THE RURAL AND NORTHERN IMMIGRATION PILOT (RNIP)
The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) is a community-driven immigration program designed to spread the benefits of economic immigration to smaller communities by creating a path to permanent residence for skilled foreign workers who want to work and live in one of the participating communities. The following 11 communities are participating in the pilot:
Altona/Rhineland, Manitoba
Brandon, Manitoba
Claresholm, Alberta
Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
North Bay, Ontario
Sudbury, Ontario
Timmins, Ontario
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Thunder Bay, Ontario
Vernon, British Columbia
West Kootenay (Trail, Castlegar, Rossland, Nelson), British Columbia
TO BE CONSIDERED ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PILOT, THE COMMUNITY MUST
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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)
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Be located in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Ontario, Saskatchewan and Yukon;
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Have job opportunities;
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Have an economic development plan;
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Have a local economic development organization that can manage the pilot for your community;
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Have the capacity to settle new immigrants in the community by having or developing:
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Relationships with local or regional immigrant-serving organizations;
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Opportunities to connect newcomers with established members of the community, such as through mentoring or networking;
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Access to key services like education, housing, transportation, and health care.
FEDERAL CRITERIA
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Have a recommendation from one of the designated communities
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Have one year of continuous work experience in the past three years (a minimum of 1,560 hours) OR
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Have graduated from a publicly funded post-secondary institution in the recommending community
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Have a genuine job offer to work in one of the designated communities
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Meet the language threshold for the NOC skill type/level of the job being offered
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Have sufficient funds to settle and support themselves and their family in the community
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Have an intention to live in the community
COMMUNITY RECOMMENDATIONS
A community recommendation is based on the candidate’s:
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Intention to live in the designated community
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Job offer and the community’s economic needs
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Work experience and skills
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Ties to the community​
Recommendations are made by a designated community economic development organization.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Eligible candidates must have:
A minimum of 1,560 hours (one year) of paid work experience in the past three years;
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The work experience must be in one occupation but can be with different employers
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The work experience can be obtained in Canada or outside Canada
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The work experience can be accumulated during the 3 years preceding the application, regardless of breaks in employment
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Self-employed work experience is not eligible
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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 as well as the activities listed in the lead statement.
P.S. International students may be exempt from the work experience criteria if they are recent graduates:
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From a full-time post-secondary program of a least 2 years, or
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From a full-time master's program or higher.
EDUCATION
Candidates must have:
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A Canadian high school diploma or the foreign equivalent;
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Diplomas obtained outside Canada must have their equivalency confirmed by an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report from a designated organization.
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The ECA report must be less than five years old at the time of application
Individuals who have graduated from a post-secondary program in the community that is recommending them are exempt from the work experience requirement if they graduated with:
A degree, diploma, certificate or trade or apprenticeship from a post-secondary program of 2 years or more and:
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Were a full-time student for the entirety of the 2+ years
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Obtained the credential within 18 months before the application for permanent residence
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Were in the community for at least 16 months of the last 24 months of study
OR
A master’s degree or a PhD and:
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Were a full-time student for the entirety of the degree
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Obtained the credential within 18 months before the application for permanent residence
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Were in the community for the entirety of the degree
Individuals who cannot apply as international students include those who:
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Studied at distance for more than half the program
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Studied English or French for more than half the program
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Received a scholarship or fellowship that requires they return to their home country to apply their studies
WHAT IS A CREDENTIAL?
Credential here means a degree, diploma, certificate, or trade or apprenticeship from a Canadian publicly funded institution in the community recommending you. You must also have had valid temporary resident status for the duration of your studies.
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LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS
Candidates must meet the minimum language requirements based on the NOC category that applies to the job offer in the community. This can either be the
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Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) or
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Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC)
The minimum language requirements for each NOC category are
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TEER 0 and 1: CLB/NCLC 6
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TEER 2 and 3: CLB/NCLC 5
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TEER 4 and 5: CLB/NCLC 4
Candidates must submit results from a designated language test. These results must be less than 2 years old at the time of submitting the 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.
The Government of Canada defines a genuine job offer as one that:
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Must meet the needs of the employer
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The employer must actively be in the business for which the offer has been made
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The employer must be able to fulfill the terms of the offer
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The employer must have complied with all employment laws and rules in the past
Additionally, the job offer must be of the TEER category or one skill level above or below the NOC that best applies to the candidate’s work experience. Candidates whose NOC TEER category 5, however, must have a job offer in the same occupation.
HEALTH CARE EXCEPTION
If work experience is in NOC 31301 (Registered Nurses and Registered Psychiatric Nurses – TEER 1), candidates can have a job offer in one of the following occupation categories:
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NOC 33102 (TEER 3): Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates or
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NOC 44101 (TEER 4): Home support workers
The job you’re offered cannot be from:
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A consulate
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A staffing or employment agency
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A business that you (or your spouse or common-law partner) own or control
This includes any business that you own a majority stake (more than 50%) in, either directly or indirectly.
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An employer referred to in paragraphs 200(3)(g.1) and (h) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, for example:
1. A business offering striptease, erotic dance, escort services or erotic massage on a regular basis
2. Giving employment offers that are not “genuine”
3. Owing administrative penalties
FUNDS
Candidates must demonstrate that they have sufficient funds to support themselves and their families after they move to Canada. These funds must be their own and cannot be borrowed from anyone. You must prove to an immigration officer that you can legally access the money to use here when you arrive.
The following documents can be used as proof of funds:
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Bank account statements
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Documents that show real property or other investments (such as stocks, bonds, debentures, treasury bills, etc.)
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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 table below shows the minimum amount required to immigrate to Canada.
Minimum amount of money required to immigrate to Canada based on the size of family
Updated June 3, 2024
Number of family members | Funds you need (in Canadian Dollars) |
|---|---|