Guatemala Temporary Work Program 2026: How to Legally Work in Canada & USA via MINTRAB

TL;DR: MINTRAB’s Temporary Work Program (PTT — Programa de Trabajo Temporal) is the only LEGAL AND FREE channel for a Guatemalan to work formally in Canada (SAWP / TFWP) or in the United States (H-2A / H-2B visas) through the Guatemalan state. It is not a guaranteed job: it depends on convocatorias (job calls) published on the Tu Empleo portal (tuempleo.mintrabajo.gob.gt). The full process costs Q0 and the official phase takes 15 to 20 business days once an employer confirms you. Anyone who charges you to get into the program is committing a crime.

What the Temporary Work Program (PTT) Is

The Temporary Work Program is a state-run labor mobility program of the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (MINTRAB) that connects Guatemalan workers with employment opportunities abroad through regular, orderly, and safe migration.

In simple terms: it’s the OFFICIAL channel of the Guatemalan state that gives you the possibility of going to work legally in Canada or the United States for a season, with a visa, a contract, and consular protection — without paying anyone and without risking your life crossing the border through the desert.

Legal basis: Ministerial Agreement 163-2021 of the Minister of Labor and Social Welfare.

Result: Formal labor placement abroad through a contract with an employer in Canada, the U.S., or Mexico.

Cost: Q0 (zero quetzales). The program is 100% free for the applicant.

Time: 15 to 20 business days for the selection and visa-management phase, once an employer confirms you.

What the PTT IS

• A legal government-to-government channel to work abroad with a visa.
• A cost-free process for the applicant.
• A safe alternative to irregular migration.
• A program supervised by MINTRAB throughout the labor relationship.

What the PTT IS NOT

• NOT a guaranteed job. It depends on foreign employer demand and current calls.
• NOT permanent residency. It is a temporary visa tied to the employer and the agricultural cycle or contract.
• NOT immediate. A long time may pass between Tu Empleo registration and a call matching your profile.
• NOT a program that uses intermediaries. If someone says they can ‘get you in’ for a fee, they are LYING or committing a crime.

Participating Countries and Employers

Over the years, the program has sent Guatemalan workers primarily to three destinations. Active countries and sectors change with each convocatoria, so this list is DESCRIPTIVE (publicly known history) and not a promise of slots today.

Canada — SAWP / TFWP

Canada has historically been the program’s main destination. It operates under two schemes:

• SAWP — Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program. Temporary agricultural workers (harvesting, greenhouses, livestock) with flights, housing, and medical insurance covered by the Canadian employer. Typical duration 6 to 8 months per season. It is the program with the highest return rate and the one that has provided the most inter-annual stability to Guatemalans.
• TFWP — Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Other sectors: food processing, construction, hospitality. Language and skill requirements tend to be higher than SAWP.

Either route requires a Canadian work visa processed through the Canadian Visa Application Centre (VAC) or the Embassy of Canada in Guatemala.

United States — H-2A / H-2B

The United States operates two temporary non-immigrant work visas that historically have received Guatemalan workers through MINTRAB’s channel:

• H-2A — Temporary agricultural work. Crop harvesting, livestock, and other farm work. The U.S. employer pays the transport (inbound after the first pay period, return upon contract completion) and certifies that no local worker is available for the position. Minimum wage is regulated by the Department of Labor (AEWR — Adverse Effect Wage Rate, varies by state).
• H-2B — Temporary non-agricultural work. Hospitality (hotels, theme parks), seasonal construction, seafood processing, landscaping. Annual federal cap (66,000 visas, supplemental increases in some years). More competitive than H-2A.

Mexico — sectoral

There has also been labor mobility to Mexico in specific sectors (southeastern agriculture, construction, services) under bilateral arrangements. Volume is lower than Canada or the U.S.

Important: we cannot guarantee that there are currently active convocatorias for every country or sector. The only official source is the Tu Empleo portal. If you’re about to make a major decision (quit your job, sell land to ‘reserve’ a slot, etc.), VERIFY FIRST on the portal or at the MINTRAB office.

