During the past year, more than a thousand newcomers gained permanent residency (PR) through the Rural Community and Immigration Pilot (RCIP) program. This program was initiated on January 30th, 2025 to help select rural communities outside Quebec fill local labor shortages.
To be able to take part in this program, a valid job offer from a designated employer who submits a recommendation application to the community for review is needed. If the community recommends you, you can then submit your PR application directly to IRCC.
The 14 communities which are included in the RCIP are:
- West Kootenay, British Columbia (BC)
- Peace Liard, British Columbia (BC)
- North Okanagan Shuswap, British Columbia (BC)
- Claresholm, Alberta (AB)
- Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan (SK)
- Steinbach, Manitoba (MB)
- Altona/Rhineland, Manitoba (MB)
- Brandon, Manitoba (MB)
- North Bay, Ontario (ON)
- Sudbury, Ontario (ON)
- Timmins, Ontario (ON)
- Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario (ON)
- Thunder Bay, Ontario (ON)
- Pictou County, Nova Scotia (NS)
The top sectors which were experiencing labor shortages in these regions were:
- Sales & Service
- Business, Finance & Administration
- Education, Law & Social, Community & Government Services
- Manufacturing & Utilities
- Health / Health Care / Health occupations
- Trades & Transport
- Natural & Applied Sciences
- Natural Resources & Agriculture
The most widespread sectors across all 14 communities were:
- Health
- Sales & Service
- Trades & Transport
- Manufacturing/Utilities
- Education/Law/Social/Community/Government
How to apply for PR through the RCIP
To apply for PR under this five-year rural immigration pilot, you must:
- Have a valid job offer from a designated employer in the community
- Have at least one year (1,560 hours) of related work experience in the past three years
- Prove your language abilities by taking an approved test
- Minimum scores required depend on the NOC TEER of your job offer
- Have a Canadian educational credential or the foreign equivalent
- Prove you have enough money to support yourself and your family
- Ranging from $10,507 for a sole applicant to $27,806 for a family of seven (+$2,831 per additional family member).
Applicants (and their spouses) can also receive a two-year work permit as their application for PR is being processed, to ensure that they may start working for their employer in their selected community, without needing to wait to receive permanent status in Canada.
