Intra-Company Transfer

Intra-Company Transfer (ICT) is not a single visa but a category of route offered by several countries, allowing a multinational employer to move existing staff from an overseas office to a branch, subsidiary or affiliate in the destination country. This page treats Canada as the lead, while also covering the equivalent routes in Ireland and Spain.

In Canada, the ICT is a work permit under the International Mobility Program. It is LMIA-exempt - no labour market test is required - making it considerably faster and lighter than standard work permits. It covers executives, senior managers and specialised-knowledge workers.

Ireland's Intra-Company Transfer Employment Permit allows transfers of senior managers, key personnel and trainees from an overseas branch, with a higher minimum-salary threshold for managers and key staff. Spain offers an ICT residence permit under its Entrepreneurs Law, processed quickly through the Large Companies and Strategic Sectors Unit, covering managers, specialists and trainees within the EU's intra-corporate transferee framework.

The common thread is a genuine multinational with a real overseas operation and an employee with the necessary tenure and role.

Across all three countries, you must already work for the overseas entity and that entity must have a qualifying corporate relationship - parent, branch, subsidiary or affiliate - with the destination-country employer.

For Canada, you generally need to have worked for the foreign company for at least one continuous year within the past three years, in an executive, senior managerial or specialised-knowledge capacity. Ireland requires at least six months' prior employment with the overseas company for managers and key personnel (longer in practice for some), and meeting the salary thresholds set for the permit. Spain's ICT permit requires a prior employment relationship with the group, typically of several months, and a recognised managerial, specialist or trainee role. In each case the destination role must mirror the seniority or specialisation of your overseas position.

In Canada, the employer prepares evidence of the qualifying corporate relationship, your one year of qualifying overseas employment and the nature of both roles. Because the ICT work permit is LMIA-exempt, the employer submits an offer of employment through the Employer Portal and pays the compliance fee; you then apply for the work permit online or, for some nationals, at a port of entry.

In Ireland, the employer or employee applies to the Department of Enterprise for an Intra-Company Transfer Employment Permit before travel, submitting the corporate relationship, salary details and job description; the permit must be approved before you enter.

In Spain, the application for the ICT residence permit is filed with the Large Companies and Strategic Sectors Unit, which is known for fast decisions, after which you collect a visa where required and register on arrival. In all three, gather corporate organigrams, employment contracts and detailed role descriptions early - the corporate relationship is the most scrutinised element everywhere.

In Canada, the employer pays the CAD 230 employer compliance fee, and you pay the CAD 155 work permit fee plus CAD 85 biometrics; an open work permit for your spouse carries its own fee. Ireland's Intra-Company Transfer Employment Permit costs EUR 1,000 for a permit of more than six months (EUR 500 for shorter), usually paid by the employer. Spain's ICT permit involves government processing fees of roughly EUR 70-90 plus consular visa fees where a visa is needed. Across all three, budget for document legalisation, translations and relocation. Salary thresholds in Ireland and Spain are a financial requirement on the employer rather than a fee.

Canada's LMIA-exempt ICT work permit is comparatively fast - weeks rather than months - because no labour market test is needed; port-of-entry applications for eligible nationals can be near-immediate. Ireland's Intra-Company Transfer Employment Permit typically takes several weeks to process and must be granted before travel. Spain's ICT permit, handled by the Large Companies Unit, is among the quicker EU routes, often decided within around 20 working days. In each case the corporate-relationship evidence drives the timeline.

In Canada, the ICT work permit is employer-specific and generally issued for up to three years, extendable, with overall limits of seven years for executives and managers and five years for specialised-knowledge workers; spouses can obtain an open work permit. Canadian ICT time can support Express Entry and the path to permanent residence.

Ireland's permit is tied to the employer and the EU intra-corporate transfer is time-limited (up to three years for managers and specialists, one year for trainees); it does not itself lead directly to long-term residence, though other Irish routes can follow. Spain's ICT permit is similarly time-limited under the EU framework but can count toward eventual long-term EU residence after the required years of legal stay. Always check each country's specific PR pathway before relying on it.