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.

To be eligible for this program, you must meet the minimum requirements outlined below.

You have at least 1 year of relevant non-seasonal work experience in the past 3 years in an AFP- eligible job;

You have a full-time non-seasonal job offer in an AFP- eligible job;

You meet the necessary language requirements (minimum CLB or NCLC Level 4);

You have a Canadian high school diploma or an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) of a foreign secondary qualification

Have enough money to settle in Canada.

Benefits of the AFP

You will get permanent residency if successful in your application

You will have access to Canada’s healthcare

You earn the same wages (or higher than) and receive the same benefits as Canadian and permanent residents working in the same job

The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (AFP)

This program was created to help develop the local job market of 11 communities in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Saskatchewan. Unlike the SAWP, which falls under the Temporary Foreign Work Program, the RNIP will recommend that the Canadian government approve that you get permanent residency from the get-go.

You must have the following work experience:

• · within the last three years, you have accumulated at least one year (1,560 hours), full-time, non-seasonal work experience in Canada, under a valid work permit, in one or more eligible combinations of the National Occupational Classification (NOC) and North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) (see below list of eligible occupation (NOC) and industry (NAICS) combinations.
• · your work experience must have been authorized on a work permit issued on the basis of a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) with a duration of a least 12 months;
• · you have performed the actions in the lead statement of the NOC;
• · you have performed a substantial number of the main duties of the NOC, including all of the essential duties;
• · your work experience must have been for paid work (volunteer work or unpaid internships do not count);
• · any periods of self-employment or unauthorized work will not be included when calculating the period of qualifying work experience.

• apiary products
• fruits, vegetables (including canning/processing of these products if grown on the farm)
• mushrooms
• flowers
• nursery-grown trees including Christmas trees, greenhouses/nurseries
• pedigreed canola seed
• seed corn
• grains
• oil seeds
• maple syrup
• sod
• tobacco
• bovine
• dairy
• duck
• horse
• mink
• poultry
• sheep
• swine

Eligible industries

Industries are classified by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). You can see specific industry definitions by searching the industry codes below on the NAICS website. Your employer needs to include the industry code in your job offer.

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

Occupations are classified by the National Occupational Classification (NOC) code. You can see the duties for each occupation by searching the National Occupational Classification website.

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.

For more information on occupations, see the National Occupational Classifications list.

For more information on industries, see North American Industry Classification System list

Note: Full-time work experience means working at least 30 paid hours per week.

You must have a job offer that is:

• from an employer whose primary business activities are in an eligible industry (NAICS)
•  for an eligible occupation (NOC)
•  for an eligible occupation (NOC) and industry (NAICS) combination as listed above
•  full time and non-seasonal
• ·indeterminate period (no end date)
• ·genuine
•  for an employment location that must be outside of Quebec
• for a wage that is one of the following:

o at or above the prevailing wage (median) for the occupation in the province where you will be working (as identified on the Government of Canada’s Job Bank), unless a provincial wage is not available, then the national prevailing wage (median wage) applies

o determined for unionized workers as per the provisions of the collective agreement covering the occupation

We will review the main duties and principal business activities shown in your job offer to make sure that it meets the occupational (NOC) and industry (NAICS) requirements of the program.

If you are in Canada, you must maintain your temporary resident status during the processing of your application for permanent residence.

You must show that you meet the employment requirements of the job you are offered. 

These may include education, training or other qualifications in the NOC description.

Qualifications assessment and licensing are required for some occupations, you should be aware of these issues when you consider immigrating to Canada.

Twenty percent (20%) of people working in Canada work in jobs that are regulated to protect the health and safety of Canadians. Examples include:

• Nurses
• Engineers
• Electricians
• Teachers

Provincial and territorial regulatory bodies are responsible for

· establishing entry requirements for individual occupations

· recognizing prior credentials, training and experience

· issuing licenses required to practice

The recognition process varies between provinces and territories and between occupations. Recognizing qualifications and issuing licenses can generally only be done in Canada. The process can take time. You may be asked to:

· provide documentation of qualifications

· do a language exam (which may differ from those needed for immigration)

· complete a technical exam (with accompanying fee)

· do supervised work

For non-regulated occupations, there are no set requirements and there is no legal requirement to get a license. The employer will set the standards and could ask for registration with a professional association.

A qualifications assessment is advice on how qualifications from another country compare to Canadian qualifications. An assessment does not guarantee that:

· a regulatory body will issue you a license to practice

· your credentials will be accepted by a Canadian employer

However, having your qualifications assessed will help you understand the Canadian educational system and help you with your job search.

To have your qualifications assessed by one of the provincial evaluation services, consult the “How to get an educational credential assessment” page.

For the Agri-Food Pilot, you must meet the education requirements below:

· You must have a high-school diploma, post-secondary certificate or degree that is valid and equal to a Canadian equivalent, or

· If you did not complete your studies in Canada, you will need an Education Credential Assessment (ECA) to show that your studies are equal to a Canadian secondary or post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree, or

· If your foreign credential is not equivalent to a Canadian secondary or post-secondary degree, you will need

an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) to show that your credential is issued from an educational or training institution recognized by the official authorities of the country of origin. Your credential should be equal to a secondary or post-secondary degree in the country where it was issued.

· Your ECA report must be less than five years old on the date we received your application.

· You must meet the minimum language requirements in the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) or the Niveaux de competence linguistique Canadians (NCLC) for listening, speaking, reading and writing at level 4 (or above) across all language abilities.

· You will need to do mandatory language testing with a designated organization and submit your results with your application.

· If you have already done language testing, your test results must not be more than 2 years old on the date your application is received.
 

The government of Canada provides no financial support to new immigrants. Unless you are already working in Canada and that work is authorized, you must prove that you have enough money unencumbered by debts or obligations to support yourself and your family members after you arrive in Canada.

You must submit proof with your application to show that you have enough money to support yourself and your family after you arrive in Canada. Examples of documents you can submit are:

· current bank statements or certification letter

· proof of your savings balance

· deposit statements

Note: You do not have to submit this proof if you are already working in Canada and that work is authorized.

You cannot borrow this money from another person. You must be able to use this money to pay the costs of living for your family (even if they are not coming with you).

The amount of money you need to support your family is set by the size of your family and are based on 50% of the low income cut- off totals for urban areas. We update these amounts every year on IRCC’s website.

Have a question? Talk to our expert.

Send us a message and we will contact you back with the best possible routes to Immigrate with you and your family.