On September 1, 2026, the United Kingdom’s membership in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) took effect. Canada was the final country to ratify the UK’s accession to the trade bloc on July 3, 2026.
The members of CPTPP are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam, and the United Kingdom.
The UK and Canada continue to have a bilateral free trade agreement in force, the Trade Continuity Agreement. Before CPTPP entered into force, mobility under the TCA was as follows: business visitors for investment purposes were permitted to stay up to 90 days in any six-month period.
Temporary entry provisions
The UK’s CPTPP accession provides new access for Canadians that goes beyond what is already available through the Canada-UK TCA. Canadians may be able to take advantage of the UK’s additional commitments for:
- Permanent residents
- Business visitors, who will be able to travel and stay up to 90 days in the UK within any 12-month period
- Investors, who will be able to travel and stay for up to one year in the UK to set up or manage an investment operation
- Spouses of intra-corporate transferees, who will be able to enter the UK and work alongside their partner for a period of up to 3 years.
In addition, highly skilled Canadian professionals seeking to work in the UK on a short-term contract, either independently or through a company-to-company contract, will benefit from the UK’s commitment to double their duration of stay from six months under the TCA to 12 months through the CPTPP.
For UK national business travelers, the agreement will also make short-term business travel to Canada more flexible. UK business visitors will be able to stay for up to six months, with the option to extend.
Erickson Insights & Analysis
Erickson Immigration Group will continue to monitor developments and share updates as more news becomes available. Please contact your employer or EIG attorney if you have questions about anything we’re reporting above or if you have case-specific questions.