Managing Business Traveler Programs in 2025: What Canadian Mobility Leaders Need to Know
Business travel has roared back, and fast. Global spending is projected to hit $1.64 trillion in 2025, an 11% increase from the previous year. But the real story isn’t just volume. It’s complexity. What used to be a simple trip now involves tax obligations, immigration scrutiny, duty of care requirements, and an expanding tech ecosystem. For Canadian global mobility professionals, managing business travelers has become a strategic function, not an administrative one.
Why Business Travel Looks Different Now
Organizations are approaching travel more intentionally than before the pandemic. Trips today are tied to high-impact activities like conferences, sales, and team strategy, not routine check-ins that can happen over Zoom. But alongside rising travel demand comes heightened scrutiny. Tax authorities are enforcing rules more aggressively, borders are tightening, and companies are expected to demonstrate that they can keep travelers safe.
The days of ad-hoc, “book-and-go” travel programs are over.
Tax Compliance: A Major Pressure Point
For Canadians, the biggest challenge is Regulation 102. A non-resident employee triggers payroll reporting from day one of work in Canada. While Regulation 102 certification offers relief for travelers staying under 45 days, enforcement has increased, and the CRA expects organizations to have reliable tracking systems.
Cross-border US travel adds another layer of difficulty. Some states require tax withholding from the first workday, while others have thresholds of 30, 60, or more days. For high-earning executives, even short visits can trigger filing requirements. The lack of consistency makes accurate travel data non-negotiable.
Technology Is Now Essential
Modern business traveler programs depend on technology that can track travel, identify risk, and automate compliance. Canadian organizations typically adopt one of two paths:
1. Full-service platforms from firms like Deloitte, EY, KPMG, and PwC
These integrate travel data, run tax and immigration assessments, and produce compliance outputs. They’re robust, but expensive.
2. Specialized tech solutions like Equus, Navan, TravelPerk, CIBT, or Fragomen’s Nomadic
Often more affordable, these tools focus on specific needs such as tracking, immigration, or expense integration.
The differentiator in 2025 is integration. Systems that connect seamlessly with HRIS, booking tools, and expense systems reduce manual work and improve accuracy, something regulators increasingly expect.
Immigration, Duty of Care, and Security
Visa rules and border expectations are changing rapidly. Organizations now routinely use pre-travel assessments and “comfort letters” to document intent and reduce border issues. Frequent travelers, those entering the same country repeatedly, face additional scrutiny and require monitoring to avoid inadvertently triggering work authorization requirements.
Duty of care has also expanded. Companies must know where employees are and provide support in emergencies. Leading organizations rely on travel safety tools like ISOS or Crisis24 and mandate booking through approved channels to avoid visibility gaps.
Building a Modern Program
Mobility leaders who succeed in 2025 follow a few common steps:
Start with clean, accurate travel data.
Build programs in phases, don’t try to solve everything at once.
Clarify policy before buying technology.
Engage finance, HR, legal, and travel stakeholders early.
Communicate clearly with employees to drive adoption and reduce resistance.
The Bottom Line
Business travel isn’t going away, it’s evolving. With rising compliance expectations and better technology than ever before, 2025 is the year Canadian organizations must formalize their programs. When done well, these programs reduce risk, protect employees, and position mobility teams as strategic leaders in a rapidly changing landscape.
Need our help? We would be glad to talk.
Whether it’s about a business traveler program, or anything else related to global mobility. We would love to hear from you. We are always here when you need to talk.
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