{"id":255020,"date":"2020-05-16T00:33:17","date_gmt":"2020-05-16T04:33:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=255020"},"modified":"2020-05-16T08:45:20","modified_gmt":"2020-05-16T12:45:20","slug":"canada-launches-agri-food-immigration-pilot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2020\/05\/16\/canada-launches-agri-food-immigration-pilot\/","title":{"rendered":"Canada launches Agri-Food Immigration Pilot"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
The pilot is intended to address the labour needs of Canadian employers in the meat processing, mushroom and greenhouse production, and livestock-raising industries. (Pexels photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Applications are now being accepted for the Agri-Food Immigration Pilot.<\/p>\n

The pilot is intended to address the labour needs of Canadian employers in the meat processing, mushroom and greenhouse production, and livestock-raising industries. Temporary visa holders who are already in Canada working in these fields will be able to apply for permanent residence under the new pilot.<\/p>\n

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada<\/a>\u00a0(IRCC) will admit up to 2,750 principal applicants plus their family members annually for the next three years under the pilot. Applications are being accepted from now until May 14, 2023, according to an IRCC media release.<\/p>\n

Canadian employers in the agri-food sector have been calling on the federal government to help them recruit and retain the workforce they need to operate. The pilot\u2019s intended launch date was supposed to be at the end of March but was delayed due to the global coronavirus pandemic. It provides an option for\u00a0temporary foreign workers<\/a>\u00a0(TFWs) with agri-food work experience to gain permanent residence.<\/p>\n

The Agri-Food Immigration Pilot does not include the province of Quebec, which has its own immigration system. However, Quebec employers who hire non-seasonal temporary foreign workers can benefit from the two-year\u00a0Labour Market Impact Assessment<\/a>\u00a0(LMIA) that is part of the pilot, as long as the worker\u2019s\u00a0National Occupational Classification<\/a>\u00a0(NOC) code is eligible. They can then apply for a\u00a0permanent selection from Quebec<\/a>\u00a0through the\u00a0Quebec Experience Program<\/a>\u00a0(PEQ).<\/p>\n

The occupations and industries eligible under the pilot include:<\/p>\n