Moving to Canada from the USA: CUSMA Work Permits, Express Entry and Taxes

Americans have more ways into Canada than most nationalities, mainly because of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA, called USMCA in the US).

Check your citizenship first. If one of your parents was a Canadian citizen, you may already be Canadian. Bill C-3 took effect on December 15, 2025 and removed the old first-generation limit for most people born abroad before that date. See citizenship by descent.

No. US citizens need neither a visa nor an eTA to visit Canada. Carry proof of US citizenship; a valid US passport is the safest document and is required to fly. Visitors can usually stay up to 6 months, and the border officer decides.

US green card holders who are not US citizens don't need a visitor visa or an eTA either. When flying, carry a valid passport from your country of nationality and your valid green card.

Applying at the border. US citizens can usually apply for a work permit when they arrive at a port of entry, as well as online. When Canada ended "flagpoling" for work and study permits on December 23, 2024, US citizens and professionals under free trade agreements were among the limited exceptions; check the current rules if you are already in Canada.

Biometrics. If you need to give biometrics and you are legally in the US, you can go to a USCIS Application Support Center or a visa application center; IRCC lists VACs in Los Angeles and New York. See our biometrics guide.

Criminal records. Since December 2018, impaired driving (including a DUI) counts as serious criminality under Canadian immigration law and can make you inadmissible, even for a short visit. If you have any conviction, read about inadmissibility and talk to a lawyer or a licensed consultant (RCIC) before you travel; you may need a temporary resident permit or criminal rehabilitation.

CUSMA replaced NAFTA on July 1, 2020. It gives US citizens (not US green card holders) several work permit options that don't need a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA):

• Professionals. About 60 listed professions, such as engineer, accountant, computer systems analyst, management consultant, scientist, and registered nurse. You need the degree or credential listed for your profession and prearranged work with a Canadian employer. Permits are usually issued for up to 3 years and can be renewed.
• Intra-company transferees. Executives, managers, and specialized knowledge staff moving to a Canadian parent, branch, subsidiary, or affiliate, usually after at least 1 year with the company in the last 3 years.
• Traders and investors. For people carrying on substantial trade or investment between the US and Canada.

Fees as of September 2026: the employer pays a CAD $230 compliance fee through the IRCC Employer Portal, and you pay CAD $155 for the work permit. Your spouse can apply for an open work permit. The agreement required a joint review in 2026, so check IRCC for any changes before you apply. Details: CUSMA professionals and intra-company transfers.

A work permit doesn't let you practice a regulated profession by itself. Engineers, nurses, lawyers, and others also need a license from the regulator in their province.

Not yet. Canada's federal Budget 2025 promised an accelerated pathway to permanent residence for people holding US H-1B visas, aimed at skilled workers in fields such as technology, health care, and research. As of September 2026, IRCC had not published eligibility rules, the number of places, or a launch date, so there is nothing to apply for. Follow the H-1B holder pathway status page and our program overview.

In 2023, Canada ran a one-time open work permit for H-1B holders capped at 10,000 applications, and it filled within days. While you wait, H-1B holders can use:

• Express Entry: US work experience counts as foreign skilled experience, and many H-1B holders score well on education and language.
• The Global Talent Stream or an intra-company transfer with a Canadian job or a company with Canadian offices.
• CUSMA permits, but only if you are a US or Mexican citizen. Otherwise, the visa rules for your own nationality apply; see, for example, India or China.

Many Americans qualify for Express Entry through the Federal Skilled Worker Program, especially if they are under 30 and have a degree. Native English speakers still need an approved test result: IELTS General Training, CELPIP-General, or PTE Core.

Express Entry covers three programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSW), the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), and the Federal Skilled Trades Program. From abroad, most people use FSW: at least 1 year of continuous skilled work (TEER 0 to 3) in the last 10 years, CLB 7 in English or French, an educational credential assessment for foreign degrees, 67 points on the FSW grid, and settlement funds (CAD $15,263 for one person in IRCC's current proof of funds table). Candidates are ranked by the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), and job offers stopped adding CRS points on March 25, 2025. Check your score with the CRS calculator.

