International Mobility Program: Authorization to work without a work permit - Emergency service providers

This section contains policy, procedures and guidance used by IRCC staff. It is posted on the department’s website as a courtesy to stakeholders.

The intent of R186(t) is to facilitate the admission of persons who come to Canada for the purpose of rendering services in times of emergency. These services should be aimed at preserving life and property. The emergency may be the result of natural disasters such as floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, and fires. It may also be the result of industrial or commercial accidents threatening the environment or it may simply be a medical emergency where admission should be facilitated to preserve life regardless of whether it involves one or more persons.

Agreements, such as the Agreement between the Government of Canada and the Government of the United States on Emergency Management Cooperation (2008) are aimed at facilitating the admission of persons rendering emergency services to either country. Among such persons there may be doctors or medical teams, as well as appraisers and provincially licensed insurance adjusters.

Foreign Insurance Adjusters

Foreign adjusters must demonstrate that they meet provincial requirements. Evidence of a license or the capacity or willingness for rapid response from provincial regulators indicates the context of an emergency.

The Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) will facilitate, if required, Canadian insurance providers in obtaining the assistance of outside American adjustors by preparing a letter upon request. The letter produced by IBC identifies the incident, declares that IBC considers it to be a disaster and advises that the number of claims exceeds the capacity of domestic adjustors to handle it in a timely manner.

Note: Subsequent to the actual emergency event, a foreign insurance adjuster who was involved in the initial emergency assessments, may be required to enter Canada on an ongoing basis to ensure continuity of process until such time as the emergency generated claim is finally settled, and therefore should continue to be facilitated under R186(t). An updated letter from IBC may be required/requested if it is more than a year from the date of the emergency event.

There may also be times when people seek entry under an agreement with Public Safety Canada. All persons responding to such emergency situations may be authorized to enter Canada as visitors regardless of whether there is an agreement in existence or not.

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