The Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) is one of Canada's oldest and most established temporary foreign worker programs, operating since 1966 (with Mexico since 1974). SAWP allows Canadian employers in agriculture and horticulture to hire temporary workers from Mexico and participating Caribbean countries for up to 8 months per year. Unlike general TFWP streams where employers recruit workers directly, SAWP operates on a government-to-government model — workers are recruited and selected through their home country's government under bilateral agreements with Canada. The program is administered jointly by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

For current employer requirements, the LMIA application process, and work permit information for SAWP workers, refer to the ESDC SAWP employer page and the IRCC SAWP worker page.

• Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR), s 203 — LMIA-based work permit issuance
• Canada–Mexico Employment Agreement — the bilateral agreement governing SAWP workers from Mexico; the 2026 Mexico contract is published at canada.ca
• Canada–Caribbean Employment Agreements — individual bilateral agreements with each participating Caribbean country; the 2026 Caribbean contract is published at canada.ca
• ESDC: Hire a temporary worker through SAWP — canada.ca/sawp-employer
• IRCC: SAWP worker page — canada.ca/sawp-worker

Participating countries

SAWP workers must be citizens of one of the following countries:

• Mexico — governed by the Canada–Mexico Employment Agreement
• Caribbean participants — Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts-Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago — governed by the Canada–Caribbean Employment Agreement

Workers from countries not on this list cannot participate in SAWP — they may be eligible for other TFWP agricultural streams but not the bilateral SAWP. The full list of participating countries and the current bilateral agreement terms are published on the ESDC SAWP requirements page.

The government-to-government recruitment model

SAWP operates differently from other TFWP streams. Rather than employers independently advertising and selecting workers, SAWP uses a government-to-government model:

• The Canadian employer applies to ESDC for a LMIA (Labour Market Impact Assessment) approval
• Once approved, the employer submits a request to the relevant government liaison office (Mexico or Caribbean) for workers
• The participating country's government nominates and selects the workers — typically experienced agricultural workers who have participated in previous seasons
• Employers can request to have specific named workers returned from previous seasons, but new workers are selected by the sending country government

This model is designed to protect workers from exploitation in the recruitment process and to ensure bilateral obligations are met. Employers cannot independently hire SAWP workers through job boards or personal recruitment.

Employer eligibility and LMIA

To participate in SAWP, a Canadian employer must:

• Be a Canadian employer engaged in primary agriculture or horticulture — including crop farming, livestock operations, mushroom growing, greenhouse operations, and related sectors
• Obtain an approved LMIA from ESDC before any workers arrive — the LMIA confirms there is a genuine need for foreign workers and that Canadians are not available
• From 1 January 2026, submit proof of advertisement of the position when applying for a primary agriculture LMIA — this requirement was reinstated in 2026 after a period of exemption
• Provide workers with the mandatory employment contract (either the Mexico or Caribbean standard contract) on or before the first day of work
• Guarantee each worker a minimum of 240 hours of work within any period of 6 weeks or less
• Provide or arrange housing for workers at no cost (or at regulated cost) — employer accommodation obligations are specified in the bilateral contracts
• Arrange or pay for travel costs — return airfare is typically covered under SAWP (specifics in the bilateral contracts)

Work permit and period of stay

SAWP workers enter Canada on a closed, employer-specific work permit. The key conditions are:

• Maximum 8 months per calendar year — work is permitted between 1 January and 15 December
• The work permit is tied to the specific employer — workers cannot change employers under SAWP (unlike some other TFWP streams)
• Workers typically apply for their work permit at a Canadian Port of Entry on arrival, presenting the offer of employment letter and LMIA information
• Workers can return in subsequent years — many SAWP participants have decades of annual returns to the same Canadian employer

Worker protections

SAWP workers have the same workplace rights and protections as Canadian workers, including:

• Protection under applicable provincial/territorial employment standards legislation (minimum wage, hours of work, overtime, rest periods)
• Coverage under workers' compensation (WSIB/WCB) for workplace injuries
• The right to organise and collectively bargain (subject to provincial law)
• Protections against employer retaliation under the TFWP employer compliance regime

The bilateral employment contracts (available on the canada.ca SAWP pages) specify detailed terms around housing, food, transportation, health coverage, and working conditions.

No pathway to permanent residence through SAWP

SAWP does not itself provide a pathway to permanent residence. SAWP workers who accumulate Canadian work experience may be able to apply for permanent residence through separate programs (such as the Agri-food Pilot or Express Entry CEC, if they meet those requirements independently), but SAWP participation is not a direct route to permanent residence. For the agri-food sector permanent residence pathway, see the Agri-food Pilot page.

How SAWP differs from the general TFWP agricultural stream

SAWP and the general TFWP low-wage agricultural stream are both LMIA-based, but differ in key ways:

• SAWP is limited to citizens of Mexico and the 11 Caribbean countries; general agricultural TFWP is open to workers from any country
• SAWP uses government-to-government recruitment; general TFWP requires direct employer recruitment and advertising
• SAWP employment contracts are set by bilateral agreement; general TFWP contracts are employer-negotiated subject to minimum standards
• SAWP has a defined return/recall mechanism for experienced workers from prior seasons; general TFWP does not

SAWP is the most established and largest bilateral temporary worker program in Canada. In a typical year, tens of thousands of SAWP workers arrive from Mexico and the Caribbean to work in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, and other provinces. The program has a strong retention component — many workers return year after year to the same farm, and employer–worker relationships can span decades. However, the closed work permit structure and employer-tied nature of SAWP have drawn criticism from labour advocates, who note that workers' ability to raise grievances or change employers is constrained. For the current bilateral contracts (Mexico 2026 and Caribbean 2026), current LMIA requirements, the advertisement obligations reinstated in 2026, and the work permit application process for SAWP workers, refer to the ESDC SAWP employer page and the IRCC SAWP worker page.