Business Visitor

In many cases, business visitors to Canada do not require a Canadian work permit. A business visitor is a foreign national who comes to Canada to participate in international business activities, but who will not enter the Canadian labour market.

Canada is one of the world’s largest economies, attracting thousands of short-term business visitors each year. With an international market-oriented economy and as a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation (OECD) and the Group of 7 (G7), as well as signatory to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Canada strives to ensure that international business visitors can come to Canada on business trips.

Business visitors must demonstrate the following:

• they plan to stay for less than six months,
• they do not plan to enter the Canadian labour market,
• the main place of business, and source of income and profits, is outside Canada,
• they have documents that support their application and
• they meet Canada’s basic entry requirements, because they
  • have a valid travel document, such as a passport,
  • have enough money for their stay and to return home,
  • plan to leave Canada at the end of your visit, and
  • are not a criminal, security or health risk to Canadians.

There are a number of reasons why an individual may come to Canada as a business visitor, including:

• Attending business meetings, conferences, conventions, fairs, etc;
• Buying Canadian goods or services on behalf of a foreign entity;
• Taking orders for goods or services;
• Providing after-sales service, excluding hands-on work in the construction trades;
• Being trained by a Canadian parent company for work outside of Canada; and
• Training employees of a Canadian subsidiary of a foreign company.

Business visitors to Canada may require a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) or an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA).

Allowing international business people to do business in Canada is important for the continued economic success of the country. Similarly, countries that have trade agreements and strong economic partnerships with Canada generally allow Canadian business visitors to enter their countries as smoothly as possible. Visa reciprocity is an important aspect of Canada’s business outlook and economic success.

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