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Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program Work Permit

CanadaWork

Explore the five recorded questions, answers and sources for this pathway.

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What type of worker, employment situation, occupation or professional activity is this pathway actually designed for?

The work is on-farm primary agriculture in specific commodity sectors, done by temporary foreign workers who are citizens of Mexico or of participating Caribbean countries.

See recorded sources
  • chars 1508-1787
    To qualify for the SAWP, employers must meet 3 criteria: 1. the temporary foreign workers hired must be citizens from Mexico or participating Caribbean countries 2. production must be in specific commodity sectors 3. the activity must be related to on farm [primary agriculture]

Does the applicant need a job offer, employer, sponsor, transfer relationship or other employer involvement? What is important about that employer relationship?

The route is employer-driven and conditional on the domestic labour market: it lets employers hire temporary foreign workers when Canadians and permanent residents are not available.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • The capture does not state what the employer must obtain: the Labour Market Impact Assessment appears only as a navigation item ('5. Apply for a Labour Market Impact Assessment') with no text behind it.
  • It states no employer eligibility conditions beyond the three programme criteria, and nothing about how a worker is matched to a named employer.
  • chars 1091-1246
    The Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) allows employers to hire temporary foreign workers when Canadians and permanent residents aren't available.

What are the few decisive professional characteristics of the pathway: occupation, qualifications, experience, salary, skill level, shortage status, labour-market condition or equivalent?

The worker must be experienced in farming, at least 18 years of age, a citizen of one of the participating countries, and able to satisfy both Canadian immigration law and the law of their home country, and it is the participating foreign government that verifies this.

See recorded sources
  • chars 2645-3013
    These governments also ensure that the men and women selected to work temporarily in Canada meet all the requirements of the SAWP. These requirements include being: - experienced in farming - at least 18 years of age - a citizen of one of the participating countries, and - able to satisfy the: - Canadian immigration laws, and - laws of the worker’s home country

What work does the permission allow? Is the holder tied to an employer, occupation or sector? Can family accompany where clearly established?

The checked official sources did not provide enough route-specific evidence to confirm the work allowed, any tie to employer or sector and family accompaniment.

How long is the permission normally granted for, how is it renewed, and what longer-term residence direction exists if officially stated?

Employment under the programme runs for a maximum of 8 months, inside the window from 1 January to 15 December, and the employer must be able to offer the worker at least 240 hours of work within a period of 6 weeks or less. The official source does not state renewal or a longer-term residence direction.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • The capture gives the hiring period, not the validity of the work permit itself.
  • It says nothing about renewal, about returning in a later season, or about any route to permanent residence.
  • chars 1248-1506
    These employers can hire temporary foreign workers from participating countries for a maximum period of 8 months, between January 1 and December 15, provided they’re able to offer the workers a minimum of 240 hours of work within a period of 6 weeks or less.

These are the answers currently recorded in the catalogue. A missing or partial answer is not an eligibility decision.

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