What changed
- C61, for opening a new Canadian enterprise, runs one year with no extension under that code.
- C62 for an executive or manager reaches seven years and C63 for specialised knowledge reaches five, both renewing in two year increments after an initial three.
- Time spent under one code counts against the ceiling. Moving between codes does not reset it.
Three codes, three ceilings
Opening a new Canadian enterprise falls under C61, and that is one year with no extension available under that code.
An executive or manager transfers under C62 and can reach seven years in total. A specialised knowledge worker transfers under C63 and can reach five. Both C62 and C63 start at a maximum of three years and renew in two year increments.
One code, one year, no renewal is a very different starting position from seven years in two year steps, and the difference is decided at the point the permit is issued.
Does time under an old code start again?
No. Time spent under one transfer category counts against the ceiling, and moving between codes does not reset the clock.
This is the part that catches people. Somebody who has already spent years in Canada under the old arrangement does not arrive at a new code with a full allowance.
It is worth working out the time remaining in months rather than years before anything else is decided, because that number sets what is possible. A permanent residence application that needs longer than the permit has left is not a plan, it is a gap.
Why the ceiling is the thing to plan around
A transfer permit is temporary by design, and the maximum is the date the temporary route runs out rather than a target to aim at. Permanent residence, where it is the goal, has to be started early enough to land inside that window.
The intra-company transfer page carries the qualifying relationship, the year of employment abroad, and what the three codes each ask for in evidence.
Check which code the permit was issued under
The code is on the permit. It decides the ceiling, so it decides how much time is actually left, and a file planned against the wrong one is planned against the wrong date.
This matters most where somebody has moved roles inside the same company. A transfer from specialised knowledge into a management position is a different code with a different maximum, and the time already spent still counts. Read the permit before assuming the longer ceiling applies, because the three intra-company transfer codes are not interchangeable.
The detail sits on Intra-company transfers, which is kept current as the rules move.
