Ottawa’s latest overhaul of the Express Entry immigration system, unveiled overnight, is sending shockwaves through Swiss HR departments that rely on the fast-track pathway to staff Canadian subsidiaries. As reported by Travel & Tour World, Canada will from March require applicants to show at least six months of verifiable Canadian work experience in priority sectors such as health care, aerospace and AI before receiving an invitation to apply.
Swiss multinationals—from pharma giants in Basel to fintech start-ups in Zug—have historically used Express Entry to relocate intra-company transferees ahead of a permanent residency application. Under the new rules, assignees will likely first enter on Temporary Foreign Worker or International Mobility Programme permits, adding cost and paperwork.
Immigration lawyers caution that lead times could double: LMIA-exempt ICT permits currently take two to four weeks, whereas the new “targeted draws” may favour candidates already on Canadian payrolls. Companies should budget for higher legal fees, medicals and, in French-speaking provinces, additional language-testing requirements.
![Canada Tightens Express Entry—Swiss Employers Face New Talent-Transfer Hurdles]()
Swiss HR teams looking for a lifeline can tap VisaHQ’s Switzerland portal (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/) for end-to-end support with Canadian work permits, LMIA submissions and accompanying visas. The platform’s live tracking tools and multilingual experts streamline compliance, letting mobility managers focus on strategy rather than paperwork.
The move aims to channel newcomers directly into chronic skills shortages but effectively closes the door on straight-from-Europe hires—unless employers invest in Canadian internships or training stints first. Swiss chambers of commerce in Toronto and Vancouver are lobbying for a carve-out for high-value R&D staff, arguing that Switzerland ranks among Canada’s top ten investors and that talent mobility underpins bilateral trade worth CAD 7 billion.
In the meantime, global-mobility teams should recalibrate assignment policies: consider rotating staff on 24-month ICT permits, build relocation packages that cover spouses’ open work permits, and watch for provincial nominee programs that may offer faster residency lanes than Express Entry.
Swiss multinationals—from pharma giants in Basel to fintech start-ups in Zug—have historically used Express Entry to relocate intra-company transferees ahead of a permanent residency application. Under the new rules, assignees will likely first enter on Temporary Foreign Worker or International Mobility Programme permits, adding cost and paperwork.
Immigration lawyers caution that lead times could double: LMIA-exempt ICT permits currently take two to four weeks, whereas the new “targeted draws” may favour candidates already on Canadian payrolls. Companies should budget for higher legal fees, medicals and, in French-speaking provinces, additional language-testing requirements.
Swiss HR teams looking for a lifeline can tap VisaHQ’s Switzerland portal (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/) for end-to-end support with Canadian work permits, LMIA submissions and accompanying visas. The platform’s live tracking tools and multilingual experts streamline compliance, letting mobility managers focus on strategy rather than paperwork.
The move aims to channel newcomers directly into chronic skills shortages but effectively closes the door on straight-from-Europe hires—unless employers invest in Canadian internships or training stints first. Swiss chambers of commerce in Toronto and Vancouver are lobbying for a carve-out for high-value R&D staff, arguing that Switzerland ranks among Canada’s top ten investors and that talent mobility underpins bilateral trade worth CAD 7 billion.
In the meantime, global-mobility teams should recalibrate assignment policies: consider rotating staff on 24-month ICT permits, build relocation packages that cover spouses’ open work permits, and watch for provincial nominee programs that may offer faster residency lanes than Express Entry.
