Agri-Food Immigration Pilot

The Agri-Food Pilot helps address the labour needs of the Canadian agri-food sector which is critical for the growth of Canada. The pilot provides a pathway to permanent residence for experienced, non-seasonal workers in specific industries and occupations. It will run until May 2023.

The Agri-Food pilot offers a pathway to permanent residence for agricultural workers in Canada. In recent years, Canadian agriculture and agri-food industries have struggled to fill labour shortages and workers have had to rely on short-term, seasonal work permits in order to find employment. The pilot aims to attract and retain workers by offering a pathway to permanent residence in Canada, allowing workers and their families to work and live in Canada for as long as they like.

The 3-year pilot aims to fill labor shortages in meat, mushroom and greenhouse crop production and processing within the agriculture-food sector. The agriculture sector is a crucial component of Canada’s economic growth and is a major job creator.

A maximum of 2,750 principal applicants, plus family members, will be accepted for processing in any given year. This represents a total of approximately 16,500 possible new permanent residents over the three-year duration of the pilot.

Agri-Food Pilot Program Requirements

• Applicants must meet the following criteria to be eligible for the program:
• Work experience: 12 months of full-time, non-seasonal Canadian work experience in the Temporary Foreign Worker Program in an eligible occupation in processing meat products, raising livestock, or growing mushrooms or green house crops
• Language: A Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 4 in English or French
• Education: Canadian equivalency of high-school level or greater
• Job offer: Job offer for full-time, non-seasonal work in Canada, outside of Quebec, at or above the prevailing wage