volunteering on a farm

My guess is that a family farm employs only (or mostly) family members as employees, and is small. Why not just submit your application as a volunteer and see if it's accepted?

Dear Mclarjh,

Thank you for your reply.
As far as I learnt if I spent less than 4 weeks at a family farm as a volunteer I'm not considered to be a worker. So in this case I'm a tourist and therefore there is no need to submit an application for volunteering.
I guess that the boarder officer would examine if the farmer substitutes possible Canadian employees with foreign volunteers. I think that a family farm wouldn't do this as its employees are family members.
It is just a guess, I don't know what the exact procedure is.

Anyway thank you for trying to help me.

Dia

Okay, I misspoke. Why not then just arrive as a tourist? The subject of working on a farm may not come up at all when you talk to the immigration officer. If it does, tell them the truth, you're planning to work for two weeks at a family farm. And make sure you have enough funds to support yourself in any event. They are probably more interested in you bringing foreign seeds or germs into the country. So don't visit any farms just before coming to Canada.

I could not find any formal definition of family farm in Canada.

"Family" farms are rapidly being replaced by farm corporations where planting and harvesting are handled by computerized and GPS-equipped machinery over large tracts of land. Seasonal labour for more specialized crops such as vegetables is supplied in large part by Third World workers on government-supervised schemes. I'm not saying it's impossible to find a place that might take you in but it's much more unusual than a half-century ago. Itinerant, casual work these days more often lands in bars and restaurants in big cities or resort areas.

Dear Mclarjh,

Thank you for your efforts. I will try to find more information on this or contact to an embassy in this question.

Regards,

Dia

Have you checked the WWOOF website for Canada yet? I'm not promoting them, but I know others who have done this. And the webpage (click on "How it Works"), says you don't need a work visa.

Dear Mclarjh,

Yes I know their website and the organization. Thank you for calling my attention to this.
I have also checked the website of the government on this which provides some tips (you can find under the following link) to the authorities based on which they should decide if someone would be a volunteer on a family farm (which means you don't need a work permit) or not.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/tools/temp/work/permit/farm.asp

I don't know how the authorities collect the necessary information mentioned under the above link (volume of sale, if the farm used outside help previously, size of the farm etc.) or how I can prove that a farm is a family farm.

Dia

I would be a bit cautious about the WWOOF program. Not that the program is illegal or bad, but my impression is that rules/regulations have changed quite a bit in recent years, and WWOOF hasn't always had the most up to date information. Nor do all the hosts who offer WWOOF placements necessarily know the current regulations and/or offer opportunities that are necessarily what people expect. Just because WWOOOF says it's legal doesn't mean it's legal.

Seems to me I've read some stories in recent years about people who signed up for WWOOF programs that turned out to not to be legal. (This is an old CIC document which was issued because of issues with WWOOF: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/manuals/bulletins/2013/ob503.asp) Not something you want to find out once you've arrived. I would do your research carefully and if you have questions, contact CIC.

That said, I wouldn't get to caught up in CIC's definitions.

You need to be honest - you will be asked the purpose of your trip and if you are spending two weeks at a farm, say that. If you say you are just a tourist, then the farm work comes up later, it's going to be a red flag. Explain that you are volunteering and not being paid other than room/food. Do some research on the farm so you can provide a brief description - i.e. where it is, who owns it, what is grown/raised on the farm, how big it is (i.e. acres) and what you will be doing. The owners should easily be able to provide that info - if they won't or are cagey, it's probably a sign that something is not legit. It would be a very good idea to have a print out of an e-mail from the owners laying out the dates and what you will be expected to do and that it is a volunteering.

From the CIC website:
"if a tourist wishes to stay on a family farm and work part time just for room and board for a short period (i.e., one to four weeks), this person would not be considered a worker. Work on a farm that is expected to extend beyond four weeks would require a work permit."

Dear Ksneds,

Thank you for your comments.
Unfortunately I couldn't open the webpage you inserted in your reply but I will contact CIC.

Regards,

Dia