Agri-Food Pilot

Agri-Food Pilot

The federal government of Canada revealed its plan to launch an Agri-Food Immigration Pilot in the 2019 budget. The pilot program is being launched to fill the labour shortages in the agricultural industries in Canada. The three-year pilot will start receiving applications in early 2020.

Under the Agri-Food Program, agricultural workers can apply for permanent residence in Canada. At present, agriculture and agri-food industries in Canada are struggling to fill the labour shortages even while agricultural workers are relying on short-term, seasonal work permits for finding employment. By opening a pathway for permanent residence to agricultural workers, Canada would be able to attract and retain workers in this sector. It would also help the workers to work and live in Canada with their families as long as they please.

Under the program, Canada will be accepting a maximum of 2,750 principal applicants and their families every year. It is expected that Canada would admit 16,500 new permanent residents through the pilot program during the three years. The government has informed that agricultural employers participating in the Agri-Food Pilot Program will be eligible for the 2-year Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).

Agri-Food Pilot Program: Requirements for candidates

The eligibility criteria for candidates to apply under the Agri-Food Pilot Program are as follows:

• Work experience: The candidate must have at least 12 months of full-time non-seasonal Canadian work experience under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. The work experience must be in an eligible occupation in processing meat products, raising livestock, or growing mushrooms or greenhouse crops.
• Language proficiency: The candidate must have proficiency in English or French equal to level 4 in the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB).
• Education: The candidate must have minimum education equal to Canadian high-school level or above.
• Job offer: The candidate must have a full-time, indeterminate job offer for a non-seasonal work at or above the prevailing wage. The location can be anywhere outside of Quebec.

More information on how to apply for the Agri-Food Pilot Program will be available only in early 2020.