On January 3, 2025, IRCC updated several online Program Delivery Instructions (PDIs) to remove references requiring foreign nationals to be paid median wages for certain Intra-Company Transfer (ICT) work permits and work permits for specific treaty professionals and technicians.
This update addresses an issue flagged last year, as IRCC had acknowledged that the inclusion of the median wage requirement in their online guidelines was an error.
For example, in the case of executive and senior managerial ICT work permits under CUSMA, Colombia, and Peru treaties, the updated PDI now states:
These PDIs were last modified on January 3, 2025.
Interestingly, the PDIs for the Canada-Chile Free Trade Agreement have not been updated as of this writing. They still contain the previous language regarding median wage requirements.
The page for the Chilean treaty was last modified on October 3, 2024, indicating that it has not yet been aligned with the recent changes seen in other treaties.
For work permits issued to professionals and technicians under CUSMA, Colombia, Peru, and Panama treaties, the PDIs have also been updated as of January 3, 2025, to remove the mandatory median wage requirement. The updated PDI now reads:
Again, the Chilean treaty PDIs have not yet been revised, and they still reflect the older wording:
The last update for this page was on October 3, 2024.
It seems reasonable to expect that the Canada-Chile FTA PDIs will be updated soon to align with the other treaties. Historically, the Canada-Chile FTA has followed similar rules as CUSMA, so these changes should extend to Chilean treaty work permits as well.
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