Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot
Most foreign workers, newcomers and permanent residents choose to live in vastly populated communities or major cities, and only a few of them decide to live in rural or northern communities. This results in uneven distribution of skilled workers in Canada and slows down economic development of rural regions and small communities in the north.
The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot is a community-driven pilot program that aims to change this trend and bring skilled foreign workers to small rural communities. Under this program, participating communities assess prospective candidates and issue recommendations to skilled foreign workers who wish to apply for permanent residence in Canada.
There are only 11 communities across Canada that currently participate in the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot.
Participating communities
Each participating community has their own community-specific eligibility requirements, and job searching recommendation process. Upon meeting the eligibility requirements, the participating community assesses the prospective candidates and identifies those who will stay and contribute to economic growth in the community.
Once potential candidates are identified, the community can recommend these candidates for PR in Canada to IRCC for a final decision. The community recommendation is obligatory.
Under the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot, participating communities also match newcomers with various settlement services and provide them with mentors among the established members of the community.
| Community | Community website |
|---|---|
| North Bay, ON | https://northbayrnip.ca/ |
| Sudbury, ON | https://investsudbury.ca/why-sudbury/move-to-sudbury/rnip/ |
| Timmins, ON | www.timminsedc.com |
| Sault Ste. Marie, ON | www.welcometossm.com |
| Thunder Bay, ON | https://gotothunderbay.ca/ |
| Brandon, MB | www.economicdevelopmentbrandon.com |
| Altona/Rhineland, MB | www.seedrgpa.com |
| Moose Jaw, SK | https://www.moosejawrnip.ca/ |
| Claresholm, AB | www.claresholm.ca |
| Vernon, BC | https://rnip-vernon-northok.ca/ |
| West Kootenay (Trail, Castlegar, Rossland, Nelson), BC | https://wk-rnip.ca/ |
Eligibility for Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot
To be eligible for the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP), you must meet the following minimum eligibility criteria:
You must have at least 1 year of paid work experience (at least 1,560 hours) in the past 3 years.
This work experience does not necessarily have to be obtained in Canada. You can use your foreign work experience for Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot.
Your work experience must be in a one of the skilled NOC levels.
For NOC 0 job offer you must have previous work experience in NOC 0, A or B
For NOC A job offer you must have previous work experience must be in NOC 0, A or B
For NOC B job offer you must have previous work experience must be in NOC A, B or C
For NOC C job offer you must have previous work experience must be in NOC B or C
Your work experience can be in NOC A for the healthcare exception only
For NOC D job offer you must have previous work experience must be in the same NOC D occupation
You are exempt from work experience criteria if have graduated from a publicly funded post-secondary institution in the recommending community
You must pass one of the approved language test in either English of French and meet the minimum language requirements
For NOC 0 and A job offer in the community you must score CLB/NCLC 6
For NOC B job offer in the community you must score CLB/NCLC 5
For NOC C and D job offer in the community you must score CLB/NCLC 4
You must meet or exceed the minimum educational requirements:
Obtain a Canadian secondary school (high school) diploma or post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree
or, obtain an Educational Credentials Assessment (ECA) report from one of the designated ECA organizations.
Meet the Proof of Funds requirements to be able to support you and your family members while you settle in your community.
You must intend to live and stay in the community
meet all community-specific requirements
If you meet all of the above requirements, you can start looking for an job in the community of your choice.
Find a job in one of the Rural or Northern communities
To apply for the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot, you must receive a genuine job offer to work in one of the communities participating in the Pilot. You must remember that to receive a recommendation, you must meet not only the general requirement but also must comply with the community-specific requirements and job search process.
If you consider applying for Permanent Residence in Canada under Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot, consider booking a consultation with an Immigration Lawyer to discuss your unique circumstances
The job offer must meet all of these requirements:
Your job and location of work must be in one of the participating communities
Your job offer must be for a NOC that matches your past work experience
Your employer must continue running their business in the community
Your job must be full-time (minimum 30 hours per week), non-seasonal, permanent (with no set end date), and paid
Your wage must meet or exceed the Job Bank’s minimum wage for your NOC
Your previous work experience must show that you can perform the duties of the job you’re being offered
| If your work experience is in | Your job offer can be in |
|---|---|
| NOC 0 | NOC 0 NOC A |
| NOC A | NOC 0 NOC A NOC B NOC C - Only under the healthcare exception |
| NOC B | NOC 0 NOC A NOC B NOC C |
| NOC C | NOC B NOC C |
| NOC D | NOC D - must be in the same occupation (4 digit NOC code) as your work experience |