Agri-Food Immigration Pilot Lawyers in Vancouver, BC

Agriculture remains one of Canada’s most vital industries, and to support its vitality, Canada accepts up to 2750 applications from foreign agricultural workers seeking permanent residence through the Agri-Food Pilot program. Eligibility requires:

• Eligible work experience
• An eligible job offer
• Test-validated language proficiency
• Minimum educational requirements
• Enough money to settle in Canada, if applicable
• Maintained temporary residence status, if already in Canada

Agri-Food Immigration Pilot: Eligible Occupations

To qualify for the agri-food immigration pilot, one must have demonstrated experience in at least one specific occupational categories:

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 farmworkers
• 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 farmworkers

Agri-Food Immigration Pilot: Eligibility Requirements

In addition to being an experienced worker in one of the specific agricultural fields listed above, eligibility requires:

• 12 months of full-time, non-seasonal Canadian work experience in the Temporary Foreign Worker Program
• French or English language proficiency tested at a level 4: listening, reading, writing, and speaking
• Foreign equivalent of a high school education, or higher
• An indeterminate job offer for full-time, non-seasonable work in Canada, outside of Quebec, at or above the prevailing wage

Agri-Food Immigration Pilot: 2-Year LMIA for Employers

The need for additional workers in the meat processing business remains urgent. Consequently, there is a 2-year Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) for meat processors. In January 2022, 8899 permits were issued, with most workers coming from Guatemala, Mexico, and Jamaica. There are no limits on the number of LMIA permits that can be issued. However, in order to qualify for LMIA, the meat processing employer must:

• Outline a plan to support the temporary foreign worker in obtaining permanent residency; and
• Request a letter of support from the union, if the plant is unionized; or
• Meet additional wage requirements, if the plant is non-unionized, to ensure protection of migrant workers.

Work Experience to be Eligible for the Agri-Food Immigration Pilot Program

Eligibility requires Canadian work experience. This is calculated accordingly:

• One year or more of non-seasonal, full-time work within the last 3 years. Full-time work means at least 1560 hours of paid work
• This Canadian work must be within an eligible industry
  • Meat product manufacturing
  • Greenhouse, nursery and floriculture production, including mushrooms
  • Animal production, excluding aquaculture
    • Cattle ranching and farming
    • Hog and pig farming
    • Poultry and egg production
    • Sheep and goat farming
    • Other animal production

Work experience gained while holding an open work permit does not count towards eligibility.

However, while calculating your hours of eligible work, you can include hours earned while working for different eligible jobs with different employers. If you worked more than 30 hours a week, you still must have worked over a period of at least 12 months to qualify. You cannot include unpaid internships or volunteer positions. You cannot include hours worked while self-employed, or while employed part-time or in seasonal positions. Lastly, you cannot include hours worked without proper work permits.

Do You Need a Job Offer Before Applying for Agri-Food Immigration Pilot?

Yes, you need a real job offer—one that meets the needs of the employer; where the employer is actively involved in the business where the applicant will work; the employer must be able to fulfill the terms of the offer; and the employer must be in compliance with all employment laws and rules, past and present.

Your job offer must meet all these requirements:

• The job is for an eligible occupation in an eligible industry
• The job must be full-time, 30 paid hours a week
• The job must be non-seasonal
• The job must be permanent
• If unionized, the wage must be set by the applicable collective bargaining agreement
• If non-unionized, the wage must meet or exceed the Job Bank’s prevailing wage for the listed occupation
• The job must be located in Canada, although not in Quebec

Begin Your Agri-Food Pilot Application Now With Trusted Immigration Counsel

If you are seeking permanent resident status as a worker in the agricultural or food industries, you can trust the knowledge and experience of Canadian Currents Immigration to guide you through the process. Completing the application process and gathering all of the supporting documentation can be daunting. With the aid of an experienced immigration lawyer at Canadian Currents Immigration, you can apply for Agri-Food Pilot Permanent status once we determine your eligibility.

Our immigration lawyers at Canadian Currents Immigration will review your status to determine your eligibility for permanent residence status and to help you through the various steps needed to secure your permanent and temporary status.

Start with a confidential 30-minute consultation with a Canadian Currents Immigration immigration lawyer in Vancouver.

Call us now to book a time: 778-331-1164.