Foreign workers and businesspeople from multiple countries may soon see easier access to Canada following upcoming trade negotiations.
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Should trade negotiations prove fruitful (and depending on the exact terms of each trade agreement), the Canadian government has signaled that it will look to facilitate easier temporary access to businesspeople to Canada, from the following countries and regions:
- India;
- Thailand;
- United Arab Emirates; and
- The Mercosur countries:
- Argentina;
- Bolivia;
- Brazil;
- Paraguay; and
- Uruguay.
The Government of Canada has also consistently signaled its interest in addressing barriers to getting work authorization on a temporary basis for professionals from the above countries and regions—including economic/labour market needs tests and numerical restrictions.
Conditions to be discussed for all four trade deals were open to public consultations, which ended on January 27, 2026.
What this may mean for foreign nationals wishing to work in Canada
Based strictly on what the consultation text for all four trade negotiations puts on the table, the potential impact areas are:
1. Easier “temporary entry” for business purposes
The consultations repeatedly focus on “temporary entry of business persons” and explicitly include entry “for the purpose of business activities, investment, or work.”
If Canada ultimately seeks commitments here, the people most likely to benefit would be those who fit the agreement’s eventual definition of “business persons” and are coming for temporary work-linked reasons.
It is worth noting that Canada already facilitates the temporary entry of certain business persons based on the specific reasons and conditions of their entry.
2. The consultations flag work-authorization friction points that negotiators may try to reduce
Thailand’s notice is the clearest that the issue is “….impediments to obtain a work permit… on a temporary basis…”
However, all four consultations identify two classic barriers: needs tests and numerical restrictions.
If Canada and a partner country choose to address the barriers they’ve singled out, it could mean fewer or more predictable needs-test requirements and/or fewer quota-type limits for whatever temporary-entry categories end up covered—as these are the specific barriers the government is asking stakeholders to comment on.
One possible barrier to work permits to be discussed here would be the requirements for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), which are commonly needed when a foreign national enters the Canadian labour market. Notably, many current trade deals already feature LMIA-exemptions.
3. The consultations do not promise these outcomes—only that mobility is on the agenda for input
Each document presents these points as examples of where Canada wants views (“areas where the Government would appreciate receiving views from Canadians”), not as negotiated outcomes.
For example: “The following are examples of areas where the Government would appreciate receiving views from Canadians:”
The above indicates that while the Canadian government is seriously considering instituting these changes as part of new trade deals, it reserves the right to change its posture in negotiations based on input from consultations with Canadians.
What’s different in each consultation?
Thailand — Canada–Thailand FTA consultations (work-permit language is the most explicit)
Thailand’s consultation is the most direct about work authorization mechanics, explicitly tying temporary entry to “impediments to obtain a work permit” and framing the issue around two-way mobility:
“Temporary entry of businesspersons from Canada into Thailand and from Thailand into Canada, including impediments to obtain a work permit to work in the other market on a temporary basis, such as the application of economic needs tests or numerical restrictions.”
There is also an indication that leaders have already agreed to begin negotiations:
“On October 30, 2025, Prime Minister Mark Carney and Prime Minister of Thailand Anutin Charnvirakul agreed to launch negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement.”
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India — potential Canada–India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)
India’s consultation uses the broader “business activities, investment, or work” framing, and it explicitly invites input on which sectors/activities might benefit from mobility improvements.
The “temporary entry” language is:
“Interests related to the temporary entry of business persons for the purpose of business activities, investment, or work, including economic sectors or activities where improved mobility could support trade and investment, and barriers that make this movement more difficult, such as labour market or economic needs tests, numerical restrictions (e.g., quotas or proportionality requirements), or other limitations.”
Compared to Thailand’s work permit emphasis, India’s consultation points stakeholders toward identifying “economic sectors or activities” where mobility matters, and it names an expanded set of constraints (including “proportionality requirements”).
United Arab Emirates — potential Canada–UAE CEPA
The UAE consultation’s temporary entry language is effectively the same as India’s, again centered on business-related mobility and the barriers Canada is asking stakeholders to identify:
“Interests related to the temporary entry of business persons for the purpose of business activities, investment, or work, including economic sectors or activities where improved mobility could support trade and investment, and barriers that make this movement more difficult, such as labour market or economic needs tests, numerical restrictions (e.g., quotas or proportionality requirements), or other limitations.”
What distinguishes the UAE consultation is that it explicitly folds in a second track: Canadian perspectives connected to the UAE’s request to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP)*.
“On August 22, 2025, the UAE formally submitted a request for accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).”
“Submissions from these consultations will also inform Canada’s approach with respect to any potential consideration or engagement with the UAE concerning CPTPP accession.”
*The CPTPP is an existing trade deal between Canada and multiple countries in the Indo-Pacific region, including Australia, Brunei, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam.
It also frames the bilateral CEPA as an intent to launch, with negotiations anticipated in 2026.
While the mobility bullet itself mirrors India, the consultation is broader in scope because it also asks for input that will “inform Canada’s approach” on a potential CPTPP accession discussion with the UAE.
Mercosur — resuming Canada–Mercosur FTA talks (bloc negotiation + Uruguay CPTPP accession track)
Mercosur differs structurally because it’s a bloc negotiation, and the consultation is about resuming a paused process, not starting from scratch.
On temporary entry, Mercosur uses the same broad framing as India and the UAE:
“Interests related to the temporary entry of business persons for the purpose of business activities, investment, or work…” including “labour market or economic needs tests, numerical restrictions (e.g., quotas or proportionality requirements), or other limitations.”
Mercosur’s consultation also uniquely runs alongside Uruguay’s CPTPP accession process:
“Canada will also be engaging in negotiations with Uruguay for a potential accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).”
The mobility language is the same as India/UAE, but the negotiation context is more complex—Canada is consulting on a multi-country FTA resumption while also preparing for Uruguay’s CPTPP accession process, which could shape how mobility priorities are articulated across partners.
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