New agri-food immigration pilot

▤ Summary

On July 12, 2019, Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (“IRCC“) announced that it is launching a three year pilot program in the agri-food sector. This pilot creates a new stream to permanent residency for temporary foreign workers in the agri-food industry and is anticipated to be available in early 2020. The applicant must also meet language skills in English or French (a minimum of Canadian Language Benchmark level 4), and have an education equivalent to Canadian high school level and an indeterminate job offer for full-time, non-seasonal work in Canada, outside of Quebec, at or above the prevailing wage for the occupation in the specific location. The changes will provide a path to obtaining a two year Labour Market Impact Assessment for eligible meat processor employers. Employers in the above-noted eligible occupations and industries are expected to benefit from this pilot with the ultimate goal of decreasing labour shortages and increasing growth in the agriculture sector through positive immigration programs.

▦ Linked Companies

First Reference

$1M to $5M