An in-depth look at work permits available under Canada’s free trade agreements for professionals and technicians.
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Andrew Carvajal
January 28, 2026 at 11:00am EST
$150
5 hours
Attend Live Online and On-Demand Recording
Gain a comprehensive understanding of work permits for professionals and technicians under Canada’s Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), including CUSMA, CETA, CPTPP, CCFTA, and others. This CPD course explores eligibility requirements, place of application, and work permit duration for applicants from key partner countries such as the United States, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Korea, and the EU/UK. Participants will learn how to assess client eligibility, prepare persuasive applications, and navigate IRCC’s Employer Portal effectively. Through detailed comparisons across treaties and practical examples, this session equips immigration professionals with the tools to advise clients confidently and prepare strong, compliant work permit applications.
• Who will be the client – employee alone or also employer
• Work permit exemptions
• Permanent residence alternatives
• Timing of application
• Getting the right facts from employer and employee
• CUSMA and CCFTA generalities
• Valid employment arrangements
• List of professionals
• Trickier occupations
• Place of application
• Work permit duration
• Eligibility of permanent residents
• Valid employment arrangements
• Education
• Variations by treaty
• Definition of ‘professional’ and list of professionals not covered by the treaties
• Definition of ‘technician’ and list of technicians covered by the treaties
• Place of application
• Work permit duration
• Spousal work permits
• Valid employment arrangements
• List of contractual service suppliers and independent professionals
• Place of application
• Work permit duration
• Spousal work permits
• Eligibility of permanent residents
• Valid employment arrangements
• Educational qualifications
• List of speciality occupations
• Place of application
• Work permit duration
• Valid employment arrangements
• Educational qualifications and work experience
• List of contractual service suppliers and independent professionals
• Place of application
• Work permit duration
• Spousal work permits
• Eligible countries
• Eligibility of some permanent residents
• Valid employment arrangements
• Educational qualifications and work experience
• List of professionals and technicians by country
• Place of application
• Work permit duration
• Spousal work permits
• Documenting legitimacy of employer
• Documenting employee’s qualifications
• Documenting employment arrangement in Canada
• General tips for preparing work permit applications
• IRCC’s Employer Portal and the online offer
• Cover letters/submissions
• Spousal work permits: treaty vs. non-treaty
• Children of work permit holders
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Managing Partner
Carvajal Law
Andrew is a Toronto immigration lawyer and the Managing Lawyer of Carvajal Law. He received a Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Civil Law from McGill University. He was called to the Bar of Ontario in 2011.
Andrew’s immigration practice focuses on all types of business immigration, including the relocation of foreign workers through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and the International Mobility Program. This involves the representation of employers and employees on all types of Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) applications and Canadian work permit applications. He also assists professionals and entrepreneurs around the world with permanent residence applications under federal and provincial economic programs.
Having been involved in the international student industry for over 10 years, Andrew also assists clients with study permits and visitor visas. He is the CEO of the education consulting firm mobility.study.
For over 10 years, Andrew has taught at the university and college levels, as well as professional development courses to immigration lawyers, Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants and paralegals. He is the Curriculum Developer for LPEN and an instructor of multiple online courses and workshops dealing with labour mobility programs, permanent residence and study permits. He is also a frequent contributor to several publications dealing with immigration law and has been invited to speak about immigration changes on local and national news segments, as well as to testify before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration.
Prior to practising law, Andrew was a sociology professor at McGill University and a university researcher in projects dealing with criminal justice, equality laws, family transformation and social research methods. He is also the host of the biweekly wine and immigration podcast “Vivir Afuera”.
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Absolutely. Every LPEN course is recorded, and the recording is added to your account within a few business days. You can log in anytime to watch it on demand and still receive your digital certificate of completion.
LPEN seeks accreditation for each course from the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC) and the Law Society of Ontario (LSO),the Law Society of BC (LSBC) when applicable. Accreditation details and approved CPD hours are listed in the CPD Credits section on each course page, so you can easily confirm how the course qualifies toward your professional development requirements.
A digital certificate of completion will be available once the course recording has been uploaded. After that, you can follow the steps at the top of your My Courses page—where you’ll also find a short video explaining how to download your certificate. Be sure to save it as part of your documentation for your CPD hours.
This course may be included in one or several LPEN Passes. Passes offer discounted rates and access to multiple courses, making CPD compliance simpler. Check out our Passes page to see where it is included.
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