Agricultural Stream
Canada hires over 40,000 agricultural workers from other countries each year. They are a critical part of the agricultural sector of the Canadian economy, and welcomed in many different roles and responsibilities. If you hire through the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP), the employee can work for any SAWP employer anywhere in Canada.
Employees can apply for the SAWP program if they:
- Are a citizen of a country that takes part in the program (list below)
- Were recruited by the government of their home country
- Will be working for SAWP employers in Canada
List of participating countries:
• Anguilla • Antigua and Barbuda • Barbados • Dominica • Grenada • Jamaica • Mexico • Montserrat • St. Kitts-Nevis • St. Lucia • St. Vincent and the Grenadines • Trinidad and Tobago
APPLYING FOR THE SEASONAL AGRICULTURAL WORKER PROGRAM
Each foreign government has its own process to recruit and select workers for this program. These governments will make sure that the workers have all of the required documents to ensure they are eligible for the program.
Your employee can get PRIORITY PROCESSING of their application if they are people who perform or support essential services. For more information on this, contact us at Canada Work Connect.
EMPLOYEES WORKING FOR DIFFERENT EMPLOYERS
You can ask an employee to work on more than one farm while in Canada. Employee’s don’t need a new work permit for each employer.
Note: You must get the employees consent to work for a different employer.
OTHER/NON-SAWP AGRICULTURAL WORKERS
If your employee is not part of the SAWP program their work permit will be employer-specific. This means that they can only work for the employer named on their work permit. In this case you must get a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) that allows you to hire a foreign worker through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. If the employee plans to work for other employers while in Canada, they must apply for a new work permit, ideally as soon as they arrive in Canada.
You must give the employee both a copy of the positive LMIA AND your job offer letter or contract for them to qualify.