The Three Phases of the Program

The Temporary Work Program operates in three clearly defined phases under Ministerial Agreement 163-2021.

Phase 1 — Recruitment

MINTRAB publishes convocatorias (job calls) on the Tu Empleo portal when a foreign employer requests Guatemalan workers for a specific position. Each call includes:

• Country and employer (sometimes only the sector is named publicly).
• Sector and position (e.g., agricultural worker for apple harvest, greenhouse operator, hotel kitchen helper).
• Number of available slots.
• Profile requirements: age, prior experience, physical condition, language if applicable.
• Guatemalan departments or regions from which recruitment is sourced (sometimes nationwide, sometimes prioritizing one department by agreement).
• Application dates and interview date.
• Salary, schedule, contract duration, and general benefits.

To learn about calls you must be registered on Tu Empleo and check it frequently. Calls are also published on MINTRAB’s social media (Facebook, X) and at regional job fairs.

Phase 2 — Selection

If you apply to a call matching your profile, you’ll be summoned to an interview. The selection phase includes:

• In-person interview with MINTRAB staff and, frequently, representatives of the foreign employer. Usually at MINTRAB headquarters in Guatemala City or at a regional office.
• Documentary evaluation. At this point you must present ALL documents in your file (full list below). Incomplete paperwork = you’re out.
• Medical evaluation (if required by the position). Heavy agricultural work usually involves a basic medical check.
• Language evaluation (if applicable). For H-2B hospitality positions or higher-skilled TFWP roles.
• Match with the employer’s profile. The foreign employer makes the final selection at their own discretion.

If you’re selected, MINTRAB formally notifies you and the process moves to the visa step.

Phase 3 — Visa

Once selected, MINTRAB coordinates with the destination country’s consulate:

• Canada: appointment (or documentary processing, depending on the case) at the VAC visa centre in Guatemala City or at the Canadian embassy.
• U.S.: in-person interview at the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala (Avenida Reforma 7-01, zone 10). Many H-2A cases go through expedited consular processing.

MINTRAB also handles:

• Signed contract with the foreign employer (in Spanish or bilingual — demand a sworn translation before signing if it’s only in English).
• Consular protection letter from the Guatemalan consulate in the destination country for assistance with labor issues.

Once you have the visa and ticket, you fly out to start the contract. MINTRAB typically runs a pre-departure briefing on labor rights in the destination country, consular contacts, and expected conduct.

Documents to Prepare BEFORE Any Call Opens

The selection phase requires the following documents. Have them all CURRENT and ready in a physical + digital folder before any call is published — because once application windows open, they are often short (sometimes only 5 to 10 business days).

Full official list

1. Program application form — issued by MINTRAB; you can also register on Tu Empleo and complete it online.
2. Legible photocopy of DPI — current, no near-term expiration. If yours is expired or about to expire, renew it at RENAP before applying.
3. Birth certificate (RENAP) — maximum 6 months validity. Any RENAP office issues it same day, cost Q15.
4. Marriage or civil union certificate (RENAP) — if applicable. If you’re married or in a registered union, bring it even if the call doesn’t ask.
5. Birth certificates of children (RENAP) — if applicable. Relevant for some Canadian family-stream TFWP programs.
6. Photocopy of diploma or title — your highest completed education: primary, basic, diversified (high school), technical, or university. Without a formal title, bring a certification of studies.
7. Criminal record (penal antecedent) — issued by the PNC, 6-month validity. Online or in-person. No recorded convictions.
8. Police record (police antecedent) — PNC, 6-month validity. Different from the criminal record: this one logs detentions even without conviction.
9. MP (Public Ministry) certification of proceedings on file — verifies whether you have open complaints or ongoing cases. Requested at MP headquarters in zone 1 of Guatemala City or at departmental offices. Cost Q0, takes 1 to 3 business days.
10. RENAS certificate (National Sex Offender Registry) — confirms you are NOT registered as a sex offender. Obtained at RENAS office or online. CRITICAL requirement: with a RENAS record you cannot participate in the program.
11. Arraigo certificate (no-departure restriction certificate) — issued by your municipality’s Justice of the Peace court or by the penal management office. Confirms you have no court-ordered prohibition on leaving the country.
12. 2 letters of recommendation — from prior employers (preferred), community leader, auxiliary mayor, pastor, or teacher. Must include signature, phone, and address of the person recommending you.

