Hire a temporary foreign worker through the Agricultural Stream: Overview
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National Occupational Classification (NOC) Migration
The Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) has switched to the 2021 version of the NOC. Learn more about the NOC 2021 transition.
1. Overview
The Agricultural Stream allows employers to hire temporary foreign workers (TFWs) when Canadians and permanent residents are not available.
To qualify for this stream, employers must meet 2 criteria:
- production must be in specific commodity sectors, and
- the activity must be related to on-farm primary agriculture
Note: Employers hiring TFWs under the Agricultural Stream in Quebec must consult the information provided by the Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (French only). There are some variations to the requirements and the process that must be followed in this province.
Employers submitting an Agricultural Stream LMIA application may request an employment duration of up to 2 years.
As of April 4, 2022, employers submitting an Agricultural Stream LMIA application for a high-wage position may request an employment duration of up to 3 years. The employment duration must align with the employer’s reasonable employment needs.
Employers awaiting a decision who wish to modify the duration in their LMIA applications may contact the Employer Contact Centre or the applicable Service Canada processing centre . The option to increase the duration does not apply to already issued positive LMIA decisions.
Note: Applications for low-wage positions will receive an employment duration of up to 2 years based on the employer’s reasonable employment needs.
National commodity list
- Apiary products
- Fruits, vegetables (including canning/processing of these products if grown on the farm)
- Mushrooms
- Flowers
- Nursery-grown trees including Christmas trees, greenhouses/nurseries
- Pedigreed canola seed
- Seed corn
- Grains
- Oil seeds
- Maple syrup
- Sod
- Tobacco
- Bovine
- Dairy
- Duck
- Horse
- Mink
- Poultry
- Sheep
- Swine
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