CUSMA Professionals


A CUSMA Professional must be qualified to work in one of approximately 60 targeted professions, as listed below.

Note: Canada, the United States and Mexico signed a revamped North American free trade agreement on November 30, 2018. Under the new agreement, known as the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), eligible U.S. and Mexican nationals will retain access to facilitated Canadian work permits under the same terms as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Please monitor this page for updates.

The CUSMA Professionals is a facilitated work permit category resulting from the multilateral agreement between Canada, Mexico and the United States.

CUSMA Professionals work permits are facilitated in that Canadian employers are exempt from obtaining a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) prior to hiring a foreign national.

Depending on the occupation of the applicants they may be required to provide educational credentials and/or proof of work experience in the field.

CUSMA Professionals must have pre-arranged employment in Canada, or a service contract with a Canadian company, in an occupation that corresponds to their professional qualifications and with one of the eligible CUSMA professions. Individuals who wish to perform self-employed work in Canada are not eligible for this category.

The following requirements apply to CUSMA professionals wishing to work in Canada:

  • citizenship of the U.S. or Mexico;
  • profession identified in the list below;
  • 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; and
  • compliance with existing immigration requirements for temporary entry.

CUSMA Professional Work Permits may be issued for the following professions:

General

ProfessionMinimum education/credentials
AccountantBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or C.P.A., C.A., C.G.A. or C.M.A.
ArchitectBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial licence.
Computer Systems AnalystBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or Post-Secondary Diploma or Post-Secondary Certificate, and three years’ experience.
Disaster Relief Insurance Claims AdjusterBaccalaureate 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.
EconomistBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
EngineerBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial licence
ForesterBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial licence
Graphic DesignerBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or Post-Secondary Diploma or Post-Secondary Certificate, and three years experience.
Hotel ManagerBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree in hotel/restaurant management; or Post-Secondary Diploma or Post-Secondary Certificate in hotel/restaurant management, and three years experience in hotel/restaurant management.
Industrial DesignerBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or Post-Secondary Diploma or Post-Secondary Certificate, and three years experience.
Interior DesignerBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or Post-Secondary Diploma or Post-Secondary Certificate, and three years experience.
Land SurveyorBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial/ federal licence.
Landscape ArchitectBaccalaureate 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.
LibrarianM.L.S. or B.L.S. (for which another Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree was a prerequisite).
A librarian must have either:
  1. a Master of Library Science degree; or
  2. a Bachelor of Library Science and another baccalaureate degree which was necessary to enter the B.L.S. program.
Management ConsultantBaccalaureate 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 and Actuary)
Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
An actuary must satisfy the necessary requirements to be recognized as an actuary by a professional actuarial association or society operating the territory of at least one of the Parties.
Range Manager/Range ConservationalistBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Research assistant (working in a post-secondary educational institution)Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Scientific Technician/ TechnologistPossession 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
A business person in this category must be seeking temporary entry to work in direct support of professionals in agricultural sciences, astronomy, biology, chemistry, engineering, forestry, geology, geophysics, meteorology or physics.
Social WorkerBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Sylviculturist (including Forestry Specialist)Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Technical Publications WriterBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or Post-Secondary Diploma or Post-Secondary Certificate, and three years experience.
Urban Planner (including Geographer)Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Vocational CounsellorBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

Medical/Allied Professional

ProfessionMinimum education/credentials
DentistD.D.S., D.M.D., Doctor en Odontologia or Doctor en Cirugia Dental; or state/provincial license
DietitianBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or Post-Secondary Diploma or Post-Secondary Certificate, and three years experience
Medical Laboratory Technologist (Canada)/ Medical Technologist (Mexico and the U.S.)Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or Post-Secondary Diploma or Post-Secondary Certificate, and three years experience. Note: A business person in this category must be seeking temporary entry to perform in a laboratory chemical, biological, hematological, immunologic, microscopic or bacteriological tests and analyses for diagnosis, treatment or prevention of disease.
NutritionistBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Occupational TherapistBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license
PharmacistBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license
Physician (teaching or research only)M.D. or Doctor en Medicina; or state/provincial license. Note: Physicians may not enter for the purpose of providing direct patient care. Patient care incidental to teaching and/or research is permissible.
Physiotherapist/Physical TherapistBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license
PsychologistState/provincial license; or Licenciatura Degree
Recreational TherapistBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Registered NurseState/provincial license; or Licenciatura Degree. Note: To be authorized to enter Canada as a registered nurse, a licence issued by the province of destination is necessary.
VeterinarianD.V.M., D.M.V. or Doctor en Veterinaria; or state/provincial license

Scientist

ProfessionMinimum education/credentials
Agriculturist (including Agronomist)Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Animal BreederBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Animal ScientistBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
ApiculturistBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
AstronomerBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
BiochemistBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Biologist
(including Plant Pathologist)
Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
ChemistBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Dairy ScientistBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
EntomologistBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
EpidemiologistBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
GeneticistBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
GeologistBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
GeochemistBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Geophysicist (including Oceanographer in Mexico and the U.S.)Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
HorticulturistBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
MeteorologistBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
PharmacologistBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Physicist (including Oceanographer in Canada)Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Plant BreederBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Poultry ScientistBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Soil ScientistBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
ZoologistBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

Teacher

ProfessionMinimum education/credentials
CollegeBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
SeminaryBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
UniversityBaccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

Canadian employers: To learn more about your options for hiring foreign workers, please visit this TFWP page. If you wish to hire through the TFWP, please contact wp@canadavisa.com. A legal expert will provide a free consultation.

Foreign workers: If you have received a job offer from a Canadian employer and wish to submit an inquiry about getting a work permit and working legally in Canada, please complete the form on this page.