Hiring Under the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement (CUSMA)
Formerly the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
The new version of NAFTA, called the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), allows tens of thousands of professionals and skilled employees to be hired between the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
CUSMA removes any need for a Provincial Nomination, or Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) for people and their families to work and live in each country.
Listed below are the professions that are currently covered by this agreement:
- Architect
- Computer Systems Analyst
- Disaster Relief Insurance Claims Adjuster
- Economist
- Engineer
- Forester
- Graphic Designer
- Hotel Manager
- Industrial Designer
- Interior Designer
- Land Surveyor
- Landscape Architect
- Lawyer (including Notary in the Province of Quebec)
- Librarian
- Management Consultant
- Mathematician (including Statistician)
- Range Manager/Range Conservationist
- Research Assistant (working in a post-secondary educational institution)
- Scientific Technician/Technologist
- Social Worker
- Sylviculturist (including Forestry Specialist)
- Technical Publications Writer
- Urban Planner (including Geographer)
Medical/Allied Professional
- Dentist
- Dietitian
- Medical Laboratory Technologist (Canada)/Medical Technologist (Mexico and the United States)
- Nutritionist
- Occupational Therapist
- Pharmacist
- Physician (teaching or research only)
- Physiotherapist/Physical Therapist
- Psychologist
- Recreational Therapist
- Registered Nurse
- Veterinarian
Scientist
- Agriculturist (including Agronomist)
- Animal Breeder
- Animal Scientist
- Apiculturist
- Astronomer
- Biochemist
- Biologist
- Chemist
- Dairy Scientist
- Entomologist
- Epidemiologist
- Geneticist
- Geologist
- Geochemist
- Geophysicist (including Oceanographer in Mexico and the United States)
- Horticulturist
- Meteorologist
- Pharmacologist
- Physicist (including Oceanographer in Canada)
- Plant Breeder
- Poultry Scientist
- Soil Scientist
- Zoologist
Teacher
- College
- Seminary
- University
Most of these professions must have a bachelor’s degree, a license if required by state or provincial law, and/or experience in the profession.
For more details, have a look at Canada-International Free Trade Agreements on the government website here.
Many other avenues are available to hire skilled internationally trained people, however, Free Trade Agreements like CUSMA, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) are some of the most pain-free ways to hire, especially for Canada and Mexico.
Resources:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/tools/temp/work/international/nafta.asp