Express Entry Agriculture Category
The Express Entry Agriculture Category was once one of Canada’s most accessible category-based selection pathways for farm supervisors, greenhouse staff, butchers, and machinery operators, though it has since been retired from Express Entry Category-Based Selection. If you work in a qualifying agricultural occupation, you can still find a route to permanent residence through provincial nominee programs, the Atlantic Immigration Program, or a work permit first strategy. Here, ImmigCanada will walk you through why the category closed, what it used to offer, and the practical alternatives available to agricultural workers heading into 2026.
Is the Express Entry Agriculture Category Still Running in 2026?
No. The Agriculture and Agri-Food Occupations category was removed from the list of Express Entry category based selection groups on February 27, 2025, as part of a broader overhaul of ministerial instructions. There is no direct replacement inside Express Entry itself. In its short life, the category ran three draws and issued 1,150 Invitations to Apply, with Comprehensive Ranking System cutoffs between 345 and 354, which remain among the lowest ever recorded for any Express Entry category. Anyone who was counting on this route needs to shift strategy immediately, and the good news is that several provincial and federal alternatives can still get agricultural workers to permanent residence.
Although this route closed, other options remain very much alive within Express Entry Category-Based Selection, and the broader Express Entry system still offers several ways to Immigrate to Canada through Express Entry.
| Detail | Status |
| Category name | Agriculture and Agri-Food Occupations |
| Current status | Retired, removed from category based selection |
| Retirement date | February 27, 2025 |
| Total ITAs issued | 1,150 across three draws |
| Direct replacement in Express Entry | None |
What the Agriculture Category Used to Cover?
For context, and because some of this history still matters for CRS calculations and provincial applications, it is worth understanding what the original category included. The retired version covered twelve National Occupational Classification codes, spanning farm supervisors, greenhouse and nursery workers, field crop and vegetable labourers, butchers and meat cutters, and farm machinery operators. The three draws it ran were held in September 2023 (CRS 354, 600 ITAs), October 2023 (CRS 350, 300 ITAs), and June 2024 (CRS 345, 250 ITAs).
It is worth remembering how these Express Entry Draws compared to today’s active streams under Express Entry Category-Based Selection, where cutoffs and volumes look very different.
Explore your best agriculture pathway options today.
| NOC | Occupation | TEER |
| 80020 | Agricultural service contractors, farm supervisors | 0 |
| 82010 | Agricultural service contractors | 2 |
| 82021 | General farm workers, greenhouse and nursery | 3 |
| 82022 | Nursery and greenhouse labourers | 3 |
| 82030 | Agricultural labourers, field crop and vegetable | 3 |
| 82031 | Harvesting labourers | 3 |
| 84120 | Butchers, meat cutters and fishmongers, retail and wholesale | 3 |
| 84121 | Industrial butchers and meat cutters, processing | 3 |
| 85100 | Farm machinery operators | 3 |
| 85101 | Agricultural harvesting machine operators | 3 |
| 85103 | Livestock labourers | 3 |
| 85104 | Aquaculture and marine harvest labourers | 3 |
Why Did IRCC Retire the Agriculture Category?
The short answer is priorities and volume. When the ministry reviewed how category based selection was performing, agriculture stood out as the smallest category by far. It issued only 1,150 ITAs across its entire run, compared with roughly 79,700 for the French language category and around 30,350 for healthcare over a similar period. At the same time, Canada’s labour market forecasting shifted attention toward French language ability, healthcare, skilled trades, transport, and, more recently, education, senior management, research, and military recruitment. Officials also pointed out that agricultural workers already have functioning alternatives through provincial programs and the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, so a dedicated federal category was judged less necessary than it once was. For 2026, the confirmed priority list is French, healthcare, trades, education, transport, senior managers, researchers, and military, and agriculture simply does not appear on it.
Where Should Agricultural Workers Apply Instead?
The retirement of the federal category is not the end of the road. It just means the best routes now run through the provinces, the Atlantic region, or a work permit first strategy. Here is how the main alternatives compare.
Provincial Nominee Programs
Several provinces run agriculture specific or agriculture friendly streams, and for many workers this is now the fastest realistic path to nomination.
Provincial Nominee Program routes now do much of the heavy lifting once handled by Express Entry Category-Based Selection, though a strong Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) Score still helps down the line.
| Province | Stream | Key NOCs | Advantage |
| Saskatchewan | International Skilled Worker: Agriculture | 80020, 82010, 82021, 82030, 84120, 84121, 85100 | Expression of Interest system with 60 of 110 points, dedicated in demand list |
| Alberta | Rural Renewal Stream | Farm workers, butchers | Community endorsement, rural focus |
| Alberta | Self-Employed Farmer | Farm management experience, minimum net worth | Business ownership path |
| Manitoba | Skilled Worker Overseas | 80020, 82010, 82021, 82030 | Adaptive points grid, EOI based |
| British Columbia | PNP Skills Immigration | 82021, 82030, 84120, 84121 | SIRS scoring, priority for health, tech and childcare occupations |
| Ontario | Employer Job Offer: In Demand | 84120, 84121, 85100 | Covers TEER 4 and 5 roles, employer led application |
| Nova Scotia | Occupation in Demand | 82021, 82030, 84120 | TEER 4 and 5 eligible, six months of experience required |
Atlantic Immigration Program
The Atlantic Immigration Program works through employers in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador who are designated to hire internationally. In agriculture and food processing, this usually means a job offer combined with a settlement plan and an employer endorsement, and processing typically runs six to twelve months. Priority sectors include agriculture in New Brunswick, aquaculture in PEI, and food processing in Nova Scotia.
