The Agri-Food Pilot is a Canadian immigration program designed to address labor shortages in Canada’s agri-food sector. It was launched by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (“IRCC“) in 2019 as a three-year pilot program, set to expire in 2022, but has since been extended to May 2024.
It is established through Ministerial Instructions.
The Agri-Food Pilot program is a targeted initiative that aims to address the specific labor needs of the agri-food sector in Canada and provide foreign workers with a pathway to permanent residency.
To be eligible, candidates must have a job offer in Canada from an employer in the agri-food sector and meet other eligibility criteria, such as language proficiency and educational requirements. Specifically, applicants 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;
- to meet or exceed the educational requirements;
- to have settlement funds (if applicable); and
- to maintain temporary resident status (if already in Canada).
Eligible Work Experience
Applicants must have:
- a minimum of 1 year of non-seasonal, full-time work in the past 3 years before they apply for permanent residence (at least 1,560 hours);
- in 1 or more of the eligible occupations listed under 1 of the eligible industries; and
- through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program
- A Labour Market Impact Assessment (an “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.
Eligible industries under the pilot are:
- meat product manufacturing (NAICS 3116)
- greenhouse, nursery and floriculture production, including mushroom production (NAICS 1114)
- animal production, excluding aquaculture
- cattle ranching and farming (NAICS 1121)
- hog and pig farming (NAICS 1122)
- poultry and egg production (NAICS 1123)
- sheep and goat farming (NAICS 1124)
- other animal production (NAICS 1129)
Eligible occupations for each eligible industry are listed below.
For meat product manufacturing (NAICS 3116), eligible occupations are
- NOC 63201 – Butchers – retail and wholesale
- NOC 65202 – Meat cutters and fishmongers – retail and wholesale
- NOC 94141 – Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers
- NOC 82030 – Agricultural service contractors and farm supervisors
- NOC 84120 – Specialized livestock workers and farm machinery operators
- NOC 85100 – Livestock labourers
- NOC 95106 – Labourers in food and beverage processing
For greenhouse, nursery and floriculture production, including mushroom production (NAICS 1114), eligible occupations are
- NOC 82030 – Agricultural service contractors and farm supervisors
- NOC 84120 – Specialized livestock workers and farm machinery operators
- NOC 85100 – Livestock labourers
- NOC 85101 – Harvesting labourers
For animal production, excluding aquaculture (NAICS 1121, 1122, 1123, 1124 and 1129), eligible occupations are
- NOC 82030 – Agricultural service contractors and farm supervisors
- NOC 84120 – Specialized livestock workers and farm machinery operators
- NOC 85100 – Livestock labourers
- NOC 85101 – Harvesting labourers
Job Offer
The job offer must meet the following requirements:
- be in an eligible occupation listed under 1 of the eligible industries;
- be full time;
- be non-seasonal;
- be permanent;
- for unionized positions, the wage must be determined by the applicable collective agreement.
- for non-unionized positions, the wage must meet or exceed the prevailing wage; and
- the job offer must be for a job in Canada outside of Quebec.
Language
The language requirements are Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 4 in English or Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) 4 in French in all four language skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing).
There are several ways that candidates can demonstrate their language proficiency, including taking an approved language test from a recognized testing agency or completing a language program from a designated institution in Canada.
Education
The educational requirements are a minimum of Canadian secondary school or equivalent.
Cap
The program is capped at 2,750 applications.