The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot is a community-driven program. It’s 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.
There are 4 steps to applying for permanent residence under this pilot.
Each community will also have its own
>> additional eligibility requirements
>> job search process
>> community recommendation application process
To be eligible for the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot Program, you must meet all IRCC eligibility requirements. You must
>> Have qualifying work experience or have graduated from a publicly funded post-secondary institution in the recommending community
>> Meet or exceed the language requirements
>> Meet or exceed the educational requirements
>> Prove you have enough money to support your transition into the community
>> Intend to live in the community
>> Meet community-specific requirements
You need 1 year of continuous work experience (at least 1,560 hours) in the past 3 years
You’re exempt from the work experience criteria above if you’re an international student who graduated with
Language requirements
You 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
>> Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) or
>> Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC)
The minimum language requirements for each NOC category are
>> NOC 0 and A: CLB/NCLC 6
>> NOC B: CLB/NCLC 5
>> NOC C and D: CLB/NCLC 4
Educational requirements
You must have one of the following:
>> A Canadian secondary school (high school) diploma, or
>> A Canadian post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree, or
>> An educational credential assessment (ECA) report, from a designated organization or professional body, showing that you completed a foreign credential that’s equal to a Canadian secondary school (high school) or post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree (your ECA report must be less than 5 years old on the date of your application).
Settlement funds
Unless you’re already working legally in Canada when you apply, you must prove you have enough money to support yourself and any family members while you get settled in your community.
Intend to live in the community.