Move to Canada As Agri-Food Farmer and Get Permanent Residency

Move to Canada As Agri-Food Farmer and Get Permanent Residency

Canada has so many migration opportunities for intending immigrants and newcomers to gain permanent residence status as a reward for working in selected communities or industries and some of these programs are temporary(pilot) while others have graduated to permanent immigration programs after recording success as a pilot program.

One of such pilot program currently run by the Canadian government is Canada’s Agri-Food Immigration Pilot which is presently welcoming interested immigrants who wish to work in the Canadian agri-food industry to help bridge the growing labour gaps in the industry.

Read also: Canada Work Permit Update 2025

Industries Covered Under Agri-Food Immigration Pilot

The Agri-food pilot program covers multiple industries under the agriculture and food processing sector which plays a key role in Canada’s export. Some of these sectors have experienced constant labour shortages. This program is meant to attract more non-seasonal foreign workers to help fill these shortages and offer such foreigners permanent residence rather than having them as temporary workers. The sectors covered under this program include;

Meat product manufacturing (NAICS 3116)
- Butchers – retail and wholesale
- Meat cutters and fishmongers – retail and wholesale
- Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers
- Agricultural service contractors and farm supervisors
- Specialized livestock workers and farm machinery operators
- Livestock labourers
- Labourers in food and beverage processing

Greenhouse, Nursery, and Floriculture production, including mushroom production (NAICS 1114)
- Agricultural service contractors and farm supervisors
- Specialized livestock workers and farm machinery operators
- Harvesting labourers

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)

Moving To Canada With Agri-Food Pilot Program

If you are interested in moving to Canada through this program, In that case, it is important to note that currently, Canada accepts 2,750 applications each year for this program and applications are open all year round till the close of the pilot program which is meant to last for 5 years from the kickoff date.

Preparing to Apply for Agri-food Program

Before you begin your application for this program, it is a basic requirement for you to get a job offer from any company in Canada under the above-listed sectors. You can find a job using Indeed.ca, Canada Job Bank, or other platforms with qualified employers. After getting a job, you can then proceed to apply. Please note that the job you’re offered must;

In an eligible occupation listed under 1 of the eligible industries
Full-time – This means you work at least 30 paid hours per week.
Non-seasonal – This means you have consistent and regularly scheduled paid employment throughout the year.
Permanent – This means there is no set end date.
In Canada, outside of Quebec
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).

Work Experience Required | Move to Canada As Agri-Food Farmer and Get Permanent Residency

Since you are traveling to Canada to work, the Canadian government has listed that candidates who wish to apply for this program must have;

At least one year(at least 1,560 hours) of cumulative work experience in their desired field or related field.
an employer or union reference letter (only for unionized positions)
a letter of employment
a T4
Paystubs

Language Requirements

You must prove your ability to speak English or French by passing the language test examination.

The minimum language requirements to prove this, is the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) or Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) Level 4 in;