Agri-Food Immigration Pilot
About Agri-Food Pilot Program
The Agri-Food Immigration Pilot (AFIP) is a program implemented by the Canadian government to address labor shortages in the agri-food sector and support the economic growth of rural communities in Canada. The pilot program aims to attract foreign workers with experience in the agriculture and food processing industries to become permanent residents in Canada.
The latest data on job vacancies for February 2023 show that over 243,000 individuals in Canada are working in the agriculture, Hunting, Fishing, and Forestry sector. There are also more than 14,000 job vacancies.
Eligible Occupations
The industries and occupations that are which are eligible for the Agri-Food Pilot are:
- Processing of meat
- Retail butcher
- Industrial butcher
- Food processing worker
- harvesting laborer to work all year round for mushrooms and greenhouse production
- General farm workers work all year round to produce mushrooms, greenhouse crop production, or raise livestock.
- Farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers to process meat all year round, for the raising of livestock, grow crops in greenhouses, or mushroom production
Eligibility Criteria
- Candidates with work experience in the occupations mentioned above must also satisfy the following eligibility requirements to be considered candidates for Canadian permanent residency as part of the Agri-Food Immigration Pilot.
- Twelve months of continuous non-seasonal Canadian working experience with The Temporary Worker Program for Foreign Workers Program in one of the eligible occupations.
- a Canadian Language Benchmark level 4 in English or French,
- the equivalent foreign education of high school or higher studies
- An undetermined job offer for full-time, non-seasonal employment in Canada in the province of Quebec at or over the prevailing wage.
New Changes to The Pilot In Stages by IRCC:
- Providing open work permits to the family members of pilot program participants, regardless of the candidate’s job experience level
- Allowing unions to endorse the work experience of a candidate in place of employer reference letters
- Candidates who reside in Canada will have the choice of meeting the requirements for job offers that include the median wage required for the offer or they meet the education requirement (including their educational credential assessment verification)
- The pilot will begin accepting work experience obtained with the open work permit for vulnerable people. IRCC states that this will allow more people the chance to be eligible.