Canada Work Permits for CPTPP Professionals and Technicians

Like the North American Free Trade Agreement and Canada’s Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement with the European Union, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) allows specified skilled professionals and technicians with a job offer or contract in Canada to work for a period of up to one year without a Labour Market Impact Assessment.

Both professionals and technicians must be in specialty occupations that fall within Skill Type 0, Skill Level A or Skill Level B under Canada’s National Occupational Classification (NOC).

Professionals are defined as business persons in a specialty occupation that requires:

  • Theoretical and practical application of a body of specialized knowledge; and
  • A post-secondary degree of four (4) or more years of study, unless otherwise stated, and any additional requirement defined in the NOC; and
  • Two (2) years of paid work experience in the sector they’ll be working in while in Canada; and
  • Remuneration at a level commensurate with other similarly-qualified professionals in the region where the work is to be performed. Such remuneration shall be deemed to not include non-monetary elements such as housing costs and travel expenses.
  • The ability to communicate in either English or French on a satisfactory level by the processing officer.

Technicians are defined as business persons engaged in a specialty occupation that requires:

  • A post-secondary or technical degree requiring two (2) or more years of study as a minimum for entry into the occupation, unless otherwise stated, as well as any other minimum requirements for entry defined in the NOC; and
  • Four (4) years of paid work experience in the sector of activity of the contract; and
  • Remuneration at a level commensurate with other similarly-qualified technicians within the industry in the region where the work is performed. Such remuneration shall be deemed to not include non-monetary elements such as housing costs and travel expenses.
  • The ability to communicate in either English or French on a level that is deemed satisfactory by the processing officer.

Both Professionals and Technicians also must have either of the following:

  • Where the occupation is regulated by the destination province or territory, evidence of licensing or certification in their occupation from the applicable Canadian or foreign regulatory body is required.
  • Where the occupation is not regulated by the destination province or territory, or where licensing or certification is not required to fulfil the offer of employment, evidence of study in a field of study related to the specialty occupation (theoretical) and evidence of paid work experience in the specialty occupation (practical) is required.
  • The ability to communicate in either English or French on a level that is deemed satisfactory by the immigration officer.

Canada allows temporary entry to specific occupations from specific CPTPP signatories, as follows:


Canadian educational requirements for Australian professionals shall be deemed to be met if they have met Australian educational requirements and the Canadian client or employer has provided a letter indicating that their qualifications are satisfactory.

Professionals

All occupations listed in NOC Skill Type 0 and Skill Level A, except for the following:

  • All health, education, and social services occupations and related occupations
  • All professional occupations related to cultural Industries
  • Recreation, sports and fitness program and service directors
  • Managers in telecommunications carriers
  • Managers in postal and courier services
  • Judges and notaries


Technicians

The following occupations listed in the NOC level B, unless otherwise indicated:

  • Civil engineering technologists and technicians
  • Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians Industrial engineering technologists and technicians
  • Construction inspectors and estimators
  • Engineering inspectors, testers and regulatory officers

Supervisors in the following:

  • Machinists and related occupations
  • Printing and related occupations
  • Mining and quarrying
  • Oil and gas drilling and service
  • Mineral and metal processing
  • Petroleum, gas, and chemical processing and utilities
  • Food, beverage, and tobacco processing
  • Plastic and rubber products manufacturing
  • Forest products processing
  • Textile processing

Contractors and supervisors in the following:

  • Electrical trades and telecommunications occupations
  • Pipefitting trades
  • Metal forming
  • Shaping and erecting trades
  • Carpentry trades
  • Mechanic trades
  • Heavy construction equipment crews
  • Other construction trades
  • Installers, repairers, and servicers
  • Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians
  • Electricians
  • Plumbers
  • Industrial instrument technicians and mechanics
  • Aircraft instrument, electrical, and avionics mechanics, technicians, and inspectors
  • Oil and gas well drillers, services, and testers
  • Graphic designers and illustrators
  • Interior designers
  • Computer and information systems technicians*
  • International purchasing and selling agents
  • Architectural technologists and technicians
  • Industrial designers
  • Drafting technologists and technicians
  • Land survey technologists and technicians
  • Technical occupations in geomatics and meteorology

* includes elements of NOC level A

Professionals

  • All occupations listed in NOC Skill Type 0 and Skill Level A, except for the following:
  • All health, education, and social services occupations and related occupations
  • All professional occupations related to cultural Industries
  • Recreation, sports and fitness program and service directors
  • Managers in telecommunications carriers
  • Managers in postal and courier services
  • Judges, lawyers and notaries except for foreign legal consultants
  • Researchers, except for those working in an academic entity

Technicians

NOTE: A Japanese associate’s degree, or the equivalent of such a degree, or higher is required. Canada could refuse temporary entry to a technician with a contract that does not require the significant application of theoretical knowledge in physical sciences, engineering or other natural sciences, or human sciences, such as economics.

  • The following occupations listed in NOC Skill Level B, unless otherwise indicated:
  • Civil engineering technologists and technicians
  • Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians
  • Industrial engineering technologists and technicians
  • Construction inspectors and estimators
  • Engineering inspectors, testers and regulatory officers

Supervisors in the following:

  • Machinists and related occupations
  • Printing and related occupations
  • Mining and quarrying
  • Oil and gas drilling and service
  • Mineral and metal processing
  • Petroleum, gas, and chemical processing and utilities
  • Food, beverage, and tobacco processing
  • Plastic and rubber products manufacturing
  • Forest products processing
  • Textile processing
  • Electrical trades and telecommunications occupations
  • Pipefitting trades
  • Metal forming
  • Shaping and erecting trades
  • Carpentry trades
  • Mechanic trades
  • Heavy construction equipment crews
  • Other construction trades
  • Installers, repairers, and servicers
  • Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians
  • Industrial instrument technicians and mechanics
  • Aircraft instrument, electrical, and avionics mechanics, technicians, and inspectors
  • Oil and gas well drillers, servicers, and testers (excluding operators)
  • Graphic designers and illustrators
  • Interior designers
  • Computer and information systems technicians*
  • International purchasing and selling agents
  • Architectural technologists and technicians
  • Industrial designers
  • Drafting technologists and technicians
  • Land survey technologists and technicians
  • Technical occupations in geomatics and meteorology

    * includes elements of NOC level A

Professionals

  • All health, education, and social services occupations and related occupations
  • All professional occupations related to cultural industries
  • Recreation, sports and fitness program and service directors
  • Managers in telecommunications carriers
  • Managers in postal and courier services
  • Judges, lawyers and notaries except for foreign legal consultants

Technicians

  • Civil engineering technologists and technicians
  • Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians
  • Industrial engineering technologists and technicians
  • Construction inspectors and estimators
  • Engineering inspectors, testers and regulatory officers

Contractors and supervisors in the following:

  • Electrical trades and telecommunications occupations
  • Heavy construction equipment crews
  • Other construction trades
  • Installers, repairers, and servicers
  • Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians
  • Electricians
  • Industrial instrument technicians and mechanics
  • Graphic designers and illustrators
  • Interior designers
  • Computer and information systems technicians*

    * includes elements of NOC level A

Contact Us

Please use the form below to submit your inquiry about getting a work permit and working legally in Canada. One of our work permit specialists will respond with an evaluation of your needs.