Program delivery update: COVID-19 – Public policy concerning the continuous work experience requirement under the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) Program
This section contains policy, procedures and guidance used by IRCC staff. It is posted on the department’s website as a courtesy to stakeholders.
December 15, 2020
A public policy concerning the work experience eligibility requirement has been established for the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP). Due to widespread work interruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, applicants are no longer required to accumulate work experience over a continuous period.
Applicants must demonstrate that they have at least 1 year of full-time or part-time paid work experience (1,560 hours total at 30 hours per week) within the last 3 years before the application is received, whether that work experience is continuous or not.
Applicants must meet all other work experience and eligibility criteria.
These instructions have been updated to provide further clarity on the validity period of
- the employer-specific Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)-exempt work permit
- the required documents submitted with the work permit application