Canada PR via RNIP - Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot

Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot was launched by the Government of Canada in June 2019. It is a pilot program with the participation of eleven northern and rural communities that invite fresh immigrants for Canada PR. The chosen candidates have to settle in these inviting communities. 

RNIP Program for Canada Permanent Residence

The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot offers a pathway for Canada PR Visa to skilled overseas workers. They must intend to work and reside in any of the participating 11 communities.

The Four-Step Process for RNIP Canada Immigration

• Step 1: Fulfill the eligibility criteria specified by the IRCC and Community.

• Step 2: Obtain a qualified job from an employer in the community participating in RNIP. 

• Step 3: Submit an application for a recommendation from the community. 

• Step 4: Apply for Canada Permanent Residence if successful in receiving the community recommendation. 

RNIP Communities Accepting Applications

Eleven communities from five provinces in Canada are participating in the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot. These  provinces are Manitoba, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario. 9 communities have begun receiving applications as of now. These are:

• Manitoba – Brandon

• Alberta – Claresholm

• Manitoba - Altona/Rhineland

• Ontario - Sault Ste. Marie

• Ontario – Sudbury

• Ontario - Thunder Bay

• Ontario – Timmins

• British Columbia - Vernon

• British Columbia - West Kootenay

Moose Jaw (Saskatchewan) and North Bay (Ontario) have not yet started accepting applications.

RNIP offers exciting immigration and job opportunities

Rural communities account for nearly 30% of the GDP of Canada and more than 4 million Canadians are employed by them. The Government of Canada is prioritizing the elimination of obstacles to economic growth and promoting the growth of local communities across Canada. 

The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot is aimed at supporting the economic development of the participating communities. It offers the opportunity to test approaches driven by communities for catering to specific requirements of their labor market. Thus, applicants are required to fulfill community-specific eligibility criteria apart from the general criteria specified by IRCC. 

Overseas workers with the skills and intent to settle in these communities can obtain jobs and later the Permanent Residence through RNIP.

RNIP Canada Immigration - Who can apply?

You have to fulfill all the eligibility requirements specified by the IRCC to qualify for the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot. You need to:

• Have eligible work experience or received a graduate degree from a Post-secondary institution that is funded publicly in the recommending community. 

• Fulfill or surpass the language requirements. 

• Fulfill or surpass the educational requirements.

• Demonstrate having adequate funds for supporting settlement in the community. 

• Have the intention to reside in the community. 

• Fulfill specific requirements defined by the community. 

You can start seeking a qualified job in the community if you fulfill all these requirements. 

Work experience

Exemption from the accumulation of continuous work experience 

Applicants of RNIP are now exempted from the requirement of accumulation of continuous work experience. It is owing to the work disruptions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The qualifying full-time work experience of a minimum of 1 year or corresponding part-time equivalent must have been acquired in the past 3 years. It can be continuous or non-continuous.

For calculation of work experience hours

• Calculate the hours worked in full-time and part-time jobs.

• The hours have to be in the same occupation but can be accumulated working for diverse employers. 

• The hours have to be for a period of a minimum of 1 year. 

• The working hours can be accumulated in Canada or overseas. 

• If you were employed in Canada you need to be authorized to work in Canada. 

• Hours that you were not paid for are not counted (unpaid internships or volunteering). 

• Self-employed hours are not counted 

Your work experience must be inclusive of 

• Majority of the chief duties and all the necessary duties specified for your NOC - National Occupational Classification.

• The activities specified in your NOC’s lead statement. 

The NOC webpage displays the duties that are included in your job title. 

Overseas Students

You are excluded from the criteria for work experience if you are an overseas student having graduated with: 

• Two years or plus Post-secondary program credential and you. 

• Studied as a full-time student for the entire period of 2 or plus years. 

• Obtained the credential not prior to eighteen months for your Permanent Residence application.

• Resided in the community for a minimum of 16 months out of the past 24 months spent for studies to obtain your credential. 

                                          Or 

• A Master’s or higher degree and you. 

• Studied as a full-time student for the entire period of your program.

• Obtained the credential not prior to eighteen months for your Permanent Residence application.

• Resided in the community for the entire period of your program.

You cannot file an application as an overseas student if you obtained credentials from a program in which: 

• More than 50% of the program consisted of a study of French or English. 

• More than 50% of the program consisted of distance learning. 

• A fellowship or scholarship was offered that mandates you to return to your home nation for application of what you studied. ENQUIRE NOW

What is a credential?

Credential here implies a Certificate, Diploma, Degree, or an Apprenticeship or Trade from a publicly funded institution in the Canadian community that recommends you. You must also have possessed a legal Temporary Resident Status for the entire period of your studies.

Language requirements

You must fulfill the least language requirements depending on the category in NOC that is applicable for the job offer in the community. It can be either: 

• CLB - Canadian Language Benchmarks; or 

• NCLC - Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens 

The least requirements for language for each of the NOC categories are:

• NOC A & 0 – NCLC/CLB 6

• NOC B – NCLC/CLB 5

• NOC D & C – NCLC/CLB 4 

You must provide your results from an authorized test for language. The results have to be obtained less than two years prior to your application. 

Educational requirements

You must possess any one of the following: 

• High School Secondary School Diploma in Canada; or 

• Post-secondary Degree, Diploma or Certificate in Canada; or 

• ECA - Educational Credential Assessment Report from a professional body or a designated organization demonstrating that your overseas credential is on par with a High School Secondary School Diploma in Canada or Post-secondary Degree, Diploma, or Certificate in Canada. The ECA report must have been obtained less than five years prior to your application.

Settlement funds

You must demonstrate that you possess adequate funds for supporting yourself and family members for settling in the community in Canada. This is not required if you are already lawfully working in Canada while filing the application. 

You must demonstrate that you possess adequate funds for supporting your family members even if they are not arriving in Canada along with you.

Intention for residing in the community

For participating in RNIP Canada Immigration you must have a plan for residing in the community. 

Community-specific requirements

You must fulfill the distinct requirements specified by the community that recommends you. 

Completeness check

You have to submit the complete application inclusive of all compulsory forms, information, fees, and supporting documents to the CIO - Centralized Intake Office at Sydney, Nova Scotia. 

First, applications are checked for completeness. This is as per the requirements in the documents checklist effective at the time of application receipt by the CIO. The completeness of the application is verified by CIO as per the IMM 5987 Document Checklist. 

The completeness check is inclusive of verification of the applicant being present on the monthly encrypted spreadsheet for community recommendation from the Economic Development Organization that issues the recommendation on behalf of the participating Canadian community. A unique recommendation number is given for each recommendation from the community. The spreadsheet is sent directly by every participating community through Entrust to IRCC. 

The IMM 0112 Community Recommendation has a validity of 6 months from the date of issuance. It is regarded a valid as far as the applicant files a complete Permanent Residence application on or prior to the date of expiry of the recommendation. It remains valid till a decision is announced.

An extension is not offered if an applicant files a Permanent Residence application with a terminated community recommendation. The application is regarded as incomplete. The applicant has to seek a fresh community recommendation from the authorized Economic Development Organization in the participating community and re-submit the application with IRCC. 

The applicant has to offer proof of having Temporary Resident Status while filing the application if present in Canada.

Do you want to apply for Canada PR via RNIP?

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