C11 or Intra-Company Transfer Work Permit Refused? What to Do Next
If IRCC has refused your C11 or intra-company transfer (ICT) work permit, the first thing to know is the deadline, not the reasons. Section 72 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) gives you 15 days to apply to the Federal Court for leave and judicial review of a matter arising in Canada, and 60 days for a matter arising outside Canada. The clock starts the day you are notified of the decision or otherwise learn of it. A judge can extend it for special reasons; I would never plan on that.
You then have three options: reconsideration, a new application or the Federal Court. They fix different problems, and picking the one that feels fastest is how a fixable refusal becomes a second refusal.
What the refusal actually says about your file
IRCC's instructions tell officers to tie each C11 and ICT refusal to a requirement in section 200 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR). Your letter will usually cite one of these:
Paragraph cited | What the officer did not accept |
|---|---|
200(1)(c)(ii.1) | That your work fits paragraph 205(a): significant benefit to Canada |
200(5) | That the offer is genuine, including that the business is actually operating |
200(1)(b) | That you will leave Canada at the end of your stay |
200(3)(a) | That you can perform the work offered |
For a genuineness refusal, see my article on job offers found not genuine.
C11. The officer asks whether the business plan is a concrete plan to start this business or a market study of the industry. The benefit must come from your work during the permit, not years later. You must control at least 51% of the Canadian business. And because the stay must be temporary, a year-round business needs a credible plan for who runs it after you leave.
ICT. Refusals under codes C61, C62 and C63 usually turn on three points. The companies must be parent, subsidiary, branch or affiliate; a supplier, client or licensing arrangement does not count. You need at least one year of continuous full-time work for the foreign company in a similar role within the three years before you applied. And a C63 applicant needs both advanced proprietary knowledge and an advanced level of skill with the company's products or processes, which I discuss in a recent ICT knowledge decision. If the refusal says your company is not a multinational, the fix may be a different category; see C11 or ICT for business owners.
Get the officer's notes before you decide
Since July 29, 2025, IRCC has sent an officer decision note with the refusal letter for most temporary resident applications, including work permits. IRCC may remove parts of the note, and some are only a few sentences.
The full record sits in IRCC's Global Case Management System (GCMS), and you request it from IRCC's Access to Information and Privacy Division. IRCC's Privacy Act page says there is no fee and that foreign nationals can ask for their own information wherever they live. An Access to Information Act request costs $5 and must come from someone in Canada, such as a representative using consent form IMM 5744. IRCC has 30 days to respond and can extend that.
Read that again if the 15-day limit applies to you: 30 days is longer than 15. Do not wait for the notes. IRCC's guidance says that when you apply for leave and judicial review, you should state that you have not received the reasons, even if you received a decision note, so the Court can require the complete reasons under Rule 9 of its immigration rules.
Reconsideration, a new application or the Federal Court: how I choose
Reconsideration asks the same office to reopen its decision. It is informal, free and discretionary. IRCC gives fairness failures and clerical errors as examples that justify it; disagreement is not enough. It fits a narrow problem: a document the officer plainly missed, or a concern never put to you. See my guide to reconsideration requests and my article on veiled credibility findings. IRCC also states that a reconsideration request does not protect your right to challenge the original decision, so the court application must still be filed in time. This is the work behind my reconsideration and fairness service.
A new application fits when the officer was fair but the file was thin: a plan that read like a market study, funds with no source, no exit plan, an organization chart with no corporate records. IRCC's Help Centre says to reapply only if your situation has changed significantly or you have new information that addresses the refusal.
Judicial review fits when the officer got it wrong: evidence ignored, a stricter test than the law sets, or reasons that never engage with your documents. IRCC's C11 instructions tell officers that saying they reviewed the submissions and are not satisfied is not enough. You need leave first. Even if you succeed, the Court does not issue the permit; under the Federal Courts Act it can set the decision aside and send it back for a new decision. More on my judicial review page.
If you are in Canada, check your status today
If you applied to extend before your permit expired, subsection 183(5) of the IRPR kept your status meanwhile. On a refusal, that period ends the day of the decision, and IRCC's guidance is that you must stop working. You can apply to restore status within 90 days of losing it, but you cannot work until it is restored and a new permit issued. A Federal Court filing does not by itself give your status back. Decide on staying, leaving and timing with your lawyer, not on a hunch.
What not to do
Do not refile the same application with a new date. You will get the same conclusion and two refusals instead of one.
Do not change the story to fit the refusal. If the notes say you own 49%, the answer is a real, documented share transfer, not a form that now says 51%. Section 40 of IRPA makes a foreign national inadmissible for misrepresenting or withholding material facts, for five years. Your earlier application stays in IRCC's system. A weak file can be repaired. An inconsistent one rarely can.
What I would do now
Count 15 days (a matter in Canada) or 60 days (outside Canada) from the day you received the refusal, and diarize it.
List every ground in the letter and the decision note, with the IRPR paragraph each one cites.
If the note is short or has parts removed, request your GCMS notes today.
If your extension in Canada was refused, stop working and consider restoration within the 90 days.
Choose the route against the notes, and get advice before you file anything new.
This article reflects the rules as of October 2026.
If you want me to review your refusal, you can book an online consultation. I work virtually, in English and Turkish, on flat fees. If a route does not fit your facts, I will tell you.
The articles on this site are general information, not legal advice, and reading them doesn't create a lawyer-client relationship. Immigration rules change often, so always consult a qualified Canadian immigration lawyer about your specific situation.
