Closed: Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot: about the pilot
The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) was a community-driven program. It was designed to spread the benefits of economic immigration to smaller communities by creating a path to permanent residence for skilled foreign workers who wanted to work and live in one of the participating communities.
Closed
We’re no longer accepting new applications
The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot ended on August 31, 2024.
We’ll continue to process applications we received on or before this date.
If you’re eligible, you can still apply for a work permit so you can work while we process your application.
About the process
There are 4 steps to applying for permanent residence under this pilot.
- Check that you meet both
- Find an eligible job with an employer in one of the participating communities.
- Once you have a job offer, submit your application for recommendation to the community.
- If a community recommends you, apply for permanent residence.
Each community will also have its own
- additional eligibility requirements
- job search process
- community recommendation application process
This information will be available on its website.
Participating communities
- North Bay, ON
- Sudbury, ON
- Timmins, ON
- Sault Ste. Marie, ON
- Thunder Bay, ON
- Brandon, MB
- Altona/Rhineland, MB
- Moose Jaw, SK
- Claresholm, AB
- Vernon, BC
- West Kootenay (Trail, Castlegar, Rossland, Nelson), BC
What you can expect from a community
This pilot is community-driven, meaning the communities will
- assess prospective candidates who
- best fit the economic needs of these community
- have a genuine employment opportunity that meets their community requirements
- have the intention of staying in the community
- recommend candidates for permanent residence to IRCC for a final decision
- connect newcomers with settlement services and mentoring opportunities with established members of the community