Canada’s High Commissioner to India, Chris Cooter, told media on June 22 that concluding a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with India by the end of 2026 is “very realistic,” citing strong political backing from Prime Ministers Mark Carney and Narendra Modi. The comments come just days after the leaders reaffirmed their commitment on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in France. Although CEPA is primarily a trade accord, negotiators have confirmed that a dedicated mobility chapter is on the table. According to Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, the chapter would streamline short-term business visas, expand reciprocal work-permit quotas for intra-company transferees and recognise select professional qualifications. Canada currently issues roughly 150,000 temporary resident visas to Indian nationals annually; officials believe CEPA could double that flow within five years.
![Canadian envoy says India-Canada trade pact ‘realistic’ for 2026, raising hopes for smoother business mobility]()
For companies and individuals trying to navigate the current Canadian visa landscape ahead of any CEPA reforms, online platform VisaHQ can remove much of the administrative friction. The service provides guided digital applications, document pre-screening and end-to-end support for Canadian business, tourist and work visas—offering dedicated assistance for Indian applicants. More information is available at https://www.visahq.com/canada/
For Canadian companies, India already represents nearly CA $11 billion in outbound investment, concentrated in IT services, clean technology and insurance. Conversely, India’s sovereign and private investors hold over CA $109 billion in Canadian assets, much of it channelled through pension funds. Mobility bottlenecks—especially eight-week wait times for Canada work permits out of New Delhi—have been a recurring complaint for companies trying to staff joint ventures on tight project schedules. If the mobility chapter survives the negotiating process, analysts expect it to introduce a 10-day target for short-term business visas and create a trusted employer scheme modeled on Canada’s Global Skills Strategy. That would be a significant win for multinational project teams shuttling engineers, auditors and C-suite executives between Toronto, Bengaluru and Mumbai. Universities in both countries are also lobbying for mutual recognition of postgraduate research visas to accelerate academic exchanges. Formal CEPA talks resume next month in Ottawa. Observers say the biggest sticking points remain market-access rules for dairy and digital services, but the mobility elements are seen as “low-hanging fruit” that could be ring-fenced early to showcase deliverables. Companies with India-Canada talent pipelines should track draft text closely; pilot programmes could launch as early as mid-2027 once both parliaments ratify an agreement.
For companies and individuals trying to navigate the current Canadian visa landscape ahead of any CEPA reforms, online platform VisaHQ can remove much of the administrative friction. The service provides guided digital applications, document pre-screening and end-to-end support for Canadian business, tourist and work visas—offering dedicated assistance for Indian applicants. More information is available at https://www.visahq.com/canada/
For Canadian companies, India already represents nearly CA $11 billion in outbound investment, concentrated in IT services, clean technology and insurance. Conversely, India’s sovereign and private investors hold over CA $109 billion in Canadian assets, much of it channelled through pension funds. Mobility bottlenecks—especially eight-week wait times for Canada work permits out of New Delhi—have been a recurring complaint for companies trying to staff joint ventures on tight project schedules. If the mobility chapter survives the negotiating process, analysts expect it to introduce a 10-day target for short-term business visas and create a trusted employer scheme modeled on Canada’s Global Skills Strategy. That would be a significant win for multinational project teams shuttling engineers, auditors and C-suite executives between Toronto, Bengaluru and Mumbai. Universities in both countries are also lobbying for mutual recognition of postgraduate research visas to accelerate academic exchanges. Formal CEPA talks resume next month in Ottawa. Observers say the biggest sticking points remain market-access rules for dairy and digital services, but the mobility elements are seen as “low-hanging fruit” that could be ring-fenced early to showcase deliverables. Companies with India-Canada talent pipelines should track draft text closely; pilot programmes could launch as early as mid-2027 once both parliaments ratify an agreement.
