The Agri-Food Pilot (AFP) was a Canadian permanent residence pilot program for foreign workers in eligible agricultural and agri-food industries who had accumulated qualifying work experience in Canada. It provided a dedicated PR pathway for workers in sectors such as meat processing, mushroom growing, greenhouses, and crop production — occupations that often do not accumulate sufficient Express Entry points to receive an Invitation to Apply through that system.

The Agri-Food Pilot closed to new applications on May 14, 2025. IRCC continues to process applications that were accepted before that date. For the current status of the program and processing of existing applications, refer to the IRCC Agri-Food Pilot page.

• IRCC: Agri-Food Pilot — canada.ca/agri-food-pilot
• IRCC: Eligible industries and occupations — canada.ca/agri-food-pilot-industries
• Guide 0117 — Agri-Food Pilot — canada.ca/guide-0117

What the AFP covered — purpose

The AFP was designed to address a gap in Canada's immigration system: workers in agricultural and food processing industries, while essential to the Canadian economy, typically held occupations that either did not appear in Express Entry's eligible occupation lists or generated insufficient CRS points to receive an ITA. The AFP created a dedicated economic-class PR pathway for this workforce based on Canadian work experience rather than a points-based competition.

Eligible industries and occupations

The AFP covered workers in specified industries and NOC occupations, including (but not limited to):

• Meat and poultry processing — including slaughterhouse workers, butchers, and food machine operators
• Greenhouse, nursery, and floriculture production
• Mushroom production
• Crop production — including farm supervisors and agricultural service contractors
• Animal farming — certain livestock and poultry farming occupations

The occupation must have been included in the AFP eligible occupations list under the NOC system. For the full list, refer to the IRCC eligible industries and occupations page.

Eligibility requirements (when program was open)

To apply for the AFP, applicants were required to meet:

• Work experience: At least 12 months of full-time, non-seasonal Canadian work experience in an eligible occupation and industry, within the 3 years before applying. The experience had to be obtained through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) — not through an open work permit or IEC stream.
• Job offer: A full-time, non-seasonal job offer in an eligible industry and occupation, outside Quebec
• Language: Minimum CLB/NCLC level 4 (or above) across all four language abilities (reading, writing, listening, speaking)
• Education: At least a Canadian high school diploma or equivalent foreign credential

Annual cap

The AFP had an annual intake cap — once the cap was reached each year, no further applications were accepted until the following year's intake opened. The cap limited the program's ability to meet demand, and the backlog of applications contributed to the decision to close the pilot.

Pathways for agri-food workers after AFP closure

Workers in agricultural and agri-food industries who were hoping to use the AFP now need to consider alternative PR pathways:

• Canadian Experience Class (CEC) under Express Entry: Workers with 12 months of skilled work experience in Canada at TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3 levels may be eligible for the CEC. Many agri-food occupations are TEER 4 or 5 and do not qualify for CEC, but supervisory or management roles may qualify.
• Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) under Express Entry: For those with overseas experience in eligible occupations
• Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs): Several provinces, particularly those with significant agricultural sectors (Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario), have provincial streams for workers in agriculture and food processing
• Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP): For eligible workers receiving a job offer from a designated employer in Atlantic Canada — including some agri-food employers
• Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP): Some participating communities are in rural areas with agri-food industries

For the current status of the AFP and advice on alternative pathways, refer to the IRCC Agri-Food Pilot page.

The AFP closure reflects a broader pattern in Canadian immigration where pilot programs are used to test pathways for underserved workforce sectors, then either transitioned into permanent programs or wound down. The AFP was notable for specifically targeting TFWP workers — a group that often lacks PR pathways despite years of legal work in Canada. Workers in agri-food sectors who were mid-process when the pilot closed should refer to the IRCC page for information on how their existing applications are being handled. For the current processing status of applications submitted before the closure date, refer to the IRCC processing times tool.