If you run a farm in Canada and can’t find local workers, the Temporary Foreign Worker Program gives you two dedicated pathways for on-farm primary agriculture: the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) and the Agricultural Stream. Both require a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) and both cover the same National Commodity List — but they differ in who you can hire, for how long, and how recruitment works. Choosing the right one is the first strategic decision of your hiring season.
The Two Streams at a Glance
| SAWP | Agricultural Stream | |
|---|---|---|
| Source countries | Mexico and 11 participating Caribbean countries only (Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts-Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago) | Workers from any country |
| Employment duration | Maximum 8 months, between January 1 and December 15 | Up to 2 years for low-wage positions; up to 3 years for high-wage positions |
| Minimum work offer | At least 240 hours within 6 weeks or less | Aligned with the employer’s reasonable employment needs |
| Recruitment | Run through bilateral agreements: the partner governments recruit and select the workers, verify documents and appoint representatives in Canada | The employer (or its recruitment partner) sources and selects the workers directly |
| Worker profile | Experienced in farming, at least 18, citizen of a participating country | Defined by the employer’s job requirements |
| Sectors | Same for both: National Commodity List (fruits and vegetables, greenhouses/nurseries, dairy, poultry, apiary, mushrooms, grains and more) + on-farm primary agriculture | |
When SAWP Is the Right Fit
- Your need is truly seasonal. Harvests, planting windows and peak periods that fit inside the 8-month, January-to-mid-December window.
- You want government-backed recruitment. The partner countries maintain pools of experienced, pre-screened farm workers — many with years of Canadian seasons behind them — and handle selection and documentation on their end.
- You value a proven rotation. Many SAWP employers bring back the same workers year after year, which protects productivity from day one of each season.
When the Agricultural Stream Makes More Sense
- Your operation runs year-round. Dairy barns, poultry, swine, mushrooms and greenhouses don’t stop in winter — a contract of up to 2 years (or 3 for high-wage positions) fits far better than an 8-month cap.
- Your workers come from outside the SAWP list. Guatemala, the Philippines, Ukraine, Colombia — the Agricultural Stream has no nationality restriction.
- You want to retain and develop people. Longer contracts mean less annual re-training and, for some workers, a runway toward permanent residence pathways.
A note for Quebec employers: hiring under the Agricultural Stream in Quebec involves additional steps with the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI) — the requirements and process vary in that province.
What Both Streams Have in Common
Whichever you choose, you’ll need a positive LMIA before your workers can apply for their work permits, your production must fall within the National Commodity List with activity related to on-farm primary agriculture, and you’ll take on employer obligations that include housing for your workers (the details differ between the two streams). Wages matter too: whether a position counts as low-wage or high-wage — measured against the provincial threshold — determines the maximum duration you can request under the Agricultural Stream. We break that down in our TFWP wage threshold guide for employers.
How Workvantage Helps
We recruit farm workers internationally for both pathways and manage the process end to end — from the LMIA application to arrival logistics. If your operation is seasonal, we can build your SAWP season; if you need people for the long haul, we’ll source candidates worldwide under the Agricultural Stream. Start with our agriculture industry page or talk to our team through the employers page — we’ll help you pick the stream that actually fits your farm.
