Program delivery update: Ministerial Instructions amendments and NOC 2021

March 16, 2023

On September 23, 2022, the Ministerial Instructions were amended to:

• expand the geographic boundaries for seven of the eleven participating communities, so more employers are able to participate. The communities expanding their boundaries are: North Bay (Ont.), Sudbury (Ont.), Timmins (Ont.), Thunder Bay (Ont.), Moose Jaw (Sask.), West Kootenay (BC) and Vernon (BC)
• modify the period of time communities are able to participate, from the original 3 years until February 2024 to ensure all permanent residence applications are received by August 2024 (when the pilot comes to an end)
• make it easier to fill labour market needs in the health care and trades sectors, by expanding the range of job offers available to candidates with specific work experience
• provide clarification that job offers are not eligible from a business where more than 50% is owned (or controlled directly or indirectly) by the foreign national or their spouse / common-law partner
• reduce the amount of settlement funds participants are required to have, from 50% to 12.5% of the Low-Income Cut-Offs (LICO) for rural areas outside census metropolitan areas or census agglomerations
• strengthen program integrity

The Ministerial Instructions amendments do not apply to applications that were received by the community (locked-in date) before September 23, 2022.

On November 16, 2022, IRCC switched to the 2021 version of the National Occupational Classification (NOC). This means that the current NOC 2016 skill type and skill level structure (NOC 0, A, B, C and D) have been replaced with a 6-category system representing the training, education, experience and responsibilities (TEER) needed to work in an occupation. We are updating our program delivery instructions to reflect the changes.

New Instructions

• Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) Program: Assessing the application against selection criteria - Applications locked-in on or after September 23, 2022, and before November 16, 2022
• Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) Program: Assessing the application against selection criteria - Applications locked-in on or after November 16, 2022
• Community boundaries - Applications locked-in on or after September 23, 2022

Updated instructions

• Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) Program
• Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) Program: Assessing the application against selection criteria - Applications locked-in before September 23, 2022
• Community boundaries - Applications locked-in before September 23, 2022
• Examination before granting permanent residence