Launch of the new Agri-Food Pilot (AFP) Program

A new 3-year pilot program has been put in place through the Ministerial Instructions Respecting the Agri-Food Immigration Class

The pilot introduces 2 new criteria:

an industry-specific approach based on the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)
a new level of education

The AFP Program is to operate for 3 years, and a maximum of 2,750 complete applications (from principal applicants) will be accepted into processing each calendar year

Job offer to work as a Number 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

Eligibility requirements

Work Experience

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.

Job offer

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

Education

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.

Language requirements

You must meet the minimum language requirements in the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 4

Funds needed to settle 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: