RNIP Program

The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot is intended to assist smaller towns in attracting new skilled workers.

The five-year federal immigration experiment is intended to assist smaller communities that are struggling to attract and retain new immigrants due to ageing populations and labour shortages.

It’s a community-driven initiative aimed at disseminating the benefits of immigration.

Communities must meet the following criteria to be considered for the pilot:-

• Have a population of 50,000 people or less and be at least 75 kilometres from a Census Metropolitan Area’s centre, OR
• According to Statistics Canada’s Remoteness Index, a city with a population of up to 200,000 people is considered remote from other larger cities.

The Procedure for Obtaining Permanent Residence

1. Candidates must ensure that they meet both the federal government’s and the community’s qualifying requirements.
2. Find an eligible job with one of the participating towns’ employers.
3. Candidates who have been offered a position can submit an application for community recommendation.
4. Candidates who have received a recommendation from the community are eligible to apply for permanent residence.

Eligibility Requirements for the Federal Government

1) Work Experience/Exemption for International Students

Candidates must have applicable work knowledge or have progressed from a publicly financed post-secondary institution in the recommended community to be considered.

Experiential Learning

Candidates must have worked for one year (1,560 hours) full-time or part-time in the previous three years.

Work experience does not have to be ongoing; instead, it must have been accumulated within the last three years.

Work experience must be in a single occupation, however it can be from many employers.

It must encompass the majority of the major responsibilities as well as all of the fundamental responsibilities as defined by the National Occupational Classification (NOC).

Hours worked unpaid or as a freelancer are not counted.

Students from other countries

International students are excluded from the need of work experience if they meet the following criteria:

1st scenario

• They earned a certificate from a post-secondary programme in the recommending community that was at least two years long.
• They were enrolled as full-time students for a period of two or more years.
• They received the credential no more than 18 months prior to the date of their permanent residence application.
• They spent at least 16 of the last 24 months studying for the certificate in the community.

2nd scenario

• They have a master’s degree or above when they graduate.
• They studied full-time in the recommended community for the duration of their degree.
• They got their degree during the last 18 months of their application for permanent residency.
• They lived in the neighbourhood for the duration of their study.

2) Requirements in terms of language

Founded on the National Occupational Classification of their employment, applicants must meet the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) or Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC).

The language requirements for each NOC category are as follows:

• NOC 0 and A: CLB/NCLC 6
• NOC B: CLB/NCLC 5
• NOC C and D: CLB/NCLC 4

3) Requirements in terms of education

A Canadian high school diploma or an equivalent international credential with an accredited educational credential assessment (ECA) report is required.

4) Funds from Settlements

Candidates must demonstrate that they have enough money to maintain themselves and their families while settling into their new town. This includes relatives who may not be able to join you in Canada.

5) Affirmation of Intention to Reside

You must intend to live in the community in order to participate in the pilot.