There has been recent news from the city of Moose Jaw in Saskatchewan, revealing its set of list of priority occupations within the Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP) program.
What is the RCIP?
RCIP has been designed as a way for foreign nationals who may:
- aid in labour shortages within specific rural communities in Canada (excluding Quebec)
- wish to live long-term within these communities
Since this program is career-specific for eligibility, candidates must have a job offer, along with:
- a qualified employer
- register for an applicable occupation
- be in an RCIP-approved community
- be accepted through a local economic development organization
What are Moose Jaw’s priority sectors for the RCIP?
The Moose Jaw & District Chamber of Commerce has set its priority sectors for its RCIP as:
- Teaching, legal professions, public service, and community support sectors
- Corporate management, financial services, and office administration
- Retail, customer service, and client support industries
- Skilled trades, logistics, and transportation fields
- Production industries, industrial work, and essential utilities
Further, they have announced certain restrictions for its priority sectors, wherein applicants are not able to count as RCIP through:
- Gas stations (excluding truck stops) and convenience stores
- IT/ Web development
- Food service establishments with less than 10 full-time staff
- Financial institutions with less than 10 full-time employees
- Transport companies with less than 10 full-time employees
- Applications awarded to TEER 5 applicants are capped at 25% per calendar year across all employers
- Employers are restricted to no more than three TEER 5 applications per intake period
After a foreign national has gone through the job offer process, they can commence their PR application, applying to the federal government under the RCIP.
Applicants are then eligible for a work permit so they may start working for their employer while waiting for their PR application to be processed.
