2026-08-04
Effective September 1, 2026, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) Variety Registration Office (VRO) will implement a streamlined triaging process for variety registration applications for crop kinds listed in Part III of Schedule III of the Seeds Regulations.
The new process is intended to improve service efficiency and speed up the review of eligible applications that have already been approved by trusted foreign regulatory authorities, where appropriate. In addition to meeting Canada's regulatory requirements, this initiative supports the CFIA's ongoing efforts to:
- modernize regulatory service delivery
- reduce unnecessary duplication
- make new crop varieties available sooner
Under the streamlined triaging framework:
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applications for varieties approved by trusted foreign regulatory authorities may be eligible for expedited review
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applications that meet all eligibility and documentation requirements will be targeted for processing within 20 business days (approximately four weeks) from the date a complete application is received, compared with the current service standard of 40 business days (approximately eight weeks)
Note: applications that do not meet the eligibility or documentation requirements will continue to be processed through the standard review process.
Applicants who want to use the new process must include complete and verifiable documentation demonstrating that the variety has been approved by a trusted foreign regulatory authority with their application.
The CFIA will continue to assess all applications against Canadian regulatory requirements. Participation in the streamlined triaging process does not change the regulatory requirements for variety registration or the requirement to demonstrate compliance with the Seeds Regulations.
Further information on the new process and documentation requirements is available in the Guidance for varieties that have been approved in foreign jurisdictions.
For questions or additional guidance, contact the Variety Registration Office at: VRO-BEV@inspection.gc.ca.