Temporary Foreign Worker Program Into Canadian Experience Class
For workers without a provincial nomination in hand, the Temporary Foreign Worker Program can still open a door. Primary agriculture occupations, including farm supervisors, service contractors, and general farm and field labourers, benefit from a simplified Labour Market Impact Assessment process that skips the usual advertising requirement, which speeds things up considerably.
| Step | Typical timeline |
| Employer obtains LMIA under the simplified agriculture stream | Two to four weeks |
| Worker receives an employer specific work permit | Two to eight weeks |
| Worker completes twelve months of Canadian experience in a TEER 0 to 3 role | Twelve months |
| Worker becomes eligible for Canadian Experience Class | Apply through Express Entry |
That CRS boost eventually feeds back into the Express Entry system, even though this route sits outside Express Entry Category-Based Selection entirely.
Find out which pathway fits your occupation.
That year of Canadian work experience is valuable well beyond CEC eligibility. It also adds a meaningful boost to CRS score, which matters if you eventually want to compete in general draws too.
Self-Employed Farmer Streams
For candidates with capital and farm management experience, a handful of provinces offer entrepreneur style pathways built specifically around farm ownership.
| Province | Requirements |
| Alberta | Farm management experience, minimum net worth of 500,000 dollars, business plan, investment of 100,000 dollars |
| Saskatchewan | Farm experience, minimum net worth of 500,000 dollars, investment of 300,000 dollars |
| Manitoba | Farm business background, minimum net worth of 350,000 dollars, investment of 300,000 dollars |
| British Columbia | Entrepreneur Immigration stream, minimum net worth of 600,000 dollars, investment of 200,000 dollars |
Note that the federal Agri-Food Immigration Pilot, a separate program that ran from 2020 to 2025, has also closed and is no longer accepting new applications. Anyone who was eyeing that pilot should treat the options above as the current landscape instead.
Which Pathway Fits Your Occupation Best?
| Your occupation | Best pathway | Backup option |
| Farm supervisor (80020) | Saskatchewan SINP, Alberta Rural Renewal, or Manitoba Skilled Worker Overseas | TFWP into CEC |
| Greenhouse worker (82021 or 82022) | Ontario Employer In Demand, Atlantic Immigration Program, or BC PNP | TFWP into CEC |
| General farm worker (82030 or 82031) | Saskatchewan SINP, Alberta Rural Renewal, or Nova Scotia Occupation in Demand | TFWP into CEC |
| Butcher or meat cutter (84120 or 84121) | Ontario Employer In Demand, Atlantic Immigration Program, or BC PNP | TFWP into CEC |
| Farm machinery operator (85100 or 85101) | Saskatchewan SINP, Manitoba Skilled Worker Overseas, or Alberta Rural Renewal | TFWP into CEC |
| Self-employed farmer | Alberta or Saskatchewan farm owner streams | Federal Start-up Visa, currently paused |
Frequently Asked Questions
No. It was retired on February 27, 2025 as part of a wider Express Entry overhaul, and it is no longer available for category based draws of any kind.
IRCC redirected its category based selection priorities toward French language ability, healthcare, skilled trades, education, transport, senior managers, researchers, and skilled military recruits. Agriculture had issued only 1,150 ITAs across its entire run, a small fraction of the volume seen in categories like French, which issued close to 79,700 over a comparable period, so it was judged a lower priority once the ministry reassessed labour market needs.
This shift in priorities is a good reminder that Express Entry Category-Based Selection evolves with labour market needs, which is exactly why Express Entry Draws differ so much year to year.
Move quickly to an alternative. Provincial nominee programs in Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, British Columbia, and Nova Scotia all have agriculture relevant streams, and the Atlantic Immigration Program is worth checking if you have ties to a designated employer in the region. A work permit through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, followed by a year of Canadian experience and a Canadian Experience Class application, is also a realistic route if you do not yet have a provincial nomination.
Yes, even though the category itself is gone. Your experience still contributes to your base CRS score under foreign work experience, it can support eligibility under the Federal Skilled Worker Program if your role is TEER 0 through 3, it counts toward Canadian Experience Class once you accumulate a year in Canada, and it is usually the exact experience most provincial agriculture streams are looking for.
Cutoffs ranged from 345 to 354, among the lowest of any Express Entry category in history. That history is useful only as context now, since the category itself no longer runs draws.
No. That separate federal pilot closed in 2025. Workers who were considering it should look at the Temporary Foreign Worker Program or a provincial nominee stream instead.
There is no announced plan to reinstate it. The confirmed 2026 priority list covers French, healthcare, trades, education, transport, senior managers, researchers, and military, with agriculture absent from that list.
Saskatchewan’s International Skilled Worker: Agriculture stream and Alberta’s Rural Renewal Stream tend to be the most accessible for hands on agricultural workers, thanks to a dedicated in demand occupation list in Saskatchewan and community based endorsement in Alberta. The right fit still depends on your specific occupation, experience, and where you would prefer to settle.
Whichever province you choose, keep tracking Express Entry Draws and CRS trends even if you sit outside Express Entry Category-Based Selection for now, since provincial nomination often leads right back to Express Entry.
Immigration rules around agricultural work change quickly, and choosing the wrong pathway can cost you months of preparation. Book a consultation with Eivy Joy Quito, a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) at ImmigCanada, and get a clear, personalized roadmap based on your occupation, work history, and long term goals. Eivy has guided farm supervisors, greenhouse workers, and agri-food professionals through provincial nominee applications, Atlantic Immigration files, and TFWP to CEC transitions, and she can tell you within one session which route actually fits your situation. Reach out today to start building a plan that keeps your Canadian permanent residence goals on track.