Immigration for Film Industry Work

The Canadian Film Industry

Many productions choose to film in Canada because of the excellent settings, resources, infrastructure for the film industry. In fact Canada has earned the title of “Hollywood North”. Toronto’s screen industry’s direct expenditures are third behind Los Angeles and New York City.

Why Film in Canada?

Picturesque locations, resource infrastructure, Canadian federal and provincial tax credit and incentive programs are some of the main reasons that productions choose to film in Canada, as long as the criteria is met.

A minimum percentage of the production company must be comprised of Canadian workers and the Federal Government offers a refundable federal tax credit on the qualifying labor paid to Canadian residents. By combining federal and provincial credits, the range can increase substantially and further incentives on eligible local spend are also available.

What role does Canadian Immigration Play in the Film Industry?

Sometimes production companies are unable to meet the labor-based minimums in order to benefit from the credits and incentives. This may be because they do not have enough Canadian and permanent resident employees working on the production.

The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) provide permanent residence options for skilled workers in the film industry if the work is essential to the film production.

The immigration lawyers at EEP are experienced in this domain. Our team has worked with a range of individuals in the film industry, from producers and writers to front-line production staff and make-up artists. We can assess options that meet the needs of the production house and explore opportunities in order to get you working in Canada even sooner.