Published by the Canadian Diplomatic Family Network (CDFN)

Can I telework?

If you’re a diplomatic family member who works for a Canadian employer — whether the federal government, a Crown corporation, or a private company — one of the biggest questions you’ll face at posting time is: can I keep working from abroad?

The answer isn’t always yes, but your chances are better if you get the right approvals in place. A telework-from-abroad arrangement isn’t something your employer can just wave through. It involves security assessments, IT reviews, management approvals, and sometimes sign-off at the most senior levels of your organization. The process can feel intimidating, but it’s navigable if you understand what decision-makers are looking for.

This article breaks down the approval process based on real telework packages that were successfully approved, and gives you practical advice on how to build the strongest possible case.

The Two Worlds of Telework

Before diving into the approval process, it’s important to distinguish between two very different situations:

Telework for your existing Canadian employer from abroad. This is about keeping your current job — working remotely for the same employer you had in Canada, but from your posting country. This is what this article covers. It requires your employer’s formal approval, and for government employees, it involves a structured review process.

Working in the local economy or freelancing from abroad. This involves different rules — diplomatic status, REAs, immunity waivers, and local tax obligations. For guidance on these scenarios, see Employment Guide for Canadian Diplomatic Spouses Abroad and Navigating Taxes Abroad.

What Decision-Makers Are Looking For

Based on released Access to Information records from successful telework approvals, here are the key factors that decision-makers evaluate. Understanding these is the foundation of a strong request.

1. Operational requirements

This is the most fundamental question: can your job actually be done remotely? Decision-makers want to see that your role doesn’t require physical presence — that your work is primarily conducted through virtual meetings, email, and digital tools, and that your team can function with you working from a different location and time zone.

Successful applicants demonstrated that their roles involved client service delivered via MS Teams and email, that all team interactions were already virtual (especially common in post-COVID work environments), and that there were no in-person meetings or work-related travel planned during the telework period. If your team is already distributed across different locations, make this clear — it strengthens the case that remote work is already the norm for your unit.

2. Security

This is often the deciding factor. Your employer needs assurance that sensitive information will be protected. In the successful cases reviewed, applicants committed to specific security measures:

• Working from a dedicated, secure workspace — a room with a locked door, or storing the laptop in a security safe when not in use
• Connecting through VPN to access the employer’s network
• No printing of any documents at the remote location
• Using headphones during all meetings and calls
• Not sharing any protected information outside of work
• Keeping all MS Teams calls private
• Taking only virtual notes in applications like OneNote or Word (no paper notes of sensitive content)
• Reporting any suspicious activity to Security Services
• Agreeing to attend a mandatory security briefing before the telework period begins

For government employees, the request triggers a formal security assessment by your organization’s Chief Security Officer (CSO). This assessment uses Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) guidance and tools from the Privy Council Security Centre of Excellence. It evaluates country-specific threat levels using data from Global Affairs Canada, the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, and internet cellular service providers.

The security assessment produces a threat rating — typically LOW or MEDIUM for most Western countries. If the rating is MEDIUM, the CSO will recommend specific mitigating measures (all of the above, plus potentially registering with RAVE notifications and calling the Duty Officer line if assets are stolen). Even a MEDIUM rating doesn’t mean denial — it means additional precautions.

3. IT security

Separate from physical security, your employer’s IT team will assess whether there are additional cybersecurity risks from your proposed location. In the successful cases reviewed, IT Security consultations concluded that there was “very minimal additional IT risk” to teleworking from locations like the United States versus teleworking from within Canada. This assessment will vary depending on the country — teleworking from a Five Eyes country (US, UK, Australia, New Zealand) will likely raise fewer concerns than from countries with higher cyber-threat profiles.

4. Cost neutrality

Decision-makers want to know that your telework arrangement won’t cost the organization extra money. Successful applicants explicitly stated that the arrangement would incur no additional costs — the employee covers their own travel, internet, and any other expenses. Equipment travels with the employee and is not shipped separately. With MS Teams as the primary communication tool, long-distance telephone costs are eliminated.

5. Duration and flexibility

Telework-from-abroad arrangements are typically approved for a defined period — not indefinitely. Successful cases involved specific date ranges. Some were framed as “occasional” telework from outside Canada rather than a permanent arrangement. Being flexible about duration and clear about the timeframe strengthens your request. If you’re asking for a longer period, be prepared to explain why.

6. Time zone compatibility

If your work involves client interaction or team collaboration, address the time zone difference proactively. In some cases, the time difference was actually presented as a benefit — a Labour Relations Advisor working in the Western Region noted that the time difference from her proposed location would actually be more convenient for her clients.

The Anatomy of a Successful Telework Package

Based on the ATIP records, a successful telework-from-abroad request typically includes three components that move through a formal approval chain:

The Briefing Note

This is the core document. It follows a standard Government of Canada format:

Purpose: One paragraph stating who you are, your role, and what you’re requesting (authority to telework from [location] for [period]).

Issue: A brief statement of why the request exists — you are seeking to work occasionally from outside Canada, or you need to maintain work continuity during a period abroad.

Background: This is where you make your case. Include your role description, explain why the work can be done remotely, describe your workspace and security measures, address internet connectivity, confirm cost neutrality, and note any relevant personal circumstances. Mention that your team/management supports the request.

