Canada’s long-awaited Agri-Food Immigration Pilot, which is intended to address the labour needs of Canadian employers in certain Agri-food industries, starts accepting applications.
This Canadian immigration program will provide a pathway to permanent residence for temporary foreign workers (TFWs) who are already in Canada working in meat processing, mushroom and greenhouse production, and livestock-raising industries.
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) plans to admit up to 2,750 principal applicants plus their family members annually for the next three years under this pilot.
The occupations and industries that will be able to apply for permanent residence under the new pilot include:
1. Meat product manufacturing
- Retail butchers
- Industrial butchers
- Farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers
- Food processing labourers
2. Greenhouse, nursery and floriculture production, including mushroom production;
- Farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers
- General farm workers
- Harvesting labourers
3. Animal production excluding aquaculture;
- Farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers
- General farm workers
Canadian employers in the Agri-food sector have long been facing shortage of skilled workforce and requesting the federal government to help them recruit and retain the workers they need to operate.
The pilot was intended to be launched at the end of March but was delayed due to the coronavirus outbreak. However, the pilot does not include the province of Quebec, which has its own immigration system.