The Agri-Food Pilot helps address the labour needs of the Canadian agri-food sector.
The pilot provides a pathway to permanent residence for experienced, non-seasonal workers in specific industries and occupations. It will run until May 2023.
About the process
To apply for permanent residence under the Agri-Food Pilot, you 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)
- to maintain temporary resident status (if already in Canada)
To apply to the Agri-Food Pilot, you need to
- show eligible work experience in an eligible industry and eligible occupation, and
- have a job offer for full-time, non-seasonal work in an eligible industry and occupation in Canada (outside of Quebec)
Eligible industries
Industries are classified by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). You can see specific industry definitions by searching the industry codes below on the NAICS website.
Your employer needs to include the industry code in your job offer.
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
Occupations are classified by the National Occupational Classification (NOC) code. You can see the duties for each occupation by searching the National Occupational Classification website.
Eligible jobs for each eligible industry are listed below.
For meat product manufacturing (NAICS 3116), eligible jobs are
- 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
For greenhouse, nursery and floriculture production, including mushroom production (NAICS 1114), eligible jobs are
- NOC B 8252 – Farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers
- NOC C 8431 – General farm workers
- NOC D 8611 – Harvesting labourers
For animal production, excluding aquaculture (NAICS 1121, 1122, 1123, 1124 and 1129), eligible jobs are
- NOC B 8252 – Farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers
- NOC C 8431 – General farm workers
Application limits by eligible occupation
There are annual limits on the number of applications that will be processed for each eligible occupation.
Starting on January 1 of each year, applications will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. This pilot will last for 3 years.
Annual limits
| 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 your application is rejected because the annual limit for your occupation category has been reached, we’ll refund your application fees.
To be eligible, you must
- have eligible work experience
- have an eligible job offer
- meet or pass the language requirements
- meet or pass the educational requirements
- prove you have enough money to settle in Canada (if applicable)
- have maintained your temporary resident status (if already in Canada)
Work experience
You must have eligible Canadian work experience.
Your Canadian work experience must be
- a minimum of 1 year of non-seasonal, full-time work in the past 3 years (at least 1,560 hours)
- in 1 or more of the eligible occupations listed under 1 of the eligible industries
- through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program
- A Labour Market Impact Assessment (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.
Open work permits
If you currently have an open work permit, but you used to have a work permit through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, you may have eligible work experience.
However, any work experience you gained while holding an open work permit does not count.
How to calculate your hours of work experience
- Do count the hours worked in full-time jobs
- The hours can be in different eligible occupations and with different employers.
- The hours must have been worked over a total period of at least 12 months (Note: working more than 30 hours per week does not shorten this period).
- Don’t count
- hours you weren’t paid for (volunteering or unpaid internships)
- hours worked when you were self-employed
- hours worked in part-time or seasonal positions
- hours where your work was not authorized by IRCC
Job offer
You must have a genuine job offer.
The job you’re offered must meet all of the following requirements:
- The job must be in an eligible occupation listed under 1 of the eligible industries.
- The job must be full time.
- This means you work at least 30 paid hours per week.
- The job must be non-seasonal.
- In general, this means you have consistent and regularly scheduled paid employment throughout the year.
- Your employment is permanent.
- This means that there is no set end date.
- For unionized positions, the wage must be determined by the applicable collective agreement.
- For non-unionized positions, the wage must meet or exceed the Job Bank’s prevailing (median) wage for the occupation listed on your job offer in the province of employment (or at the national level if no provincial rate is available).
- Your job offer must be for a job in Canada outside of Quebec.
Language requirements
You must prove your ability in English or French.
The minimum language requirements are Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) or Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) Level 4 in :
- reading
- writing
- speaking
- listening
You must submit your results from an approved language test. These results must be less than 2 years old when you apply.
Find out more about language testing
Educational requirements
You must have at least
- a Canadian high school diploma, or
- an educational credential assessment (ECA) report from a designated organization or professional body showing that you completed a foreign credential at the secondary school level or above
- The ECA report must be less than 5 years old on the date of your application.
- The original ECA report must have been issued on or after the date the organization was designated.
How to get an educational credential assessment
Settlement funds
You must prove that you have enough money to settle in Canada. You’ll need to prove that you have enough funds to support yourself and any family members you may have, even if they’re not coming to Canada with you.
If you’re already working in Canada with a valid work permit when you apply, you don’t need to provide proof of settlement funds.
