Global Talent Stream

Year establishedPublished

2017

Governing lawPublished

Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) and Regulations; administered as a stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program under the 2017 Global Skills Strategy

Responsible authorityPublished

Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) / Service Canada (LMIA), with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issuing the work permit

What the program providesPublished

Get a Canadian employer-sponsored work permit approved in about two weeks through the fast-track Global Talent Stream for in-demand tech and highly specialized roles

No governed customer claim is present for this section.

Minimum ageUnknown

Unknown

Clean criminal record requiredUnknown

Unknown

Local health insurance requiredUnknown

Unknown

Nationality restrictionsPublished

No

Basic eligibilityPublished

A Canadian employer secures LMIA and Labour Market Benefits Plan approval to hire either a uniquely and highly specialized worker (Category A, referred by a designated partner) or a worker for an occupation on the Global Talent Occupations list (Category B); the worker then applies for the resulting employer-specific work permit

Employment statusPublished

Full-time employee

Generational limitPublished

Not applicable

Family sponsorshipPublished

Yes

Spouse includedPublished

Yes

Children includedPublished

Yes

Child age limitUnknown

Unknown

ChildrenPublished

Spouse/common-law partner may apply concurrently for an open work permit (CAD 100 fee); dependent children can generally study in Canada without their own study permit until age 18-19 depending on the province, or with a CAD 150 study permit above that

No governed customer claim is present for this section.

Processing timePublished

2–4 weeks

Can apply without travelingPublished

Yes

How you applyPublished

Employer files the LMIA/Labour Market Benefits Plan online with Service Canada; worker then applies for the work permit online through IRCC, from inside or outside Canada

Required in-person stepPublished

Work-permit issuance and biometrics at a port of entry or visa application centre for many nationalities

What the processing time measuresPublished

Published Service Canada/IRCC service standards: LMIA decided in 10 business days (~2 weeks), then the work permit in about 2 more weeks, each met 80% of the time

Official application routePublished

https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/foreign-workers/global-talent/requirements.html

Minimum investmentPublished

None required

Minimum passive investment (July 2026)Published

None required

Minimum active investment (July 2026)Published

None required

Processing feeUnknown

Unknown

Application feePublished

$113

Total cost to applyPublished

$113

Monthly income requiredPublished

None required

Monthly pension income requiredPublished

None required

Monthly rental income requiredPublished

None required

Savings requiredPublished

None required

Proof of sufficient fundsPublished

No

Local bank deposit requiredPublished

No

Minimum local bank depositPublished

None required

Fees paidPublished

Before approval

Cost notesPublished

CAD 155 work permit fee paid by the worker (~US$113 at ~0.73 CAD/USD); separately, the employer pays a non-recoverable CAD 1,000-per-position LMIA processing fee that may not be passed on to the worker

Stay required to keep statusUnknown

Unknown

Physical presence requiredPublished

Yes

In-country visit requiredUnknown

Unknown

Move-in windowUnknown

Unknown

Length of residencyPublished

36 months

Residency is lifetimePublished

No

RenewablePublished

Yes

Maximum durationUnknown

Unknown

Maximum duration is lifetimePublished

No

Stay rule (Sept 2026)Published

The worker must actually work in Canada for the sponsoring employer under the permit; this is a working/living status, not a low-presence asset, though no specific day-count was published

Tax residency rulePublished

Residents staying more than 183 days per year will be considered tax residents

Personal income taxPublished

range between 15%-33% (Federal Rate) and 11.5%-25.75% (Provincial/Territorial)

Time to permanent residencyUnknown

Unknown

Time to citizenshipUnknown

Unknown

Work for a local employerPublished

Yes

Start a businessPublished

No

Remote or freelance workPublished

No

Local healthcare accessUnknown

Unknown

University accessUnknown

Unknown

Can buy landPublished

Yes

Local bankingPublished

Yes

Permanent residence timeline basisPublished

Not applicable

Citizenship timeline basisPublished

Not applicable

Plan B note (Sept 2026)Published

Employer-driven, employer-specific temporary work permit stream, not an investment-based Plan B asset — list claim of 'No Contribution Required' is confirmed: the worker makes no personal financial contribution (the employer bears LMIA and recruitment costs). It carries no automatic path to permanent residence; work experience gained can support a separate PR application (e.g., Express Entry Canadian Experience Class) but that is a different program.

Official program websitePublished

https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/foreign-workers/global-talent.html

Plan B sources (Sept 2026)Published

https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/foreign-workers/global-talent.html | https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/foreign-workers/global-talent/requirements.html | https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/2017/06/global_talent_stream.html | https://moving2canada.com/work/work-permits/global-talent-stream/

Every fact on this page comes from the CitizensOS Mobility Asset Database (Sep 21, 2026 edition). A blank is shown as Unknown.