Canada To Launch New Visa Program For Workers In Agriculture And Fish Processing

Canada is planning a new immigration stream for foreign workers. It will focus on people who want to work in farming and fish processing. The new stream is part of a plan for 2025–2026 shared by the immigration department earlier this month.

Why This Stream Matters
The goal is to help solve worker shortages in farming and fish-related jobs. These sectors are struggling to find enough people to work. Officials want to make it easier for foreign workers to fill these jobs.

The new stream will come with a special type of work permit. It will match the kind of jobs available in these industries.

Partner Countries May Get Priority
The program may allow workers from certain countries to apply faster. This could be possible through new agreements between Canada and those countries. It would speed up the process for employers to hire skilled workers from abroad.

Work Underway With Other Departments
The immigration department will work with the department of employment to build this stream. They will ask for public feedback and set policies in 2025 and 2026.

Officials say this effort supports Canada’s larger economic goals. The country wants to better manage how many temporary workers it brings in while filling key job openings.

Focus on Key Sectors
In the new plan, farming and food processing are labeled as essential sectors. The department says it will focus on approving work permits faster in these areas.

Agriculture Faces Worker Shortages
Canada’s farms need more workers than they can find. Farming plays a major role in the country’s economy. Still, there’s a growing gap between the jobs available and the people willing to do them.

This new stream may help fix that. It could replace the Agri-Food Pilot, which shut down earlier this year. That program allowed some foreign workers to apply for permanent residency.

Agri-Food Pilot Reached Its Limit
The Agri-Food Pilot began in 2020. It helped foreign workers in meat production, flower growing, and animal farming. The program reached its 2025 cap on February 13. It stopped accepting new applications after that.

That pilot ran for five years. While it’s closed now, the new stream may pick up where it left off. If it works well, it could become a more permanent solution for Canada’s labour needs in these sectors.