Summary table — where to obtain each document

Estimated total cost of building the file from scratch (assuming you already have a current DPI): roughly Q200 to Q300 in certifications, photocopies, and transport. You should NEVER pay MINTRAB or any ‘recruiter’ to enter the program — Q0 is Q0.

How to Register on Tu Empleo Step by Step

The Tu Empleo portal (tuempleo.mintrabajo.gob.gt) is the only official channel to find Temporary Work Program calls.

Step 1 — Create an account. Go to tuempleo.mintrabajo.gob.gt and click ‘Registrarse.’ It will ask for your DPI, email address, mobile phone number, and a password.

Step 2 — Complete your profile. You must fill in:

• Personal data (name, age, municipality).
• Education level (primary / basic / diversified / technical / university).
• Work experience (years and sector). If you’ve worked in the field, in construction, in hospitality, or in food processing — SPELL IT OUT. The system matches by sector.
• Languages (Spanish, English — basic / intermediate / advanced).
• Geographic availability (if you can only work in certain departments abroad, specify it).
• CV optional but recommended: upload a PDF if you have one.

Step 3 — Activate notifications. In profile settings, turn on email and SMS alerts for new convocatorias. That way you find out when a call matches your profile.

Step 4 — Review open calls. The portal lists active calls. Read each one carefully: country, sector, requirements, slots, application deadline. If it fits, apply directly from your account.

Step 5 — Wait for interview notification. If your profile passes initial screening, MINTRAB will contact you by email, SMS, or phone with date and place of interview. Confirm well in advance.

Active Calls: How to Find Out First

Temporary Work Program calls are not constant. There are seasons with multiple open slots (especially SAWP Canada between January and April, and H-2A USA between February and May) and seasons with no activity.

Official sources to monitor:

• Tu Empleo portal: tuempleo.mintrabajo.gob.gt — the primary source. Check weekly.
• Official MINTRAB Facebook: publishes call announcements with broad visibility.
• MINTRAB on X (Twitter): @MINTRABGT — nearly daily announcements.
• Regional job fairs: MINTRAB hosts fairs in departmental capitals several times a year where active programs are announced.
• MINTRAB regional offices (Servicio Nacional del Empleo, SNE) — there are branches in departmental capitals that receive call information directly.
• MINTRAB newsletter — if institutional-email subscription is active, sign up from your Tu Empleo account.

What is NOT an official source:

• Facebook pages with names like ‘Trabajos en Canada 2026’ or ‘H-2 Visa Guatemala’ that are not from MINTRAB. Many are scams.
• WhatsApp announcements or chain messages asking to ‘reserve your slot’ in advance.
• Private ‘recruitment agencies’ that charge fees. NO private agency in Guatemala is authorized to charge for entry to the PTT. There are legitimate international recruitment firms, but the contact is always channeled through MINTRAB when you’re going via the PTT.

Scams and Informal Recruiters: A Critical Warning

This is the most important section of the whole page. The ‘work abroad’ scam is one of the most common and most expensive frauds for Guatemalan families.

The program is FREE. Period.

Ministerial Agreement 163-2021 establishes that the Temporary Work Program is cost-free to the applicant. Any person, agency, or ‘gestor’ who charges you money in exchange for:

• ‘Getting you’ into the program.
• ‘Speeding up’ your file.
• ‘Reserving’ a slot for you.
• ‘Guaranteeing’ selection.
• ‘Connecting’ with their ‘friend at the ministry.’