Recommendation: A clear statement from your director or executive recommending approval, with a condition that security concerns are met.

The Security Assessment

Prepared by the CSO’s office after the briefing note is submitted. You don’t write this yourself, but you can prepare for it by having answers ready about your workspace, equipment storage, internet provider, and the physical security of your location.

The Transit Slip / Routing Document

This is the approval routing sheet that collects signatures from all required parties. In the cases reviewed, mandatory consultations included Security Services, the Director General of HR, and the Executive Director’s Office. Final approval went to the Chairperson/President of the organization.

How to Build Your Request: Step by Step

Step 1: Talk to your manager first

Before any paperwork, have a conversation with your direct supervisor. You need their support — the request won’t go anywhere without it. Frame it in terms of operational continuity: “I’d like to continue contributing to [specific files/projects] during the posting. Here’s how I think we could make it work.”

Step 2: Research your employer’s telework policy

For federal government employees, the relevant framework is the TBS guidance for “Requests to Work from Locations Other than the Designated Worksite.” Your HR department should be able to point you to the specific policy. Private sector employers will have their own policies — some more flexible, some less.

Step 3: Draft your briefing note

Use the Purpose / Issue / Background / Recommendation structure. Be specific and concrete. Address every factor listed above: operational requirements, security, IT, cost, duration, and time zones.

Step 4: Prepare for the security assessment

Know the answers to these questions before they’re asked: Where exactly will you work? Is the room lockable? Who else lives in the residence? How will you secure the laptop when not working? What is your internet provider? Will you need to print anything? (The answer should be no.)

Step 5: Line up your approvals

Understand who needs to sign off. For government employees, this typically includes your immediate manager, your director/DG, Security Services, HR, and potentially your deputy head or equivalent. Start early — the approval chain takes time, especially if security assessments are needed.

Step 6: Be patient and follow up

The process can take weeks or even months. Don’t let it stall. Follow up regularly, but professionally. And be aware that if a security assessment is required, there may be a queue.

Tips That Made the Difference

Based on what distinguished successful requests:

Frame it as a benefit to the organization, not just to you. Emphasize continuity on key files, the ability to advance work during your absence, and the fact that your team won’t lose a resource.

Be specific about security measures. Don’t just say “I’ll be careful.” List concrete measures: VPN, locked room, no printing, headphones, security safe for equipment. The more specific, the more credible.

Explicitly state cost neutrality. Say it clearly: “The organization will not incur any additional costs from this arrangement.” Cover travel, internet, equipment, and communications.

Show that your team already works this way. If your team is already distributed, if all meetings are on Teams, if your work is already asynchronous — say so. It normalizes the request.

Offer flexibility. Indicate willingness to adjust the arrangement to meet operational needs. Be open to a shorter initial period with the possibility of extension.

Address the “what if” scenarios. What happens if there’s an urgent need? You’re available. What if there’s an internet outage? You have a backup plan. What if you’re needed in person? You understand the arrangement can be adjusted.

Get IT Security on your side early. If IT Security can confirm minimal additional risk, it removes a major potential objection. The successful cases all included an IT Security consultation that cleared the request.

The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Question

Some families quietly continue working remotely from their posting country without formally requesting permission from their employer. This is understandable — the approval process is long and uncertain, and the fear of being told “no” can feel worse than the risk of just doing it.

But there are real risks to this approach. If discovered, it could create issues with your employer, your insurance coverage, your tax situation, and potentially your partner’s diplomatic status. For government employees in particular, working from an unapproved location with access to government systems and data is a security matter, not just an HR one.

The recommendation is to go through the process. It takes effort, but having a formal arrangement protects you — and your partner — in ways that informal arrangements cannot.

For Private Sector Employees

If you work for a private company rather than the government, the process will be different — often simpler, but with its own challenges.

Duty of care is a common barrier. Employers have legal obligations to ensure the safety of their employees, and some HR departments are not equipped to assess risk in foreign countries. Your employer may not have a framework for approving international telework, which means you may need to help them create one.

Key points to address with a private employer: data security and compliance with Canadian privacy laws, tax implications for the company (having an employee working in another jurisdiction can create tax nexus issues), insurance and liability coverage while abroad, and the practical arrangements for staying connected.

Some companies may be more flexible than government, but others — particularly in regulated industries — may have strict policies against international remote work. Start the conversation early.

Tax Implications of Telework from Abroad

If you’re teleworking for a Canadian employer while posted abroad, your tax situation is generally simpler than other employment scenarios. Your employer continues to deduct income tax at source, and your provincial tax is based on your last province of residence. But there are nuances, especially around whether the host country considers your activity to be “work” within their borders.

For a detailed breakdown, see Navigating Taxes Abroad as a Diplomatic Spouse.

Key Contacts

• Your HR department: Your first point of contact for telework policy and process guidance
• Your Chief Security Officer (CSO): For the security assessment component
• CDFN: cdfn-rfdc.com — connect with other families who have navigated the telework process
• Your mission: Can advise on host-country considerations

Related Articles

• Navigating Taxes Abroad as a Diplomatic Spouse — tax implications for every employment scenario
• Employment Guide for Canadian Diplomatic Spouses Abroad — the comprehensive guide covering all options and supports

This article is part of a series on employment for diplomatic family members, published by the Canadian Diplomatic Family Network.