Canadian permanent residency is sought after by thousands of immigrants every year. There are many pathways to obtaining a Canada permanent resident card, but not all pathways are fit for all people.

If you’re wondering how to immigrate to Canada, and you were unable to find a suitable immigration program for you, perhaps Canada’s Agree-Food Pilot is the way to go.

In this blog post, we will explore what the Agri-Food Pilot is, and how you can immigrate to Canada through this particular program. If you will have any questions, our team at UIS Canada is readily prepared to assist you.

Canada Immigration Pilot Program – Agri-Food Pilot

Canada’s Agri Food Immigration Pilot Program is expected to introduce new industry methods to improve the production of its agri-food businesses; these methods will be ready before the end of this 3-year pilot program.

The purpose of this Canada immigration pilot program is to support Canada’s meat butchers, mushroom growers, and livestock farmers. In addition, Canada wants to improve greenhouse production and the time intervals of its exports.

The Agri-Food Pilot Program was launched on May 15^th, 2019, and will be running until May 15^th, 2023 as a trial period. This offers another opportunity for skilled immigrants to apply their agriculture work experience to obtain Canada PR.

The agriculture industry in Canada is one of its more prosperous and profitable industries. Canada’s GDP has improved significantly thanks to this industry, meaning that Canada recognizes the importance of having a strong agriculture workforce.

What supports this claim is an official statement by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) that was recently released about the importance of the Agri Food Immigration Pilot Program in Canada; over 2,700 applicants were accepted into the program and received an invitation to become permanent residents. Along with their families, the total applicants who immigrated rounded up to 16,500 new residents!

Eligibility Criteria – How Can You Immigrate to Canada?

Do you think that you have the work experience and expertise to participate in this program? If so, let’s take a look at the eligibility criteria.

To be an eligible applicant, you must comply with the following requirements:

1. You must have 1 year of non-seasonal Canadian work experience in the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, in an eligible occupation (listed below)
2. You must prove your language proficiency by scoring a CLB level 4 in English or French
3. You must have the foreign equivalent of a high-school diploma or higher
4. You must obtain a job offer for full-time work (outside of Quebec)
5. You must have enough money to settle in Canada

If you’re not part of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, ask our experts about the possibility of joining this program so you could apply for Canada PR in the future.

If you have an open work permit that was not issued under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, any work experience you gained using that permit doesn’t qualify as part of your work experience for the Agri Food Immigration Pilot Program.

What Does the Eligibility Criteria Entail?

To elaborate a bit more about the eligibility criteria, here is some additional information:

Work experience

• You must have worked full time for at least 1 year, or 1,560 hours in non-seasonal jobs for the last 3 years
• You must have worked in one or more eligible occupations listed under an eligible industry in Canada
• You must have joined the Temporary Foreign Worker Program

Please note: your employer is obligated to submit a Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) that is valid for at least 12 months when they hire you. 

 Job Offer

• Your job offer must be for an eligible occupation under an eligible industry in Canada
• Your job offer must be for full-time work; non-seasonal job opportunity
• You must be offered a permanent job in Canada – anywhere besides Quebec

Language skills

You must demonstrate your language skills in English or French to be eligible. Test your language skills and submit your results. You must take your CLB test and receive your results no later than 2 years before you apply for the Agri-Food Pilot.

Academic Attainment

Immigrant workers must have either a high school diploma from Canada or an educational credential assessment (ECA) report.

You can receive an ECA from a professional body or an eligible organization. The report should prove your completion of the secondary school level or above. The report must be received for 5 years or less from your application date.

Settlement funds

You can use bank statements to show the Canadian immigration officials that you have the funds to sustain yourself in Canada. If you have a family, you must show that you have funds to sustain them as well.

This is one of the more common and crucial requirements of your visa application. However, if you already have a valid Canadian work permit, you may no longer need to fulfill this requirement.

What Are the Eligible Industries and Occupations?

We mentioned several times that you must have work experience in an eligible occupation that is part of an eligible industry in this program. Well, we prepared a full list for your convenience:

Industry: livestock farming and production industries, including:

• Poultry and egg (1123),
• Cattle raising (1121),
• Hog raising (1122),
• Sheep and goats raising and farming (1124),
• Production of other animal products (1129), and,
• Meat product manufacturing (3116)

In addition, all plant-based production industries listed under NAICS 1114:

• Floriculture production
• Production of mushroom products

Eligible Occupations under the program: the following occupations below are eligible under the National Occupational Classification (NOC) code.

Under the meat product manufacturing industries, available jobs include:

• Retail and Industrial butchers,
• Food processing laborer

Under the plant-based production industries available jobs include:

• General farm workers, and,
• Harvesting laborer

Under the animal production industries, available jobs include:

• General farmworkers

Under all 3 industries, available jobs include:

• Farm supervisors, and
• Specialized livestock workers

The Agri Food Immigration Pilot Program has an applicant threshold for each job category. The number of available spots is divided as follows:

• Farm supervisors or specialized livestock workers – 50 applicants
• Industrial and retail butchers – 1470 applicants
• Food processing laborer – 730 applicants
• General farm workers – 200 applicants
• Harvesting laborer – 300 applicants

After fulfilling the requirements for the Agri Food Immigration Pilot Program you will be able to submit your visa application. Once you receive approval from the Canadian immigration officials, you will be able to apply for Canada PR.

Immigrate to Canada Using an RCIC Consultancy

UIS Canada is an accredited consultancy with years of experience launching successful Canadian visa applications.

By recruiting the assistance of RCIC consultants, you will remove the hassle of your application process and continue on your journey with ease.

To learn more about our available services, and to book a free consultation, reach out to us on our Contact Us page. We would be happy to assist you.