…is committing a crime. Even if the person insists it’s ‘just for their time’ or ‘just for the paperwork.’

Red flags

Be suspicious (and DO NOT PAY) if they tell you:

• ‘You have to pay Q5,000 / Q10,000 / Q20,000 to reserve your slot.’ MINTRAB does not reserve paid slots. Slots are assigned by convocatoria + interview, not by advance payment.
• ‘My friend at the ministry can get you in.’ The selection system is documentary + interview, not by internal contacts. Anyone offering a back door is inventing.
• ‘We guarantee your visa.’ No one guarantees a visa. The visa is decided by the Canadian or U.S. consulate, not MINTRAB and not a recruiter.
• ‘Pay now and pay us back from your salary once you’re there.’ The official program does not work this way. Employers cover transport (SAWP) or reimburse it (H-2A) — there is no debt to a Guatemalan recruiter.
• Contract in English with NO sworn translation. Any labor contract you’re about to sign must be available in Spanish or with translation certified by a sworn translator. Do not sign anything you don’t understand.
• They ask for your original DPI. Only a photocopy is needed. If they want the original ’to process,’ it is a high-alert fraud or identity-theft signal.

What to do if you suspect or already paid

• Report to the MP immediately: Public Ministry, Prosecutor’s Office Against Trafficking in Persons and Related Crimes. Phone 2411-9191.
• Report to MINTRAB: line 2422-2500. MINTRAB keeps a record of repeat scammers and refers them to the MP.
• PNC: report at 110 or at the nearest precinct.
• Anti-trafficking: if the offer looked ’too good to be true’ and they asked you for sensitive documentation (original passport, banking data, compromising photos), this can be human trafficking. Anti-trafficking line: 1543 (free, 24/7).

Anti-fraud legal framework

Ministerial Agreement 163-2021 and the Anti-Trafficking Law (Decree 9-2009) punish deceptive worker recruitment with prison sentences. Complaints are processed and there have been convictions — do not hesitate to report.

Difference Between the PTT and Other Migratory Paths

This table disambiguates the Temporary Work Program from other routes that often get confused in everyday conversation.

The PTT IS NOT the same as crossing without papers. IS NOT permanent residency. IS NOT asylum. It is a legal time-limited route, with a concrete contract that ends on a specific date and requires your return to Guatemala.

If you’re looking for permanent residency: the most common path for Guatemalans is EB-3 (U.S. employer sponsor + Green Card), or family sponsorship if you have a U.S. citizen or permanent-resident family member. The PTT does not directly open a path to residency, although completing the program with a clean record can make future processes easier.

After the Program: Returning to Guatemala and Future Participation

The PTT has historically had a high return rate. That return rate is what keeps the bilateral relationship with Canada and the U.S. alive: when Guatemalans complete the contract and return, the employer stays satisfied, governments stay satisfied, and the quota is maintained or increased the following year.

What happens when your contract ends:

• You must return to Guatemala on the contract expiration date. Staying past the date makes you an irregular migrant in the U.S. or Canada.
• It is not in your interest to overstay. Overstaying automatically bars you from future PTT participation for years or permanently.
• Report back to MINTRAB. Upon return, communicate that you completed the cycle. This stays on your record and gives you priority for future calls.
• Keep your documents current (DPI, antecedents) so you don’t lose time when the next call opens.

Benefits of completing the cycle:

• Priority in the next call from the same employer or sector.
• Some programs (especially SAWP) have ’nominated workers’ — the employer requests you by name the following year.
• A documented international labor history useful for future visas or jobs.

For saving and investing your overseas earnings:

• Consider opening a Guatemalan bank account before traveling to receive family remittances while you’re away.
• Compare transfer options (Wise, Remitly, Western Union) — costs vary widely.
• Plan before traveling how you’ll use your savings on return: paying debt, buying land, starting a business, paying for children’s education. Without a plan, many people return and spend savings quickly.

