Guatemala and Canada ag visa program could work in Oz

Established in 2003, the Canada/Guatemala Temporary Guest Worker Program (TGWP) allows Guatemalans to work temporarily in Canada's agriculture sector for anywhere from three to nine months.

With the program's initial cohort consisting of about 100 workers, in the years since, this number has grown to about 14,000 to 16,000 agricultural workers being sent to Canada each year.

Hailed as a success by both countries, only a limited number of labour complaints have been lodged since the program's inception.

Guatemala's ambassador to Australia, Ronald Recinos, plans to discuss the potential for a similar program to be established between Guatemala and Australia with the Australian Federal government, to help address the huge skills shortages within our own industry.

"Canadian farmers have been really happy with the results from this program, the Canadian authorities are happy because there haven't been issues with people trying to overstay their visas and the Guatemalan workers are happy because they are making a lot more money than they usually would - so it's been a win-win for everybody," Mr Recinos said.

With many of the same fruits and vegetables grown in Guatemala and Australia, he said this meant their workers' skills could easily be translated to suit Australia's own farming sector.

"These are people who are used to harsh conditions and this type of work," Mr Recinos said.

"Basically everything Australia has Guatemala also produces - things like mangoes, avocados, oranges, limes, lemons, sugar cane, berries etc.

"So if we started with a pilot program in Queensland, for example, which has a very similar agricultural industry to Guatemala, we could go from there and make it grow from year to year.

"I think it would also be relatively easy for the workers to translate their skills to broadacre farming on Australia's west coast too."

Due to the two countries being located on opposite hemispheres, another potential benefit of an agricultural working visa between Australia and Guatemala is participants would have the ability to complete harvests both at home and abroad within a 12 month period.

"The workers usually return home after working a harvest, it depends on the necessities of the farmer how long the visa is...but none of them seem to have the intention to migrate - they just want to bring some money back home," Mr Recinos said.

The TGWP works in four phases: employers indicate their need for workers and submit a recruitment plan; applicants are recruited, evaluated, provided consular services (a Canadian visa) and medical exams, given a pre-departure orientation about security and finances, and assisted at the airport; guest workers arrive and are integrated into the labor force in Canada; and guest workers return to Guatemala.

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"In our ministry of labour in Guatemala we have a specialised office that is in charge of their recruitment, helping the participants with their paperwork and giving them instructions before they are sent over," Mr Recinos said.

"They also help with the filtering process to ensure we are sending good people out."

While stating there wasn't a great need for a deep knowledge of the English language for people working out in the field, Mr Recinos said the TGWP working groups were also organised to include at least one person who knew the minimum of "basic english", so they could act as a translator for the rest of the group.

Typically, the farmer host pays for the workers travel requirements, with this amount deducted from their pay once they begin work.

"Their food and accommodation is also usually taken care of by the farmer," Mr Recinos said.

While Mr Recino was yet to speak to Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt about the potential opportunity for Australia's farming industry, he had spoken to several State-based farming groups, as well as the National Farmers' Federation who he said were "keen on the idea".

The Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme

In the 2022-23 Federal budget the government announced it would be making reforms to the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme, which allows eligible Australian businesses to hire workers from nine Pacific islands and Timor-Leste.

With an objective to help fill labour gaps in Australia's agricultural sector, through the scheme businesses can recruit workers for seasonal jobs for up to nine months or for longer-term roles for between one and four years in unskilled, low-skilled and semi-skilled positions.

A Department of Employment and Workplace Relations spokesperson told Farm Weekly as of January 2023, there were 35,494 PALM workers in Australia, of which 25,218 were employed in agriculture.

"Of the 407 approved employers in the PALM scheme about 250 currently employ workers in Australia, and just over 200 of those currently employ workers in the agriculture sector," the spokesperson said.

"Some employers may employ workers in multiple sectors.

"When asked about the potential opportunity for an agricultural worker visa program to be established between Guatemala and Australia, a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson said the government "would not proceed with MoUs with other countries".

"The Australian Government has announced the relocation of the previous government's Australian Agriculture visa program within the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme as part of its plan to build a stronger Pacific family," the spokesperson said.

"The Australian Government is committed to honouring the memorandum of understanding already signed with Vietnam under the previous government."