The Canadian government announced an intake cap for permanent residence applications under the Agri-Food Pilot.

Key Points:

  • Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) confirmed that permanent residence applications under the pilot will be capped 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.

Background: Officials stated that since 2020, the Agri-Food Pilot has helped fill labor gaps by giving experienced agri-food workers the opportunity to become permanent residents. The announcement detailed that since the launch of the pilot, Canada has welcomed over 4,500 agri-food workers and family members, including close to 1,775 workers and family members in 2024 alone. The pilot can only run for a maximum of five years and cannot be extended beyond the May 14, 2025, expiration date.

Additional Information: Authorities referenced the 2025–2027 Immigration Levels Plan, specifically stating that high demand/interest in the pilot exceeded the spaces available under the Levels Plan. Officials elaborated that IRCC will continue processing applications received on or before the pilot’s end date and under the cap in the coming years. As BAL has reported, the government is reducing targets across multiple immigration streams in the coming years.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

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