Agri-Food Pilot
The Agri-Food Pilot is an immigration pilot program that helps Canada address its labour shortages in the agricultural sector. Indeed, the Canadian agricultural sector has a significant demand for the agri-food labour market in Canada. As such, in attempt to attract and retain agricultural workers, the IRCC rolled out the Agri-Food Pilot in 2019. The pilot provides a pathway to permanent residence in Canada for experienced, non-seasonal workers in select agri-food industries and occupations.
Since this is a pilot program, it will continue until May 2023 and allows a maximum of 2,750 principal applicants and their families to be admitted to Canada every year. Throughout the duration of the Pilot, there can be a total of 16,500 new potential permanent residents.
To be eligible for the Agri-Food Pilot, you must meet the following minimum eligibility criteria:
Agri-Food Pilot Eligibility
Agri-Food Pilot eligible Canadian work experience
You must have a minimum of 1 year of non-seasonal, full-time (minimum 1, 560 hours) work experience obtained through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program in the past 3 years. To be eligible, your employer must submit a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) with a minimum 12-month duration when you were hired. It is important to note that the work experience obtained while you worked on an Open Work Permit will not be counted towards the eligible work experience. Finally, the work experience must be obtained in one of the more Agri-Food Pilot eligible occupations. Your occupation may be specified on your work permit if you have an occupation and/or employer-specific work permit.
You must have an eligible job offer
Your job offer must meet all of the following requirements:
The job offer must be in an eligible occupation listed under 1 of the eligible industries
The job offer must be full time (at least 30 paid hours per week)
The job offer must be non-seasonal (you must have consistent and regularly scheduled paid employment throughout the year)
Your employment is permanent (there should be no end date)
For unionized positions, your wage must be determined by the applicable collective agreement
For non-unionized positions, your wage must meet or exceed the median wage for the occupation listed on your job offer in the province where you’re employed (or it must exceed the national median wage if there is no provincial rate available)
Your job offer must be for a job in any province expect Quebec
Language requirements
All Agri-Food Pilot applicants know at least one of Canada’s official languages, either English or French. Your language abilities will be assessed by IRCC through one of the official language tests: CELPIP: Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program, IELTS: International English Language Testing System, TEF Canada: Test d’évaluation de français, or TCF Canada: Test de connaissance du français.
Your language test results must be not older than 2 years.
Level of education
If you studied outside Canada and obtained your educational credentials abroad, you must obtain an Educational Credential Assessment report (ECA) for immigration purposes. You must include your Canadian credential or your foreign credential and Educational Credential Assessment report when you apply. The ECA report must be less than 5 years old on the date of your application.
Proof of Funds for settling in Canada
You must prove that you have enough money to successfully settle in Canada with your family members, even if they’re not coming to Canada with you. However, the Proof of Funds requirement is waived if you’re already working in Canada with a valid work permit at the time when you submit your Agri-Food Pilot application.
List of Eligible Agri-Food Pilot Occupations
To be eligible for the Agri-Food Pilot, you must have a work experience in one of the eligible agricultural sector industries. Industries are classified by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). Below is a detailed breakdown of the NOC codes included in each of the eligible NAICS industries:
Meat product manufacturing (NAICS 3116)
NOC B 6331 – Retail butchers
NOC C 9462 – Industrial butchers
NOC B 8252 – Farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers
NOC D 9617 – Food processing labourers
Greenhouse, nursery and floriculture production, including mushroom production (NAICS 1114)
NOC B 8252 – Farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers
NOC C 8431 – General farm workers
NOC D 8611 – Harvesting labourers
Animal production, excluding aquaculture (NAICS 1121, 1122, 1123, 1124 and 1129)
NOC B 8252 – Farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers
NOC C 8431 – General farm workers
Annual Agri-Food Pilot application limits
Only a limited number of applications are accepted for each year for every occupation. All applications are processed on a first-come, first-served basis.
| Eligible occupation | Number of applications accepted per year |
|---|---|
| Farm supervisor or specialized livestock worker (NOC B 8252) | 50 |
| Industrial butcher (NOC C 9462) or retail butcher (NOC B 6331) | 1470 |
| Food processing labourer (NOC D 9617) | 730 |
| General farm worker (NOC C 8431) | 200 |
| Harvesting labourer (NOC D 8611) | 300 |
If you consider applying for Permanent Residence in Canada under Agri-Food Pilot, consider booking a consultation with an Immigration Lawyer to discuss your unique circumstances and how we can help you properly prepare your application