Related Tramites

Before and after applying to the PTT, several Guatemalan procedures connect with the temporary worker’s path:

• RECIT MINTRAB — Electronic Employment Contract Registration — the new mandatory electronic registry for ALL labor contracts (2026). If you take a temporary job between PTT cycles, your employer must register the contract here.

• Obtain or renew DPI (RENAP) — first requirement.

• Criminal record (PNC) — documentary requirement.

• Police record (PNC) — documentary requirement.

• Education equivalency USA (MINEDUC) — if you plan to validate studies for skilled jobs (Spanish-language procedure).

• TPS for Guatemalans in the USA — if you’re already in the U.S. and looking for a temporary legal option.

• Work permit for foreigners in Guatemala — the mirror procedure: how a foreigner works legally in Guatemala.

Common Errors That Stall or Block PTT Applications

Concrete pitfalls during the selection phase, derived from the official requirements of MINTRAB service 1934:

• Expired or near-expiry DPI submitted with the file. The DPI is the identity anchor for the entire process — Canadian and U.S. consulates will not issue a visa on a document with fewer than 6 months of remaining validity. Renew at RENAP (DPI guide) before any call opens; renewal takes 30-45 days, so do not wait for a convocatoria to start.
• Background certificates older than 6 months. Both the criminal record (penal antecedent) and the police record must be within their 6-month validity window AT THE TIME OF THE INTERVIEW, not just when you obtained them. Applicants who let certificates expire by a few days are disqualified at the documentary evaluation. Pull fresh certificates at the PNC as close to the expected interview date as possible.
• Missing MP certification of proceedings. The requirement list explicitly includes a certification from the Public Ministry (MP) confirming no open complaints or ongoing cases on file. This is a separate document from the PNC criminal record and is overlooked by most first-time applicants. It must be requested in person at the MP office (zone 1, Guatemala City, or departmental branches); it takes 1 to 3 business days.
• RENAS certificate omitted. The RENAS certificate (National Sex Offender Registry) is a hard requirement of service 1934. Any applicant registered in RENAS is automatically barred from the program. The certificate must confirm you are NOT registered. First-time applicants often do not know this document exists; include it in every file.
• Arraigo certificate missing or from the wrong issuing authority. The arraigo (no-departure restriction) certificate confirms no court has ordered you to stay in the country. It must be issued by the Justice of the Peace court of your municipality or by the penal management office — it is NOT a self-declaration and NOT a certificate from any private institution. Files presented with photocopies of old arraigos or with the wrong issuer are rejected on the spot.
• Recommendation letters with no contact information. Service 1934 requires 2 letters of recommendation. MINTRAB reviewers and foreign employers often call the signers to verify. Letters that lack a phone number and a physical address for the recommender fail the documentary evaluation. Each letter must include: full name of recommender, their phone, their address, their signature, and their relationship to the applicant.
• Diploma or title photocopy is unreadable. The requirement is ‘fotocopia del titulo o diploma.’ If the photocopy is dark, cropped, or skips any page of a multi-page title, it is rejected. Bring the original to the interview in case the reviewer requests on-the-spot verification, and submit a clean, complete photocopy.

Official Source

This page is based on the information published in the official catalog of services of the Guatemalan state: tramites.gob.gt/servicio/1934 and on MINTRAB’s Tu Empleo portal (tuempleo.mintrabajo.gob.gt).

Primary regulation: Ministerial Agreement 163-2021 of the Minister of Labor and Social Welfare.

MINTRAB phone: 2422-2500.

Verified: May 2026.

Notice: active convocatorias, country quotas, and sectors of the Temporary Work Program change over time. This page describes the general framework of the program under current regulation. Before making major decisions (quitting your job, spending savings on certifications, moving family members), VERIFY at tuempleo.mintrabajo.gob.gt or at a MINTRAB office the actual slot availability for your profile.