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The Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program has existed for almost 52 years in Canada and since 2004 in BC. In BC alone, the program provides about 6,000 Mexican workers and 1,700 Caribbean workers on a seasonal basis, mainly to help harvest fruit and vegetable crops.
This program is very important to growers, and this importance was highlighted by the impact of several problems and delays that occured in the processing of worker requests in 2018. Delays in the arrival of workers meant delays in pruning, thinning, and challenges in keeping up with the harvest.
The good news is that processing problems seem to be 'ironed out’ and turnaround times have improved. The 2018 Mexico SAWP processing of applications and recruitment of workers had several issues causing delays in the arrival of workers (five problem areas by my count) that have mainly been resolved.
A challenge next year for the Mexican program will be the introduction of a “biometrics” or fingerprinting requirement. The Caribbean program implemented biometrics about 5 years ago, so that is already done. Mexico SAWP will be challenged to implement biometrics next year. The issue is that 25,000 Mexican SAWP workers plus any other Mexico citizens with work permits must pass through a single Canadian biometrics processing centre in Mexico City. Originally, the capacity was put at 250 workers per week. Capacity of 1,000 workers per week is now promised, and the process is being streamlined. Hopefully, no delays will occur, but growers whose first Mexican workers arrive in the January-April period can avoid biometrics snafus by submitting LMIAs by early November. If growers apply and the work permit is processed before the December 31, 2018 deadline for mandatory biometrics, then no biometrics are required for 2019 arrivals of workers.
However, IRCC (Immigration, Refugees, Citizenship Canada, in charge of work permits and biometrics processing) has advised that the last of the 'biometricless’ work permits will be processed December 7, 2018. Combine this with the 2-4 week LMIA processing time required before the IRCC work permit process starts, and growers wishing to avoid the uncertainty of biometrics should apply by early November, 2018. Combine this timeframe with the rule that LMIAs cannot be submitted more than 6 months prior to worker arrival, then only Mexican workers arriving in the January to April, 2019 timeframe can avoid biometrics.
There are three other points to keep in mind:
- If a grower applies by early November, and the application is for some workers to arrive in the January-April period, and other groups to arrive later, then IRCC can process all of the workers on the LMIA by December 7 and even those arriving after April will avoid the biometrics deadline.
- Biometrics (fingerprinting and criminal record check) will only be required once every 10 years for an individual worker, so any potential delays that occur due to mandatory biometrics will only occur for 2019 Mexico SAWP arrivals. Subsequent years should not be an issue for biometrics processing.
- None of the confusion on biometrics applies to Caribbean workers - biometrics has already been implemented by the participating Caribbean countries.
A final area of concern with biometrics is the ability of the worker to travel to the Mexico City IRCC processing centre several days, weeks, or months in advance of their departure for Canada. Also, the worker will have to pay a new biometrics fee, and affordability of this fee for some workers is a concern.
In addition to anticipating issues such as the above-noted possible biometrics hiccups, Provincial Commodity Associations collect information on how the program is going and what improvements are desired. Collecting information throughout the year, the process gains momentum as the annual national review sessions approach in October (Mexico) and November (Caribbean).
Tree fruit growers can contact the BCFGA with ideas, and the BCFGA will take forward these suggestions to regional and national annual program reviews Mexico and Caribbean programs are reviewed separately. Grape grower associations are not as involved, so BCFGA has been accepting associate membership (non-voting) of grape growers wishing to be supported by BCFGA staff and have direct input to grower representatives attending the annual review meetings for the Mexican and Caribbean SAWP. Just one more reason to be a member of your agriculture association! Let us all - employers and workers, associations and government - work for a smooth-running 2019 Mexico and Caribbean SAWP.
