The food and beverage processing industry is the Great White North’s largest manufacturing industry in terms of GDP, as well as total employment. It is also the largest buyer of Canada’s raw agricultural products. With such a vast and thriving sector comes the need for a solid workforce to keep the wheels turning. Yet, due to Canada’s sizeable retiring population, there is a significant skills shortage of workers in this sector. So if you work in this area and are searching for greener pastures, Canada needs you! You’ll find a variety of vacancies, from food processing jobs to food harvester and food and beverage server positions. In this article, we take a look at the reasons you should work in Canada’s Food And Beverage Industry.
Below are the provinces with the most opportunities in Canada’s Food And Beverage Industry
- Nova Scotia: Food Counter Attendants, Kitchen Helpers and Related Support Occupations Farm Workers, Food Servers, Food Service Manager
- Ontario: Butchers, Meat Cutters and Fishmongers, Food Counter Attendants, Kitchen Helpers and Related Support Occupations, Farm Workers, Food Servers
- British Columbia: Food Counter Attendants, Kitchen Helpers and Related Support Occupations, Farm Workers, Food Servers, Food Service Manager
- Nunavut: Food Servers
- Saskatchewan: Farm Workers
- Manitoba: Butchers, Meat Cutters and Fishmongers, Food Counter Attendants, Kitchen Helpers and Related Support Occupations, Farm Workers
- Prince Edward Island: Farm Workers
- New Brunswick: Food Counter Attendants, Kitchen Helpers and Related Support Occupations Food Counter Attendants, Kitchen Helpers and Related Support Occupations, Farm Workers
- Quebec: Butchers, Meat Cutters and Fishmongers, Food Counter Attendants, Kitchen Helpers and Related Support Occupations
- Alberta: Food Counter Attendants, Kitchen Helpers and Related Support Occupations
There are Different Pathways to Canadian Permanent Residency
Once you have a valid job offer and are sure you are eligible to immigrate to Canada, you can begin your immigration application. Here are some options to apply to.
Agri-food Immigration Pilot
Launched in June 2020, The Agri-food Immigration Pilot is a three year program that will invite 2,750 foreign workers who have job offers or are working in Canada every year to apply for permanent residency. The applications are processed on a first-come-first-serve basis, so move quickly to avoid disappointment. It was formed by the Canadian Atlantic provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. The pilot aims to address critical labour shortages in these four beautiful provinces by offering applicants permanent residency. In general, you must:
- Have work experience in a job that requires a high school education and/or specific on-the-job training
- Must have completed high school
- Score a minimum of 4 on a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) test to show you can communicate effectively in English or French
- Prove that you can support yourself and your family when you come to Canada
The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot
The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot is a community-driven program. It was put in place to spread the benefits of economic immigration to smaller communities by creating a path to Canadian permanent residency for skilled foreigners wanting to work and live in a participating community. Because the pilot is community-driven, it’s the communities that will:
- Assess candidates
- Make recommendations for permanent residency to IRCC
- Put newcomers in touch with settlement services and mentoring opportunities with community members
Participating communities
- North Bay, Ontario
- Sudbury, Ontario
- Timmins, Ontario
- Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
- Thunder Bay, Ontario
- Brandon, Manitoba
- Altona/Rhineland, Manitoba
- Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
- Claresholm, Alberta
- Vernon, British Columbia
- West Kootenay (Trail, Castlegar, Rossland, Nelson), British Columbia
The Express Entry System
The Express Entry system is Canada’s fastest immigration channel for processing skilled worker applications for PR. It is a points-based system that ranks candidates according to several factors. The highest-ranking applicants receive Invitations to Apply (ITA).