Canada announces extension of the Agri-Food Pilot program, eliminating quotas.
Today, Canada's Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Sean Fraser, announced the extension of the Agri-Food Pilot program, until May 14, 2025. Launched in May 2020, the program helps convert experienced agricultural and food workers into permanent residents in Canada.
To support employers and applicants, the Minister also announced the removal of annual occupation quotas, which limit the number of applicants who can apply for a specific occupation within the program. Removing these limits will create opportunities for more eligible applicants to apply. By the end of the year, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) plans to introduce phased changes to the program, including:
- Expand the right to apply for an Open Work Permit to family members of all participants in the Agri-Food Pilot Program – regardless of the participant's skill level.
- Allow unions to certify applicants' work experience, as a substitute for letters of recommendation from employers.
- Applicants residing in Canada are allowed to choose between meeting the job offer requirements, including the average salary requirement, or meeting the educational qualification requirements, including verification of educational credentials.
- Accepting work experience under open work permits for vulnerable workers creates opportunities for more qualified workers.
These changes represent a significant step forward in meeting the long-term labor market needs of employers in the meat processing, mushroom, greenhouse crop production, and livestock industries by helping to meet the continuous labor demand for full-time, year-round staff. This also provides broader support for applicants and their family members, reduces barriers and vulnerabilities for applicants, and expands pathways to permanent residency for experienced workers in these sectors.
The Agri-Food Pilot program complements Canada's existing economic immigration program suite, further honoring the skills and labor needed in agriculture and agri-food production, and providing opportunities for these workers to settle in Canada and contribute to our economy.
Information
The agriculture and agro-food sector is a vital contributor to Canada's economic growth and vitality. In 2021, Canada exported nearly C$82.2 billion worth of agricultural and food products, including agricultural raw materials, fish and seafood, and processed foods.
Canada is the world's fifth-largest exporter of agricultural products and seafood, exporting to over 200 countries in 2021. That same year, the agricultural and food sector created one in nine jobs in Canada and employed 2.1 million people.
This year's pilot program examines an industry-specific approach by partnering with employers in the agro-food industry and providing a pathway to permanent residency for temporary foreign workers who have worked in the agro-food industry in Canada.
A total of 2,750 principal candidates can be processed annually under this pilot program.
The occupations and industries eligible for the pilot program include:
Meat product manufacturing, including:
- butchering
- industrial meat processing workers
- Supervising farms and specialized livestock workers.
- food processing workers
Greenhouse production, nursery and flower cultivation, mushroom production, including:
- Supervising farms and specialized farming workers.
- farm workers in general
- harvest laborers
Animal husbandry, excluding aquaculture, includes:
- Supervising farms and specialized livestock workers.
- farm workers in general
Because Quebec established its own economic immigration option under the Canada-Quebec Agreement, applicants under the Agri-Food Pilot Program must intend to live and work outside Quebec after achieving permanent residency.
Businesses looking to hire foreign workers in the Agri-Food sector.