In 2019, IRCC announced the launching of Agri-Food Immigration Pilot to fill labour shortages, particularly in meat processing and mushroom production, within the agri-food sector and help meet Canada’s ambitious export targets. It is now officially accepting applications and will be doing so until May 2023. There is a limit in number of applications to be accepted yearly, so you better act soon!
To apply for permanent residence under the Agri-Food Pilot, you need
- eligible Canadian work experience in one or more of the eligible industries and occupations
- a full-time, non-seasonal job offer from a Canadian employer in one of the eligible industries and occupations(outside of Quebec)
- to meet or exceed the language requirements (CLB Level 4)
- to meet or exceed the educational requirements (ECA minimum of Canadian High School Diploma)
- to have settlement funds (if applicable)
- to maintain temporary resident status (if already in Canada)
Eligible Canadian Work Experience
In order to meet the criteria, your Canadian Work Experience must be:
- a minimum of 1 year of non-seasonal, full-time work in the past 3 years (at least 1,560 hours)
- in 1 or more of the eligible occupations listed under 1 of the eligible industries
- through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program
- A Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) with a minimum 12-month duration must have been submitted by your employer when hiring you. If you’re not sure, you can ask your former or current employer about the duration.
Unfortunately, Open Work Permit holders like Spouses of International Students are not eligible under this program unless LMIA was issued for them.
Job Offer
The job must be in an eligible occupation listed under 1 of the eligible industries. It must be non-seasonal, full-time and permanent employment.- The offer must meet the needs of the employer.
- The employer must be actively involved in the business where the applicant will work.
- The employer must be able to fulfill the terms of the offer.
- The employer must have complied with all employment laws and rules in the past.
- For unionized positions, the wage must be determined by the applicable collective agreement.
- For non-unionized positions, the wage must meet or exceed the Job Bank’s prevailing (median) wage for the occupation listed on your job offer in the province of employment (or at the national level if no provincial rate is available).
- Your job offer must be for a job in Canada outside of Quebec.
Eligible Occupations/Industries
For meat product manufacturing, eligible jobs are
- NOC B 6331 – Retail butchers
- NOC C 9462 – Industrial butchers
- NOC B 8252 – Farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers
- NOC D 9617 – Food processing laborers
For greenhouse, nursery and floriculture production, including mushroom production, eligible jobs are
- NOC B 8252 – Farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers
- NOC C 8431 – General farm workers
- NOC D 8611 – Harvesting laborers
For animal production, excluding aquaculture eligible jobs are
- NOC B 8252 – Farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers
- NOC C 8431 – General farm workers
Settlement funds
You must prove that you have enough money to settle in Canada. You’ll need to prove that you have enough funds to support yourself and any family members you may have, even if they’re not coming to Canada with you.
If you’re already working in Canada with a valid work permit when you apply, you don’t need to provide proof of settlement funds.
How to apply?
Information about visa application is available at www.canada.ca, Canada's official government website. It is not mandatory to hire the services of an Immigration Lawyer Consultant to apply for Canadian Visa.
But if you think you need help, Gateway to Canada can assist you. We are not a recruitment agency and can't help you find an employer. But if you find one, we can definitely assist you to get your visa/permit.
There are also other pathways to immigrate to Canada even without a job offer. Interested? Here's what you must do:
- Take the Online Assessment to learn your options. It's FREE!
- Attend one of our Webinars to get answer to your questions
- Find jobs in Canada using the job search tools
