Canada launches agri-food immigration pilot program

IRCC has started accepting permanent residency (PR) applications under the Agri-Food Immigration Pilot program. 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 is intended to address the labour needs of Canadian employers in these fields. Applications are being accepted from May 14, 2023 by IRCC for up to 2,750 principal applicants plus their family members annually under the pilot.

Program Requirements

Work Experience

1. 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.
2. The work experience must have been authorized on a work permit issued on the basis of a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) with a duration of a least 12 months.
3. 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).

List of the eligible industry (NAICS) and occupation (NOC) combinations accepted under the Agri-Food Immigration Pilot for both work experience and job offer 

NAICS – 1114 Greenhouse, nursery and floriculture production

• • NOC – 8252 Agricultural service contractors, farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers
  • NOC – 8431 General farm workers
  • NOC – 8611 Harvesting labourers

NAICS – 1121 Cattle ranching and farming

• • NOC – 8252 Agricultural service contractors, farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers
  • NOC – 8431 General farm workers

NAICS – 1122 Hog and pig farming

• • NOC – 8252 Agricultural service contractors, farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers
  • NOC – 8431 General farm workers

NAICS – 1123 Poultry and egg production

• • NOC – 8252 Agricultural service contractors, farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers
  • NOC – 8431 General farm workers

NAICS – 1124 Sheep and goat farming

• • NOC – 8252 Agricultural service contractors, farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers
  • NOC – 8431 General farm workers

NAICS – 1129 Other animal production

• • NOC – 8252 Agricultural service contractors, farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers
  • NOC – 8431 General farm workers

NAICS – 3116 Meat product manufacturing

• • NOC – 6331 Butchers, meat cutters and fishmongers – retail and wholesale
  • NOC – 8252 Agricultural service contractors, farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers
  • NOC – 9462 Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers
  • NOC – 9617 Labourers in food and beverage processing

Job Offer

• The job offer must be from an employer whose primary business activities 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, or
• For overseas education, the applicant is required to provide an Education Credential Assessment (ECA) to show that the studies are equal to a Canadian secondary or post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree, or
• The ECA report must be less than five years old on the date the IRCC receives the PR application

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.

The Agri-Food Immigration Pilot will test a new, industry-specific approach to help address the labour 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.

Contact us for consultation and assistance.