British citizens will no longer be covered under the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) after December 31, 2020, Maple News reports. This change comes as a direct result of the United Kingdom’s formal exit from the European Union and its evolving international trade relationships.
Until the end of 2020, British nationals continued to benefit from work permit exemptions under CETA, allowing eligible professionals to work in Canada without a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). However, effective January 1, 2021, UK citizens seeking employment in Canada will need to either apply for an LMIA or qualify under a different LMIA-exempt category.
A transitional agreement — the Canada-UK Trade Continuity Agreement (TCA) — was signed last month to preserve trade and employment benefits while both nations negotiate a long-term trade treaty. Formal ratification of the TCA is expected in early 2021. In the interim, British workers must meet standard LMIA requirements or fall under an existing LMIA-exempt stream to obtain a work permit.
The Temporary Continuity Agreement is designed to mirror many of CETA’s provisions, minimizing economic disruption. A study by Global Affairs Canada found that failure to secure a bilateral agreement could have cost Canada over 2,000 jobs and negatively impacted the GDPs of both nations.
Under CETA, eligible British professionals working in specific roles were able to apply for LMIA-exempt permits. This will no longer be automatically available. Once the TCA is fully ratified, a revised list of LMIA-exempt occupations will be released, and UK nationals must meet these new criteria to work without employer sponsorship through LMIA.
For those unfamiliar, an LMIA is a document that Canadian employers must obtain to show there is a genuine need for a foreign worker and that no Canadian is available to fill that role. Not all work permits require an LMIA — various international agreements and open work categories provide exemptions.
Open work permits, such as those issued to spouses of skilled workers or post-graduate international students, allow holders to work for any employer in Canada. In contrast, closed work permits restrict employment to a single designated employer and job role.
Maple News also issues a correction to a previous version of this article: Not all British citizens were LMIA-exempt under CETA. Only those working in qualifying occupations under the agreement were eligible. We regret any confusion caused.