r/CanadianVisaReform

A user of this sub sent me this Hotel General Manager posting.

1 position is requested and 3 are assumed to be on the way as they are doing the motions to get approval for a LMIA.

The business is currently called 10239327 Manitoba Ltd but was recently called 7087382 Manitoba Ltd until at least 2024 and has an extensive LMIA history over 2023 and 2024. I found this in old job advertisements. The change of legal name could indicate a sale of the business. I have posted their previous LMIA history on picture 9.

Sites such as Jobspider or Aboriginal Job Centre are a good source of figuring out who is going to apply for a LMIA as they are catered to meeting the program. LMIA applicants will rarely post on Indeed or job sites that people actually use because of the cost of administration.

Over the last 6 months there have been over one dozen farms located in the Lower Mainland of BC particularly in Abbotsford and Surrey that have been added to the non-compliance list for the TFW Program. Most of these were noted to be “not actively engaged in business.” In other words they are fraudulent applications. 

Recently there was an article posted in CBC about an investigation into a Bishnoi Gang member who was murdered. They stated that this individual owned a farm which was fined $135,000 for not being actively engaged in business. The murdered man is from Surrey so I assume that it must be linked to this process. You can find this article here: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/alleged-top-bishnoi-leader-shot-dead-surrey-9.7227814

Looking into the program there are two types of agriculture streams:

-The SAWP (seasonal agriculture workers program) which allows the employer to bring someone in from Mexico or the Caribbean for up to 8 months at a time. This is what people think of when you mention TFWs working in agriculture. https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/foreign-workers/agricultural/seasonal-agricultural.html

-The agriculture stream which allows people to come from any country for up to 2 years. https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/foreign-workers/agricultural/agricultural.html

Both of these have no fees whatsoever whereas all other streams are $1,000 a person. 

I did a narrow search on Job Bank for employers that are located in the Lower Mainland looking for farm labour and have filed a LMIA and what I found is that a large amount of these employers are requesting year-round labour through the agriculture stream and when I look into the LMIA processing history I can see very large amount of workers coming through each year often in the dozens. I used BC property assessment tools to look at the farms and I am very confused by the amount of labour needed to work on some of these farms. 

These are not animal farms. I have specifically excluded them from my search. There is a different NOC position for an animal farm labourer vs a harvesting labourer and I only looked at harvesting labourers. Harvesting labourers is the most commonly approved position in Abbotsford, BC and the 11th most commonly approved position in Surrey, BC

Please note that I am not accusing any of these employers of wrong doing because I do not know their individual circumstances:

Coast Cranberries Ltd, Langley BC

Has over 30 workers per year since 2019 through only the primary agriculture stream. The farm grows cranberries and blueberries. The BC property assessment tool states that their farm is 13.7 acres. 

https://lmiagrader.com/employer/coast-cranberries-ltd/

https://www.bcassessment.ca/Property/Info/QTAwMDBGNUgwTA==

Khukhrana Blueberry Farm, Abbotsford, BC

Is requesting 30 workers with no mention of seasonality on their Job Bank ad. They may be a first time applicant as I can't find their LMIA history. The BC TFW registry lists the business as Satinderpal Sekhon and Harmandeep Kaur carrying on business as Khukhrana Blueberry Farm. I looked at several of these combinations and couldn't positively identify it. There are a number of farms listed as Sekhon so I'm unsure if one of these is the business. 

The farm grows blueberries and the BC property assessment lists the acreage as 9 acres. 

When you look at the website of this business there is a phone number listed. I googled the phone number and 2 other businesses come up. I searched these businesses in the BC TFW Registry and sure enough they come up with hits. 

https://www.bcassessment.ca/Property/Info/QTAwMDBGN1hKRg==

Marion Fresh Produce, Abbotsford, BC

The first linked to the previous employer. Received 10 harvesting labourers in 2024 through the primary agriculture stream. If they got any recent workers the data hasn't caught up. 

Their farm is 10 acres 

https://www.bcassessment.ca/Property/Info/QTAwMDBGN1hKMg==

Agri Vista Farms Ltd, Abbotsford, BC

The second of the ones linked to the blueberry farm. They received 22 approved harvesting labourers in 2023 and 22 in 2025. The absence of 2024 leads me to think they have requested the workers for a full 2 year duration.

I can't find this on the property assessment but a real estate listing puts it at 19.5 acres: https://suttongroupwestcoastabbotsford.com/officelistings.html/listing.r2245221-565-marion-road-abbotsford-v3g-1s7.104806000

Why do these three related farms need so many long term harvesting workers? 

Greenway Farms, Surrey, BC

This business gets dozens of workers per year. In 2023 they got 150 workers which is their highest but they consistently get over 80 per year. All through the primary agriculture stream and they have never had a refusal since 2015. 

The property is 19.5 acres. It is stated to be a vegetable farm but there are sparse amounts of details on their website. I found some mentions that they run a pumpkin patch in the fall. There are a number of trucks parked on the property so I am going to wager that the owner also is in the trucking business. 

https://lmiagrader.com/employer/greenway-farms/

https://www.bcassessment.ca/Property/Info/QTAwMDA3OFNSUA==

I found 5 farms in the Lower Mainland that were over 40 acres and had requested what didn't seem like a crazy number of people. There were over 45 acres that had 5 people requested to grow vegetables. I am wondering if there is a trend in some of these farms requesting too many people as there is very little to lose. How well does the program examine the need for each individual? Clearly with a huge trend of farms that do not exist popping up on the non-compliance list this must be a fairly well known loophole. It is not even required that you are able to speak in English to qualify for a work permit through the agriculture stream as per the TFW Program website

The duties of the position are:

​

Ensure the information on prescriptions is accurate

Enter client information in databases

Help pharmacists

Maintain prescription records

Prepare medications for clients

Prepare and maintain equipment and supplies

Bill third party insurers

Maintain inventories of medications and prescription records of pharmaceutical products

Maintain inventory of equipment

Order supplies and equipment

​

The position requires a secondary school diploma and no experience required. The user here found this position while searching for a job. It has been 4 months since it's been up and they are still requesting a LMIA meaning that they haven't found any Canadians or PRs to take the job.

This interesting quotation is from a journalist writing about her dilemma in her journey to become a Canadian citizen.

https://www.cambridgetimes.ca/news/waterloo-region/canada-immigration-work-permit/article_10ae1877-ea26-5c34-b385-a4fe73454604.html

>

"Even today, offers continue to circulate through immigration networks and online groups. I have been approached with schemes that promised additional CRS points through credentials I never earned, including offers to obtain trade certifications in fields such as plumbing or electrical work, despite having no background in either profession."

She declined this scheme. How many have said "Yes!"?

EDIT: Many skilled trades people believe that it can't happen to their industry. The first goal here is to obtain permanent residency. Then new competitors to your employer are formed that only hire people from one community. These outfits undercut everyone else and knock the good firms out of business.

This exact thing has already happened to other industries. Trucking comes to mind. Wake up!

Most applications came from Ghana, who won its match against Panama in Toronto on June 17. While Canada processed at least 1,725 visitor visa applications from Ghanian soccer fans, just under 11 per cent of these were approved.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-rejects-ottawa-temporary-foreign-worker-cap-increase-9.7250679

>
Dan Kelly, president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), said the decision by the provincial government reads as "good politics" but not good for the economy.

>“There is almost no evidence to suggest that youth employment is being negatively affected by the number of temporary foreign workers that live in Ontario,” he said. 

>“For the most part, temporary foreign workers are filling jobs for which there are no Canadians available, [certainly] not Canadians that want those jobs.”

Of course no mention the much larger International Mobility Program. The combination of the IMP and the TFW programs have eliminated many opportunities in my neighborhood for students seeking part time or summer employment, and entry level jobs. These programs have also severely suppressed wages and worsened working conditions.

Business wants a 'free market' in everything except for labour supply.