International Mobility Program (IMP)
Visa type: 1-year temporary woek permit that can be extended
The International Mobility Program, or IMP for short, is a program that allows Canadian employers to hire the country's needed workforce from among the foreign workforce. The IMP visa is a type of work permit that does not require an LMIA. LMIA is a document issued by the Canadian Labor Department to examine the impact of hiring foreign labor on the country's labor market. If, according to this document, the Canadian labor market needs foreign labor in that particular field, the LMIA will be positive and otherwise it will be negative. In IMP program, there is no need to have an LMIA report, which makes this method faster and easier.
Table of Contents
Programs included under IMP
Various programs can be grouped under the IMP program, only a part of which includes Iranians. Other programs, such as the youth transfer program or the free trade agreement program, are related to countries that have reciprocal agreements with Canada.
| Table Header | Table Header |
|---|---|
|
ICT |
For company owners who intend to open a branch of their company in Canada |
|
Entrepreneurs Program |
For entrepreneurship applicants in Canada |
|
Open work permit
|
For people who entered Canada as a companion or spouse of an applicant for one of the immigration programs |
|
Atlantic Immigration Program |
For people who find working conditions in one of the Atlantic Canadian provinces |
|
Post-graduation work permit? |
For people who intend to stay in this country by obtaining a work permit after completing their studies in Canada. |
IMP conditions
The conditions for obtaining an IMP visa differ depending on the chosen program. You can read explanations about ICT and entrepreneurship methods in the relevant articles. However, the general conditions for IMP programs are as follows:
| IMP Condition | Description |
|---|---|
|
Having experience in the business |
At least one year in the last three years |
|
Having Business Plan |
Mandatory |
|
Language Certificate |
IELTS 4 (minimum) |
|
Education Degree |
At least post-diploma |
|
Required financial resources |
At least CAD 150,000 |
|
Economic benefit of business |
The businesses must create jobs in Canada and develop the production of exportable goods in this country. |
IMP visa fees
To get an IMP visa, you have to pay the temporary work permit application fee, in some programs, the employer compliance fee and the biometrics fee. Your costs in this program will be as follows:
Required financial resources for IMP visa
| Costs | Amount |
|---|---|
|
Temporary work permit |
CAD 155 |
|
Employer compliance |
CAD 230 |
|
Biometrics |
CAD 85 for each person, CAD 170 for the whole family |
As with all immigration programs to Canada, you must provide proof of your financial ability to support yourself and your dependents during your stay. The required financial capacity is:
| Number of dependents | Required amount for work permit (CAD) |
|---|---|
|
1 |
26,620 |
|
2 |
33,140 |
|
3 |
40,742 |
|
4 |
49,466 |
|
5 |
56,104 |
|
6 |
63,276 |
|
7 |
70,448 |
|
The amount of required money required for each member is more than 7 people |
7,172 |
Required documents for IMP visa
The required documents can be different depending on the type of program you choose. But the following documents are common documents required in all IMP work permit programs.
Note that a language degree is not mandatory for all IMP programs. For example, in the ICT program, you can apply without having a language certificate, and for the entrepreneurship visa, you will need a module equivalent to IELTS 4 and 5.
How to convert IMP visa to permanent residence
In general, applicants for this program can apply for permanent residence after 1 year of work, management or running a business in Canada. The only difference is the method of applying for this request. People who have an ICT visa must apply for this through the Express Entry program, people who entered the country with labor recruitment programs (post-graduation work permit, Atlantic work permit) with the CEC program or the Canadian work experience program. They convert their visas and the people who participated in the entrepreneurship program directly send their application to the immigration office.
Duration of IMP visa issuance
According to the Canadian Immigration Department, the processing time for temporary work permit cases is 38 weeks, and this time is regardless of the time you need to prepare the required documents. The case of applicants who have skills that bring a high economic benefit to Canada (occupations whose NOC code is TEER 0 or TEER 1) under the Global Skills Strategy or GSS program will be processed within 2 weeks.
What factors cause IMP visa rejection?
If you fail to provide strong documents for your business (a strong business plan) or if you have a history of tourist visa rejection or weak travel history, your case may be rejected. Also, choosing densely populated cities like Vancouver and Toronto to transfer the company and ICT program also increases the possibility of rejection of the case.
