Agriculture and Agri-Food occupations are one of the new categories of the Express Entry category-based draws. On May 31, the immigration minister introduced category-based selection draws. He further revealed that IRCC would prefer candidates with strengthened French language proficiency or work experience in the following sectors:
- Agriculture and Agri-Food
- Healthcare
- STEM professions
- Transport
- Trades – Carpenters, Plumbers, and Contractors
These occupations came under the selection category only after IRCC became aware of the critical labor shortages in the Canadian labor market.
Additionally, IRCC even had a detailed consultation with stakeholders, the territories, and provinces across the nation.
IRCC conducted its first Express Entry category-based draw on June 28. In this draw, 500 healthcare candidates received ITAs to apply for Canadian Permanent Residence. The department held a category-based draw on July 5 and invited candidates from the STEM occupations.
On July 6, a third round of category-based draws took place in which 1,500 candidates in the healthcare sector had to apply for permanent residence.
The reason behind choosing the Agriculture and Agri-Food occupations as a category
To determine immigration selection priorities and categories, IRCC held consultations in which it solicited comments and suggestions from a wide variety of stakeholders and members of the general public. To understand their possible objectives and requirements, IRCC also interacted with provincial and territorial representatives.
According to the respondents, one of the four areas with the biggest demands was farm occupations.
The category of Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, and Hunting displayed a 10,535 or 3.9%% job vacancy rate at the end of 2022. According to each province, there were:
- Ontario: 3,070
- PEI: 130
- British Columbia: 2,475
- Quebec: 1,950
- Saskatchewan: 540
- Alberta: 940
- Manitoba: 550
- New Brunswick: 720
- Nova Scotia: 425
Agricultural occupations
The Agricultural and Agri-Food occupations category comprises three occupations; they’re as follows:
- Retail and Wholesale – Butchers
- Horticulture services, landscaping, contractors and supervisors, ground maintenance
- Farm Supervisors and Agriculture service contractors
Agriculture occupations category – eligibility requirements
You must fulfill the following eligibility requirements:
- Satisfy the requirements of one of the Express Entry programs – the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Canadian Experience Class, or FSTP, as applicable.
- Possess at least six months of continuous work experience in one of the following occupations over the last three years.
The selection process of category-based invitation rounds
IRCC will issue invitations to candidates in Express Entry’s category-based selection draws to apply for Canadian PR. However, the candidates must be eligible for a specific category. The eligibility criteria include the following:
- Considerable work experience under the NOC TEER category.
- English or French language proficiency.
- Education.
Will CRS scores still be relevant?
There will also be draws based on categories in addition to general and program-specific draws. Top applicants who can fill labor and work market vacancies in Canada and will advance economic goals are invited to express entry draws.
The Comprehensive Ranking mechanism based on points provides ranks to Express Entry pool applicants. Candidates attain these ranks based on different criteria, including age, education, language proficiency, and work history.
For category-based draws, a candidate’s CRS score will still play a significant role. Candidates who receive the highest ranking scores and who are also qualified for the category-based draw will receive invitations to apply (ITA) letters from IRCC.