2026 categories and how they fit:

Between July and mid-September 2026, French draws invited 5,000 candidates each with cutoffs of 382 to 420, a health care draw cut off at 475, and CEC draws at 516 to 523. There were no STEM, education, or trades draws in that period. See 2026 Express Entry categories and the draw tracker.

A US degree needs an educational credential assessment like any other foreign degree.

American students need a study permit for programs longer than 6 months, and US citizens can usually apply at the border as well as online. Most college and bachelor's students need a provincial attestation letter under the 2026 cap; master's and PhD students at public institutions don't. You must show tuition plus living funds, and graduates of eligible programs can get a post-graduation work permit and later apply through the Canadian Experience Class.

Working holiday: the US is not an International Experience Canada (IEC) partner country. IRCC says people from non-partner countries may still be able to take part through a recognized organization; check IRCC's IEC pages.

Family. If you are married to or in a common-law relationship with a Canadian citizen or PR, spousal sponsorship is often the simplest route. You can apply from the US (outland) or while living with your partner in Canada (inland). The Parents and Grandparents Program paused new intake on July 15, 2026, but the Super Visa is open.

This is general information, not tax advice. Talk to a cross-border tax professional before and after you move.

• The US taxes its citizens wherever they live. As a US citizen living in Canada, you generally still file a US federal return each year. Green card holders are also US tax residents while they keep their green card.
• Canada taxes its residents on worldwide income. Once you become a Canadian tax resident, usually when you move and set up your home here, you file a Canadian return too.
• The Canada-US tax treaty and foreign tax credits usually stop you from paying full tax twice on the same income, but they don't remove the need to file in both countries.
• Reporting foreign accounts. US persons with Canadian bank and investment accounts may need to file an FBAR (FinCEN Form 114) and FATCA Form 8938.
• Registered accounts differ. The US generally respects RRSP tax deferral under the treaty, but it does not treat a TFSA or RESP the same way, and Canadian mutual funds can trigger complex US rules. Get advice before opening these accounts.
• State taxes. Some states may still treat you as a resident if you keep strong ties, such as a home. Check your state's rules.
• Pensions. Canada and the US have a social security agreement that helps coordinate pension credits and avoid paying into both systems for the same work.

Language tests. IRCC accepts five tests for permanent residence: IELTS General Training, CELPIP-General, and PTE Core for English, and TEF Canada and TCF Canada for French. IELTS Academic and PTE Academic don't count for Express Entry. Results are valid for 2 years. In the US, IELTS General Training, CELPIP-General, and PTE Core are all offered. TEF Canada and TCF Canada are offered at approved French-language centers. Convert your scores with the CLB converter and read the language tests guide.

Credential assessment. If you studied outside Canada, you need an educational credential assessment (ECA) from an IRCC-designated organization, such as World Education Services (WES), for FSW eligibility and CRS points. Doctors use the Medical Council of Canada and pharmacists use the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada. An ECA is valid for 5 years. WES and the other designated organizations assess US degrees; ask your university to send transcripts as the organization requires.

Police certificate. IRCC asks for a police certificate from each country where you spent 6 months or more in a row since age 18, usually after you apply for permanent residence. Americans get an Identity History Summary from the FBI, often called an FBI background check, which you request online and which uses your fingerprints. IRCC's US page lists only this federal document. Full details: IRCC's police certificate instructions for the United States. See our police certificates guide.

You will also need an immigration medical exam with an IRCC panel physician when IRCC asks for it.

Americans live all across Canada. The largest numbers are in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Metro Vancouver in British Columbia, Montreal in Quebec, Calgary in Alberta, and Ottawa, as well as border cities such as Windsor and Niagara Falls. US consulates in several Canadian cities and the embassy in Ottawa handle passports and other services for Americans.