Canadian Government has started this Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot program for community-driven, which means participating communities take the lead in attracting new immigrants and matching them with local job vacancies, promoting a welcoming community, and connecting newcomers to established members of the community and local settlement services. Through the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot, the Government of Canada works with small and remote communities in Ontario, Western Canada and the three territories to attract and retain foreign workers.

The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot is community-driven, which means participating communities take the lead in attracting new immigrants and matching them with local job vacancies, promoting a welcoming community, and connecting newcomers to established members of the community and local settlement services.

Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot — Participating Communities

The following communities are participating in the pilot. Those that are linked have launched their component of the pilot:

• North Bay, Ontario
• Sudbury, Ontario
• Timmins, Ontario
• Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
• Thunder Bay, Ontario
• Brandon, Manitoba
• Altona/Rhineland, Manitoba
• Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
• Claresholm, Alberta
• Vernon, British Columbia
• West Kootenay (Trail, Castlegar, Rossland, Nelson), British Columbia

To be considered eligible to participate in the pilot, the community must:

• have a population of 50,000 people or less and be located at least 75 km from the core of a Census Metropolitan Area OR up to 200,000 people and be considered remote from other larger cities (using Statistics Canada’s index of remoteness)
• be located in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Ontario, Saskatchewan and Yukon; 
• have job opportunities;
• have an economic development plan;
• have a local economic development organization that can manage the pilot for your community;
• have the capacity to settle new immigrants in the community by having or developing:
• relationships with local or regional immigrant-serving organizations;
• opportunities to connect newcomers with established members of the community, such as through mentoring or networking;
• Access to key services like education, housing, transportation, and health care.

How to Immigrate to Canada under the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot

 Eligibility Requirements for Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot Program

In order to be considered for the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot Program (RNIP), potential candidates must meet the following federal criteria as well as requirements established by the participating community where they are hoping to settle.

The federal criteria are:

• Have a recommendation from one of the designated communities
• Have one year of continuous work experience in the past three years (a minimum of 1,560 hours)
  OR
• Have graduated from a publicly funded post-secondary institution in the recommending community
• Have a genuine job offer to work in one of the designated communities
• Meet the language threshold for the NOC skill type/level of the job being offered
• Have sufficient funds to settle and support themselves and their family in the community
• Have an intention to live in the community

How to get selected for Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot

A community recommendation is based on the candidate’s:

• intention to live in the designated community
• job offer and the community’s economic needs
• work experience and skills
• ties to the community

 Work Experience: Eligible candidates must have a minimum of 1,560 hours (one year) of continuous, paid work experience in the past three years. Candidates must have performed the majority of the main duties and all the essential duties listed in the National Occupational Classification (NOC) for their profession  

Education: Candidates must have the ECA report must be less than five years old at the time of application

Job Offer: Potential candidates must have a genuine, full-time, permanent, job offer in one of the participating communities. The wage must meet the minimum wage listed for that NOC in the Canada Job Bank and the candidates’ previous experience must demonstrate that they can perform the duties of the job offered. 

Language Requirements: The minimum language requirement is based on the NOC skill type or level that applies to the candidate’s job offer. 

• NOC 0 and A: Minimum language score of a CLB 6 is required
• NOC B: Minimum language score of a CLB 5 is required
• NOC C and D: Minimum language score of a CLB 4 is required

Funds: Candidates must show that they have sufficient funds to support themselves and their families after they move to Canada. The following documents can be used as proof of funds:

• Bank account statements
• Documents that show real property or other investments (such as stocks, bonds, debentures, treasury bills, etc.)
• Documents that guarantee payment of a set amount of money payable to you (such as banker’s drafts, cheques, traveller’s cheques or money orders)

The minimum required amount is as follows: