Seasonal Farm Jobs Abroad For Foreign Applicants

Are you fantasising employment in the Canadian sun, gathering soft fruit in the English country, or picking grape in a vineyard in New Zealand? Farm jobs in foreign countries are a rare opportunity to not only earn good money, but also get competitive work experience in a foreign country and finance your own travel experiences.

Major Agricultural Worker Programs: The Global Big Four

The UK, Canada, New Zealand and the USA have the most established and reliable options of non-citizens to apply to be seasonal agricultural workers. These initiatives offer explicit visa requirements and standards of accommodation given by the employers.

United Kingdom: Seasonal worker visa

The program offered by the UK is much desired and mainly in the fields of horticulture workers such as picking of fruits and harvesting of vegetables.1

• The Visa: Seasonal Worker visa (Temporary Work).2.
• The Requirement: Before applying, you have to obtain a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) with a licensed Scheme Operator.3 This is the most important of all steps.
• The Duration: A maximum of 6 months in any rolling period of 10 months is considered in the case of horticulture.4
• Important Notice: You have to be 18 and above and demonstrate Proof of Funds (in the form of savings of £1,270), or your sponsor should certify maintenance on the CoS.5 Family members are usually not allowed.

Canada: SAWP and TFWP

Canada has two major streams of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) on farm labor.6

• The Agricultural Stream or the Visa: Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP)7.
• The Requirement: A Job Offer by a Canadian Employer is obligatory.8 To prove that it is necessary to engage a foreign national worker, your employer needs to have a positive LMIA-Approved Job Offer (Labour Market Impact Assessment).
• SAWP Statement: The stream is only open to Mexican and other involved Caribbean nationals, hence the general Agricultural Stream is more open to others.10

RSE Limited Visa New Zealand

The Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) Limited Visa of New Zealand is the backbone of the agricultural labour industry in New Zealand horticultural and viticultural industries.11

• The Visa: Visa ( recognised seasonal employer limited ).
• The Duration: As a rule, no more than 7 months within 11 months.13
• Main Condition: You need a Job Offer with a Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE).14 It is important to note that this scheme only applies to eligible citizens of Pacific nations, with other particular work visas potentially being applicable to you.15 New visa options such as the Peak Seasonal Visa (PSV) are being proposed to entry-level jobs.16

United States: The H-2A Temporary Agricultural Worker Visa

The U.S. has the H-2A program of non-immigrant workers who work temporarily as agricultural workers.17

The Visa: H-2A Visa

• The Requirement: Your future employer has to submit a petition and acquire a temporary Labor Certification at the Department of Labor.18 This visa is usually restricted to the citizens of specific countries.

Farm Opportunities in Europe

Even though non-EU citizens have a greater visa challenge in Europe, there are structured seasonal work permits programs that are designed to satisfy peak demand particularly in the fruit picking and vineyard industry.

• Germany: The biggest economy in the European region offers a lot of seasonal jobs in the agricultural industry particularly in harvesting. In most cases, permits permit between 90 days of work in 180 days.
• Netherlands: The Netherlands is known as a large flower and bulb grower and has a Residence Permit of Seasonal Work of a maximum of 24 weeks in the agriculture or horticulture industry.19 The employer normally does the application.20
• France/Italy: Non-EU citizens: Work is popular among vendange (grape harvest) or olive picking which will require a specific Contrat Saisonnier or equivalent work permit, commonly accompanied with a short-stay Schengen visa.
• Expert Advice: To obtain the necessary seasonal visa as a non-EU citizen, the only option that is available to secure the necessary Jim Crow is a Job Offer / Employment Contract with a trusted agricultural firm to work in Europe.

Guide Step by Step: How to Find a Sponsorship Job of your visa

This is the four step procedure to maximize your probabilities and securing a visa sponsorship job.

Get job Ready (The Worker Criteria)

Physical Fitness and a dependable work ethic is the main need of most manual farm workers.

• Experience: Although No Formal Education Required is the norm, it is a great benefit to indicate prior Experienced in Farming (even at home) or other manual jobs.
• Eligibility Check: You must be of age (typically 18 and above) and a clean record (Police Clearance Certificate).22

Locate a licensed Employer or Operator

Do not apply to just any farm. To employ foreign applicants, you have to seek an employer or agency that has the approval of the government.

• UK: Find Scheme Operator lists on the governmental GOV.UK.
• NZ: Visit the Recognised Seasonal Employers (RSE) list on the Immigration New Zealand web site.
• Canada: Find employers that are registered under the SAWP or TFWP.23.

Get Your Most Critical Documents Kept

After receiving a job offer, you are now concentrating on the visa application.24

• Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS): (UK) This special number is assigned by your employer, and it is a number that contains all the job details.25
• Passport and Visa Application: You will need to present your Valid Passport to ensure that it is up to date with the application fee and verification at a Visa Application Centre (VAC).27

Demonstrate Financial and Health Compliance

You must be ready to show that you are ready to take care of yourself.

• Financial Evidence: Provide a Proof of funds statement (e.g. the £1,270 that is required in the UK, unless the sponsor waives it) held on the required consecutive days.28
• Medical & Character: You might be to be supplied with a Medical Examination Report or TB Test Certificate (Tuberculosis), depending on your country of origin.

FAQs

Final Thought

Finding Seasonal Agricultural Work in a foreign country is a gratifying experience and an excellent source of income, as well as the opportunity to explore a new culture. With careful consideration of such programs as the UK Seasonal Worker Visa, Canada SAWP/TFWP or the NZ RSE and by making sure that you satisfy all Application & Visa Requirements, you are now a success in the next world harvest. Get ready to prepare your documents and get in touch with licensed Scheme Operators now!

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Disclaimer

The information regarding the job is provided to inform and educate. The government and immigration officials may change the official demands, fees, and the processing times of the Seasonal Worker Visa, SAWP, RSE, and H-2A programs without prior notice (UKVI, IRCC, Immigration New Zealand, USCIS). Before applying to a program or making any travel decisions, it is always important to confirm all details and eligibility of the program directly on the official employer or government site.