2025 Agri-Food Pilot application cap

Ottawa, January 3, 2025—Farmers and agri-food labourers work hard to produce food for communities in Canada and around the world. Since 2020, the Agri-Food Pilot has helped fill labour gaps in this essential sector by giving experienced agri-food workers the opportunity to become permanent residents. Since the launch of the pilot, Canada has welcomed over 4,500 agri-food workers and family members. That includes close to 1,775 workers and family members last year alone, as of the end of November 2024.

Due to high demand, interest in this pilot exceeds the spaces available under the 2025–2027 Immigration Levels Plan. That means that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is now capping the intake for permanent residence applications under this pilot at 1,010 spaces. Applications can be submitted until the pilot expires on May 14, 2025, or until 1,010 applications have been received—whichever comes first.

The Agri-Food Pilot is an economic pilot established under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. According to the pilot regulations, it can only run for a maximum of 5 years, and this time period will be reached on May 14, 2025. The pilot cannot be extended beyond this date.

Other programs available to agri-food workers include federal high-skilled programs managed by Express Entry and regional economic immigration programs, such as the Provincial Nominee Program, the Atlantic Immigration Program, and the recently announced Rural and Francophone Community Immigration Pilots.

In the coming years, IRCC will continue processing applications received on or before the pilot’s end date and under the cap, in line with the targets established in the Immigration Levels Plan.