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The Agri-Food Immigration Pilot began accepting applications in May, 2020.
Updated on September 25, 2024
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The agri-food pilot aims to fill labour shortages, particularly in meat processing and mushroom production, within the agri-food sector and help meet Canada鈥檚 ambitious export targets. The agriculture and agri-food industry is an important contributor to Canada鈥檚 economic growth and vitality, supporting around one-in-eight jobs in Canada.
The aim is to help the agri-food sector bring in full-time, non-seasonal foreign workers needed to fill growing labour gaps. This new pilot aims to attract and retain workers by providing them with an opportunity to become permanent residents following an initial two-year stint on a temporary work permit, instead of having to renew their work permits repeatedly.
A maximum of 2,750 principal applicants, plus family members, will be accepted for processing in any given year.
IRCC updated the Agri-Food Pilot program requirements on June 3, 2024. The changes are:
To be eligible for Canada’s Agri-Food Immigration Pilot, foreign workers must meet the following eligibility requirements:
Note: As of February 12, 2024, applicants who reside in Canada at the time of application need to meet either the job offer requirements or the educational requirements. Only applicants residing outside of Canada at the time of their application need to met both requirements.
You must have at least one year Canadian work experience (at least 1,560 hours in the past three years). This Canadian work experience must be:
On May 8, 2023, Canada announced that it would accept work experience gained under an open work permit for vulnerable workers, giving more workers the opportunity to apply.
Eligible industries for the Agri-Food Immigration Pilot are
Industries are classified by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). You can see specific industry definitions by searching the industry codes below on the聽.
Eligible jobs for the pilot are classified by the National Occupational Classification (NOC) code. You can see the duties for each job by searching the聽.
You must have a genuine job offer from a Canadian employer. This job offer must:
You must score a minimum of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) of Level 4 on an approved language test in either English or French.
Minimum completed level of education equivalent to a Canadian high school diploma (or higher). Education completed outside Canada must be supported by a valid .
You must prove that you have enough money to support yourself and your family members upon settlement in Canada. Those already working in Canada with a valid work permit are not required to provide proof of funds. If you are not already working in Canada, the settlement funds requirement is as follows:
If you meet the program requirements listed above, then you can submit your application for permanent resident status directly to IRCC.
In order to apply, you will have compile a detailed application using the application guide and forms available on the official . You will have to provide documentary evidence that you meet all program requirements.
Once you have completed your application, you will be required to submit the application in hard copy by mail to the address listed on the above-mentioned webpage.
Employers in the agri-food sector who participate in the pilot are eligible for a two-year Labour Market Impact Assessment.
To complement the pilot, Employment and Social Development Canada is introducing changes that will benefit meat processor employers who are supporting temporary foreign workers in transitioning to permanent residence:
With permanent resident status, foreign workers would have access to more of the social programs they help pay for through taxation, such as Employment Insurance and the Canadian Pension Plan. With the agri-food immigration pilot, more workers will be able to plan long-term settlement in Canada, rather than a temporary stint with little-to-no hope of settling permanently.
When the agri-food immigration pilot was first proposed earlier in 2019, it was welcomed by bodies such as the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA), with CFA President Mary Robinson stating, “If you’re a farmer and you don’t have secure labour, then you are less likely to make investments in your industry and you are less likely to expand your business.
“We know that labour is a limiting factor for a lot of agriculture industries in Canada,” added Robinson. “It was reported in 2014 that approximately 26,400 jobs were left unfilled and we lost 1.5 billion dollars as a result.”
The pilot is a collaboration between Agriculture and Agri-food Canada and Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).
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