There are number of immigrants seeking permanent residency in Canada. The government of Canada has announced that temporary foreign workers can get experience in Canada’s agri-food sector will have a new pathway to Canadian PR starting in early 2020.
To support the ongoing labour needs of the agri-food sector, three-year Agri-Food Immigration Pilot has been launched to help retain experienced, non-seasonal foreign workers with eligible job offers in Canada’s agricultural and agri-foods industry.
Many employers engaged in agricultural industries in Canada rely on temporary foreign workers (TFWs). Seasonal agricultural workers who are employed through the Seasonal Agricultural Labor Program (SWW) receive only limited period work permits and there is no way for permanent residence.
The good news is there’s a need in certain parts of the agricultural sector for year-round labour. The Agri-Food Immigration Pilot is targeting workers for meat processing and mushroom farming. Both of these industries face some of the largest labour shortages.
The Canadian government says that the industry has exported record $ 66.2 billion in products in 2018 and supports 1 in 8 jobs across the country, but industries such as meat processing and mushroom production have found ongoing difficulty.
The occupations and industries eligible under the new Agri-Food Immigration Pilot include:
- meat processing
- 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.
Every year, a maximum of 2,750 principal Candidates will be accepted for processing under the pilot. The consented candidates will also be permitted to bring their families to Canada. Conforming to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the pilot could invite around 16,500 new permanent residents to Canada over the course of the pilot’s three-year duration.
To be eligible to participate in this new Agri-Food Immigration Pilot, candidates must meet the following criteria:
- 12-months of full-time, non-seasonal Canadian work experience in the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, in an eligible occupation in the processing of raising livestock, meat products, greenhouse crops, growing mushrooms
- a Canadian Language Benchmark level 4 in English or French;
- the foreign equivalent of Canadian high school education or greater;
- an indeterminate job offer for full-time, non-seasonal work in Canada, outside of Quebec, at or above the prevailing wage.
