Caribbean Agricultural Liaison Officers [R205(a) – C10] – Canadian interests – International Mobility Program

The Commonwealth Caribbean Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (CCSAWP) is a memorandum of understanding between 11 different Caribbean governments and Canada. It was initially signed in 1967, and the latest version was signed in 1995.

The Caribbean countries are

• Anguilla
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Barbados
• Dominica
• Grenada
• Jamaica
• Montserrat
• Saint Kitts and Nevis
• Saint Lucia
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
• Trinidad and Tobago

As part of the CCSAWP agreement, all of these countries provide liaison officers to be available in Canada to assist their agricultural workers. 

The liaison officers from 2 countries, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago, are accredited by Global Affairs Canada as consular officers and therefore authorized to work under paragraph 186(b) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR).

As per the operational guidelines in the agreement, Jamaica appoints one or more agents in Canada to ensure the smooth functioning of the CCSAWP for the mutual benefit of both the employers and workers, and to perform the duties required of that agent under the existing employment agreement.

For the remaining 8 Eastern Caribbean countries, a single office for the Eastern Caribbean liaison has been set up under the agreement. The 8 countries are

• Anguilla
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Dominica
• Grenada
• Montserrat
• Saint Kitts and Nevis
• Saint Lucia
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Liaison officers appointed to work at the Jamaican Liaison Service or the Eastern Caribbean Liaison Service offices located in various provinces across Canada qualify under this exemption. The officers provide social, cultural and economic benefits to Canada by working with federal and provincial governments and non-governmental organizations to support the overall welfare of agricultural workers who are vital to Canada’s food security.

Both of the liaison services are exempted from the requirement to submit an offer of employment directly to IRCC through an account in the Employer Portal and pay the employer compliance fee when making an offer of employment to foreign workers. For further information, see Exemption from the employer compliance regime for the International Mobility Program.

Work permit issuance in the Global Case Management System (GCMS)

Under the Application screen, officers should enter the following information in the specified fields: