Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) guidance confirms that citizens of 11 countries that have ratified the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) can enter Canada as business visitors without applying for a work permit: Australia, Brunei, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United Kingdom and Vietnam. Permanent residents of Australia and New Zealand are also covered. The United Kingdom is the newest addition to that list: Global Affairs Canada says the protocol bringing the UK into the CPTPP came into force between Canada and the UK on 1 September 2026, completing the UK’s accession process.
Eligible travellers do not apply in advance. The application is made at the Port of Entry on arrival, where border services officers at the Primary Inspection Line handle most cases. Applicants seeking entry under the after-sales or after-lease service provision instead go through Immigration Secondary for a more detailed review.
The category is narrower than “no work permit needed” might suggest. To qualify, a visitor’s activity must fall under CPTPP Annex 12-A: meetings and consultations, research and design, manufacturing or production oversight, marketing, sales, distribution, general professional services, and after-sales or after-lease service such as equipment installation and repair. Visitors must show their income and principal place of business remain outside Canada, and that they have no intention of entering the Canadian labour market. This is not general work authorization — hands-on construction or building work is explicitly excluded, even under the after-sales provision.
The after-sales/after-lease service activity is not open to all 11 countries equally. It applies only to citizens of Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand and the United Kingdom; Japan, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam are excluded from that specific provision, though they remain eligible for the other business-visitor activities. Documentary requirements include proof of citizenship or eligible permanent residency, evidence of the qualifying business activity, and confirmation that pay comes from outside Canada; after-sales applicants also need the original sales or lease agreement and any warranty or service contracts. Approved business visitors may stay up to six months initially, with possible extensions subject to continued eligibility.
References
Legit.ng – Canada Permits Business Visitors From 11 Countries To Enter Without Work Permit Under CPTPP / Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada – Business people: Work in Canada under a free trade agreement
