Agri-Food Pilot is to address the labor shortage of the Canadian agri-food sector. The pilot provides a pathway to permanent residence for experienced, non-seasonal workers in specific industries and occupations. The 3-year economic immigration pilot program is for temporary foreign workers (TFW) who are already in Canada and working in the meat processing, mushroom, greenhouse production and livestock-raising industries. The pilot will run until May 2023.

Work Experience

· The applicant must have at least one year (1,560 hours), full-time, non-seasonal work experience in Canada, under a valid work permit within the last three years.

· The work experience must have been authorized on a work permit issued based on a Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) with a duration of a least 12 months.

· The occupation and/or work experience must fall under one or more eligible combinations of the National Occupational Classification (NOC) and North American Industry Classification System ( NAICS).

Job Offer

· The job offer must be from an employer whose primary business activity are in an eligible industry (NAICS) and for an eligible occupation (NOC).

· The job offer must be full time, non-seasonal and for indeterminate period (no end date).

· The wage must be at or above the prevailing wage (median) for the occupation in the province where the job is located.

· The applicant must submit an “Offer of Employment to a Foreign National – Agri-Food Immigration pilot” with the application.

Temporary resident status

The applicant is required to maintain his/her temporary resident status during the processing of the application for permanent residence.

Education

The applicant must have a high-school diploma, post-secondary certificate or degree that is valid and equal to a Canadian equivalent. For overseas education, the applicant is required to provide an Education Credential Assessment (ECA) for overseas education.

Language

The applicant must meet the minimum language requirements in the  Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) or the  Niveaux de competence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) for listening, speaking, reading and writing at level 4 (or above) across all language abilities.

Settlement funds

You must prove that you have enough money to support any family members, even if they are not coming to Canada with you. You are exempt from the settlement funds requirement if you are already working legally in Canada at the time of application.

The Agri-Food Immigration Pilot will test a new, industry-specific approach to help address the labor needs of the Canadian agri-food sector, particularly in meat processing and mushroom production. While immigration in the agricultural sector is largely based on seasonal workers, this pilot aims to enhance the benefits of economic immigration to the agri-food sector by testing a new pathway to permanent residence.

If you have at least one year of experience in an eligible occupation and a job offer from your employer, we may help you throughout the application process (e.g., applying for work permit, extension, and permanent residency).