CIMM – Rural & Francophone Community Immigration Pilots – November 25, 2024

Key Facts and Figures

• Regional pathways are helping to spread the benefits of immigration across Canada. With regards to the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot, 88% of surveyed newcomers have stayed and plan to stay in their community.
• Building on this pilot which ended on August 31, 2024 and other regional programs, it is anticipated that the Rural and Francophone Community Immigration Pilots will launch in late fall 2024.
• The Federal Economic Pilots has a levels target of 10,920 for 2025, which includes Agri-Food; Community Immigration Pilots; and Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot. While we don’t publicly release the breakdown for each pilot, 5,000 levels spaces were carved out for community pilots.

Key Messages

• IRCC intends to launch the Rural Community Immigration Pilot and Francophone Community Immigration Pilot (FCIP) to help address labor shortages and improve settlement and retention of newcomers in smaller communities.
• These pilots will give participating communities a lead role in selecting candidates that best meet their labour market needs and retaining them by creating welcoming environments.
• The FCIP will also aim to increase the number of French-speaking newcomers settling in Francophone minority communities outside of Quebec, demonstrating the Government of Canada’s commitment to the long-term vitality and prosperity of these communities.
• The Department intends to announce participating communities and launch the new pilots in late fall 2024.
• Once the pilots are launched, the Department will distribute allocations to all participating communities to spread the benefits of immigration across Canada.