Moving To Canada Under CUSMA

If you happen to be a citizen of the United States or Mexico, you can work or conduct your own business in Canada via CUSMA. Eligible citizens can directly follow their professional goals in Canada. The Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) lets traders, workers, and investors arrive in Canada sans the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) process. CUSMA was called the North American Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA prior to July 1, 2020. CUSMA work permit applicants, apart from CUSMA investors, coming from the U.S. directly will be able to apply at a port of entry.

You will find that there are four types of CUSMA categories:

• CUSMA Professionals;
• CUSMA Investors;
• CUSMA Traders;
• CUSMA Intra-Company Transfers;

Which one do you need?

All the categories have their own individual eligibility requirements.

CUSMA Professionals must have a pre-arranged job offer in Canada in any of the eligible professions. Altogether, 63 eligible occupations are belonging to the fields of medicine, education, science, etc. qualify for this category.

CUSMA Traders are allowed in Canada if they are planning to execute a substantial trade of goods or services between the U.S. or Mexico and Canada. A “substantial trade” happens when 50% of the trade is completed between Canada and any other CUSMA country.

CUSMA Investors are required to make a substantial investment in an upcoming or existing Canadian business, and prove that they want to come to Canada in order to take the business forward.

CUSMA Intra-Company Transfers cater to U.S. or Mexican workers who want to transfer to a Canadian branch of the company. The transfer should only be for temporary work in Canada.

Eligible candidates should have worked for their employers n a similar position if they want to qualify. The position should be executive, managerial, or related to specialized knowledge.