Agri-Food Pilot

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.

Who can apply

To be eligible for this Program, you must :

You must have eligible Canadian work experience.

Your Canadian work experience must be

  • a minimum of 1 year of non-seasonalfull-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.

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.
  • The job must be non-seasonal.
  • Your employment is permanent.
  • 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.

You must meet the minimum level of the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 4 in either English or French in all of these four areas :

  • speaking
  • reading
  • listening
  • writing

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.

When you apply, you’ll need to give proof that you have the money to support yourself and your dependants after you arrive in Canada. You can’t borrow this money from another person.

The amount you need depends on the size of your family. These amounts are updated every year.

Number of
family members
Funds required
(in Canadian dollars)
1$13,213
2$16,449
3$20,222
4$24,553
5$27,847
6$31,407
7$34,967
For each additional family member$3,560

Eligible Industries and Occupations

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

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

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.

Eligible occupationNumber 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 you wish to apply through this program, please fill out our evaluation form. We will contact you shortly.

How can we help you?

Everyone deserves support and representation…
We have the skills and understanding to help you reach your goals, whether you are a student, a skilled worker trying to navigate Express Entry, a Canadian sponsor of a family member, or a temporary resident seeking a Work Permit.
We have the passion, knowledge, and experience to provide solid advice and practical solutions. We are here to help you every step of the way and promise to maintain open lines of communication so that you can make informed decisions.

Please fill out the evaluation form. We will contact you in 4 business days.