AGRI-FOOD IMMIGRATION PILOT (AFIP) PROGRAM

he AFIP 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.

Eligibility requirements

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

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.

Eligible NAICS and NOC combinations

Below is a list of the eligible industry (NAICS) and occupation (NOC) combinations accepted under the Agri-Food Immigration Pilot for both work experience and job offer. No other NAICS and NOC combinations qualify under the program.

The NAICS code represents an establishment’s business activities within specific industrial sectors. The employers’ primary business activities must correspond to one of the eligible NAICS.

• NAICS - 1114 Greenhouse, nursery and floriculture production
• NOC - 8252 Agricultural service contractors, farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers
• NOC – 8431 General farm workers
• NOC – 8611 Harvesting labourers
• NAICS - 1121 Cattle ranching and farming
• NOC – 8252 Agricultural service contractors, farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers
• NOC – 8431 General farm workers
• NAICS – 1122 Hog and pig farming
• NOC – 8252 Agricultural service contractors, farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers
• NOC – 8431 General farm workers
• NAICS – 1123 Poultry and egg production
• NOC – 8252 Agricultural service contractors, farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers
• NOC – 8431 General farm workers
• NAICS – 1124 Sheep and goat farming
• NOC – 8252 Agricultural service contractors, farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers
• NOC – 8431 General farm workers
• NAICS – 1129 Other animal production
• NOC – 8252 Agricultural service contractors, farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers
• NOC – 8431 General farm workers
• NAICS – 3116 Meat product manufacturing
• NOC – 6331 Butchers, meat cutters and fishmongers – retail and wholesale
• NOC – 8252 Agricultural service contractors, farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers
• NOC – 9462 Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers
• NOC – 9617 Labourers in food and beverage processing

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 Immigration 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) or the Niveaux de competence linguistique canadiens (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 original 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.

Funds needed to settle in Canada

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

 Source: Canada.ca