The Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP)
SAWP has brought thousands of temporary foreign workers to Canada for more than 50 years. About 20 percent of workers in Canada’s agricultural sector are temporary foreign workers, particularly in the fruit, vegetables, horticulture, and nursery sectors. If you are hired through the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP), you can work for any SAWP employer in Canada.
Summary
Country of destination: Canada
Country of origin: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Mexico, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago
Sectors: Agriculture, Horticulture, and Food Processing
Skill level: Mixed, from manual laborers to farm managers
Timeline: 1966 - Ongoing
Number of beneficiaries: 50,126 in 2020
About the program
The Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) allows employers to hire temporary foreign workers (TFW) when Canadians and permanent residents are not available. This program is part of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) and requires a Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) in the initial application. It is operated by the federal Ministry of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, in Partnership with the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration and the governments of the country of origin of the workers.
These employers can hire TFWs from participating countries for a maximum period of 8 months, between January 1 and December 15, provided they are able to offer the workers a minimum of 240 hours of work within a period of 6 weeks or less. Production must be in specific commodity sectors, and the activity must be on a farm or otherwise related to primary agriculture. Workers must be at least 18, a citizen of one of the participating countries, have experience in farming, and be able to satisfy Canadian immigration laws and the laws of the worker’s home country. Participants do not need a new work permit to change employers as long as the new employer has a valid LMIA.
Program requirements
To qualify for the SAWP, employers must meet 3 criteria:
the TFWs hired must be citizens from Mexico or participating Caribbean countries
production must be in specific commodity sectors
the activity must be related to on farm primary agriculture
Participating countries
The SAWP applies only to TFWs who are citizens from:
Mexico
Caribbean countries of:
Anguilla
Antigua and Barbuda
Barbados
Dominica
Grenada
Jamaica
Montserrat
St. Kitts-Nevis
St. Lucia
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Trinidad and Tobago
