permits.
• Training course attendees: Many businesses use proprietary computer systems and processes that require knowledge that is not available outside of the company. Foreign employees of a Canadian business may therefore need to travel to Canada for the purposes of receiving training in those systems or processes. Conversely, employees of the Canadian branch of a foreign business may need to receive training delivered by an employee of the international head office. Trainers and training course attendees may enter Canada as business visitors.