(Photo: Lake Louise - Alberta Canada)
Search Canadian Job Sites in the City/Province you want to work. Apply for the Job and ensure that the Canadian Employer will assist in obtaining your NAFTA Work Visa.
What requirements apply to professionals?
The following requirements apply:
- citizenship of the U.S. or Mexico;
- profession identified in Appendix 1603.D.1;
- qualification to work in that profession (degree or certification in a related educational program);
- pre-arranged employment with a Canadian employer;
- provision of professional level services in the field of qualification as indicated in the Appendix; and
- compliance with existing immigration requirements for temporary entry.
Appendix 1603.D.1, a list of over 60 occupations, is the mechanism by which selected professionals can enter Canada to provide their services.
The Appendix is a complete list and cannot be interpreted. Generally, if an occupation does not appear on the list, it is not a profession as defined by Appendix 1603.D.1. However, officers should allow for alternative job titles in instances where the job duties are interchangeable. This can be confirmed by referring to the National Occupational Classification (NOC).
The footnotes contained in Appendix 1603.D.1 form part of the Appendix as it appears in the NAFTA. Notes in italics were added to assist officers in understanding the requirements for the Professionals category generally and some individual professions (e.g., management consultant).
The Minimum Education Requirements and Alternative Credentials indicated for each profession are minimum criteria for entry and do not necessarily reflect the educational requirements, accreditation or licensing necessary to practice a profession in Canada.
Professionals can also be authorized to enter Canada as business visitors (General Service provision of Appendix 1603.A.1) when they are not seeking to enter the labour market (meet criteria applicable to business visitors) but will be performing activities such as soliciting business, consulting, providing advice and meeting clients.
| PROFESSION1 | MINIMUM EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS AND ALTERNATIVE CREDENTIALS | |
General | ||
Accountant | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or C.P.A., C.A., C.G.A. or C.M.A. | |
| Architect | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license2 | |
| Computer Systems Analyst | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or PostSecondary Diploma3 or PostSecondary Certificate4, and three years experience | |
| Disaster Relief Insurance Claims Adjuster (claims Adjuster employed by an insurance company located in the territory of a Party, or an independent claims adjuster) | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree, and successful completion of training in the appropriate areas of insurance adjustment pertaining to disaster relief claims; or three years experience in claims adjustment and successful completion of training in the appropriate areas of insurance adjustment pertaining to disaster relief claims. | |
| Economist | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree | |
| Engineer | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license | |
| Forester | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license | |
| Graphic Designer | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or PostSecondary Diploma or PostSecondary Certificate, and three years experience | |
| Hotel Manager | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree in hotel/restaurant management; or PostSecondary Diploma or PostSecondary Certificate in hotel/restaurant management, and three years experience in hotel/restaurant management | |
| Industrial Designer | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or PostSecondary Diploma or PostSecondary Certificate, and three years experience | |
| Interior Designer | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or PostSecondary Diploma or PostSecondary Certificate, and three years experience | |
| Land Surveyor | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial/federal license | |
| Landscape Architect | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree | |
| Lawyer (including Notary in the Province of Quebec) | LL.B., J.D., LL.L., B.C.L. or Licenciatura Degree (five years); or membership in a state/provincial bar | |
| Librarian | M.L.S. or B.L.S. (for which another Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree was a prerequisite) | |
| Management Consultant | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or equivalent professional experience as established by statement or professional credential attesting to five years experience as a management consultant, or five years experience in a field of specialty related to the consulting agreement | |
| Mathematician (including Statistician) | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree | |
| Range Manager/Range Conservationalist | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree | |
| Research Assistant (working in a post-secondary educational institution) | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree | |
| Scientific Technician/Technologist5 | Possession of (a) theoretical knowledge of any of the following disciplines: agricultural sciences, astronomy, biology, chemistry, engineering, forestry, geology, geophysics, meteorology or physics; and (b) the ability to solve practical problems in any of those disciplines, or the ability to apply principles of any of those disciplines to basic or applied research | |
| Social Worker | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree | |
| Sylviculturist (including Forestry Specialist) | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree | |
| Technical Publications Writer | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or PostSecondary Diploma or PostSecondary Certificate, and three years experience | |
| Urban Planner (including Geographer) | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree | |
| Vocational Counsellor | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree | |
| Medical/Allied Professional | ||
| Dentist | D.D.S., D.M.D., Doctor en Odontologia or Doctor en Cirugia Dental; or state/provincial license | |
| Dietitian | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license | |
| Medical Laboratory Technologist (Canada)/Medical Technologist (Mexico and the United States)6 | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or Post-Secondary Diploma or Post-Secondary Certificate, and three years experience | |
| Nutritionist | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree | |
| Occupational Therapist | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license | |
| Pharmacist | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license | |
| Physician (teaching or research only) | M.D. or Doctor en Medicina; or state/provincial license | |
| Physiotherapist/Physical Therapist | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license | |
| Psychologist | State/provincial license; or Licenciatura Degree | |
| Recreational Therapist | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree | |
| Registered Nurse | State/provincial license; or Licenciatura Degree | |
| Veterinarian | D.V.M., D.M.V. or Doctor en Veterinaria; or state/provincial license | |
Scientist | ||
| Agriculturist (including Agronomist) | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree | |
| Animal Breeder | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree | |
| Animal Scientist | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree | |
| Apiculturist | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree | |
| Astronomer | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree | |
| Biochemist | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree | |
| Biologist | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree | |
| Chemist | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree | |
| Dairy Scientist | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree | |
| Entomologist | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree | |
| Epidemiologist | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree | |
| Geneticist | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree | |
| Geologist | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree | |
| Geochemist | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree | |
| Geophysicist (including Oceanographer in Mexico and the United States) | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree | |
| Horticulturist | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree | |
| Meteorologist | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree | |
| Pharmacologist | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree | |
| Physicist (including Oceanographer in Canada) | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree | |
| Plant Breeder | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree | |
| Poultry Scientist | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree | |
| Soil Scientist | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree | |
| Zoologist | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree | |
Teacher | ||
| College | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree | |
| Seminary | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree | |
| University | Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree | |
