The January cold snap has significantly disrupted many crops and is changing the amount of SAWP workers needed and when they will arrive.
Delaying arrival dates of workers
If you still expect to bring requested workers to BC this year but need to change their arrival dates, please submit a “Date Change” request in the Portal as soon as possible (see instructions below). If you don’t do this, Mexico could reassign the workers to another employer.
If you have contact information for your workers, please also communicate directly with them and let them know what is happening and when you are wanting them to arrive. But you must submit a date change request in the Portal to make sure that the Ministry of Labour has the current information.
Cancelling workers
If you are not going to need all your requested workers this year, please submit a cancellation request in the Portal as soon as possible. Workers depend on the money they earn in Canada each year. Submitting a cancelation request allows the worker to make other plans or to be assigned to another farm.
The late cancellation of workers is a significant concern for source countries. To keep the flexibility of the SAWP program and give workers the chance to go to another farm, please cancel workers that are not needed as soon as possible.
Please note that canceling a worker also cancels that spot on your LMIA. You cannot later ask for a worker to fill a canceled spot.
Booking travel for workers
Reminder - all SAWP Mexico workers who have a work permit must have their travel booked within 30 days of the requested arrival date, or Mexico may cancel the request and automatically reassign the worker to another farm.
How to cancel a worker or request a change in arrival dates
To cancel a worker or request a later arrival date, go to the “SAWP Mexico LMIA” page in the Portal. Click on the orange “Submit Change Request” button and follow the directions to submit the cancellation/date change request.
The Ministry of Labour in Mexico requires that all requests include a reason for the change. Failure to include a reason will result in a delay of the request. If you are asking to delay the arrival of a worker, Mexico will confirm that the worker is willing to wait for the new arrival date. Workers can choose to be reassigned to another farm that needs workers sooner.