Program Objective - Agri-Food Immigration Pilot
The Agri-Food Immigration Pilot was developed to help address hiring challenges and support Canada’s export growth. It provides a pathway to permanent residence for agri-food workers with Canadian work experience, particularly in the mushroom and greenhouse crop production, meat processing, and livestock raising industries. The three-year pilot launched on March 30, 2020, with a total of up to 2,750 applications accepted annually.
Temporary foreign workers with work experience in the Canadian agri-food sector receive only limited work permits and are not able to obtain permanent resident status. With this pilot, they have the opportunity to become permanent residents instead of having to renew their work permits repeatedly.
Participating Communities
- Not limited to any specific province
Processing Times
Eligible Occupations
- Meat processing (including retail butcher, industrial butcher, food processing labourer)
- Harvesting labourer for year-round mushroom production and greenhouse crop production
- General farm worker for year-round mushroom production, greenhouse crop production, or livestock raising
- Farm supervisor and specialized livestock worker for meat processing, year-round mushroom production, greenhouse crop production, or livestock raising
Program Eligibility
- Job Offer Requirements: An indeterminate job offer for full-time, non-seasonal work in Canada, outside of Quebec, at or above the prevailing wage.
- Work Experience Requirements: 12 months of full-time, non-seasonal Canadian work experience in the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, in one of the eligible occupations.
- Education Requirements: Foreign equivalent of a high school level education or greater.
- Language Requirements: A Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 4 in English or French.
- Funds or Investment Requirements: Proof of funds based on family size and settlement location.
