Introduction
Solutions architects are among many tech workers who may be able to transition to Canada on a work permit. If you are a Canadian employer and you are wanting to bring solutions architects to Canada, there may be several options available to you. Included in those options would be the intra-company transfer option.
Understanding the Role of Solutions Architects
Solutions architects are tech workers who work on computer systems and are among the highly sought-after tech roles inside Canada. If you are a business owner or a Canadian employer and you wish to bring a solutions architect to Canada, there may be a couple of options available to you.
The Intra-Company Transfer (ICT) Program
Firstly, if your business not only has a Canadian operation but also a legally related entity in another country, especially the country from which you want to transfer the solutions architect, then you may have an opportunity to do so under the intra-company transfer (ICT) program.
ICT is available to multinational companies, and when we say multinational companies, they don’t have to be large businesses. They can be small businesses that have a Canadian office, a Canadian branch, or a Canadian head office, and also a branch somewhere else in another country, whether it be a branch in the US, India, Brazil, or elsewhere. That company, in turn, may be able to transfer an employee who’s currently employed in a branch outside of Canada to the Canadian operation.
Eligibility Requirements for ICT
There are some rules around who may or may not be transferred. One of those rules is that the employee being transferred must have been employed on a full-time basis for at least one year in the last three-year period. So the employee must have been in your current employment for at least one year outside of Canada. Whether they’re working in the US, India, or Brazil, it doesn’t matter which country, but their employment must not have been inside Canada. That’s just one of the many requirements around ICT.
The important point here is that someone like a solutions architect, provided they meet those basic ICT requirements, would make a good candidate for a Canadian work permit under ICT. The reason why ICT would work well for a solutions architect who meets the other basic requirements is that a solutions architect is a technical role that would require the prospective employee to have what’s called specialized knowledge.
What is Specialized Knowledge?
Specialized knowledge is a crucial aspect of an ICT application. There is a very specific legal definition of specialized knowledge. Specialized knowledge means that the employee you want to transfer must have, firstly, proprietary knowledge. This means the employee must have a deep understanding of any kind of unique software that your company may have, any kind of proprietary software that is owned or controlled by your company and that nobody else has control or ownership over. The employee must have proprietary knowledge of how that tool works or of some kind of procedure or system that you have in your company. That’s the first thing.
The second prong of the specialized knowledge requirement is that the employee must also have advanced expertise, which is industry experience and experience working in the company as well as in the industry within that particular area of operation. A combination of those two things, advanced expertise and proprietary knowledge together, constitutes specialized knowledge. It is more likely that someone like a solutions architect will have specialized knowledge.
Application Success with ICT
An application for a work permit for a solutions architect will likely be more successful if it were filed under the ICT option, provided the applicant meets all the other basic requirements indicated previously, including having been employed in a related entity outside of Canada for at least one year.
Alternative Options
I hope you found value from this. If you have a solutions architect you want to secure a work permit for inside Canada, then I hope this will be valuable to you. If you believe that ICT is not the best option, if the solutions architect has not worked with you for a year, then there may be other options. One of them may be an LMIA type application under something known as the Global Skills Strategy and the Global Talent Stream. The bottom line is that because of the technical nature of what a solutions architect does and because of the demand that currently exists, that may be a position for which you can secure a work permit should you have a need for one inside Canada.
Conclusion
Securing a work permit for solutions architects in Canada can be a streamlined process with the right approach, particularly through the ICT program. Understanding the requirements, such as specialized knowledge and employment history, is crucial for a successful application. For those who do not meet ICT criteria, alternative options like the Global Skills Strategy and the Global Talent Stream are available. With the high demand for tech roles, businesses have promising pathways to bring talented solutions architects to Canada.
