RNIP

What is the RNIP Program- Rural and Northern Pilot Program?

The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot Program is designed for skilled foreign workers seeking to live and work in regions outside major cities in Canada.

Successful applicants, along with their family members, gain Canadian permanent residence through the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot.

Currently, there are 11 communities participating in the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot, with North Bay, Ontario being the most recent addition. While many communities are open to applicants, some have restricted applications due to the COVID-19 health crisis, allowing only candidates already residing in the region.

The 11 communities accepting applications are:

Claresholm, Alberta
West Kootenay Region, British Columbia
Vernon, British Columbia
Altona/Rhineland, Manitoba
Brandon, Manitoba
North Bay, Ontario
Sault Ste-Marie, Ontario
Sudbury, Ontario
Thunder Bay, Ontario
Timmons, Ontario
Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan

To be eligible for participation in the pilot, the community must meet the following criteria:

Have a population of 50,000 people or less and be located at least 75 km from the core of a Census Metropolitan Area or have a population of up to 200,000 people and be considered remote from other larger cities according to Statistics Canada’s index of remoteness. Be situated in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Ontario, Saskatchewan, or Yukon. Provide job opportunities and have an economic development plan in place. Have a local economic development organization capable of managing the pilot for the community. Demonstrate the ability to settle new immigrants by:

Establishing relationships with local or regional immigrant-serving organizations.
Creating opportunities for newcomers to connect with established community members through mentoring or networking.
Ensuring access to essential services such as education, housing, transportation, and healthcare.

How to Immigrate Through the RNIP Eligibility Requirements for Candidates?

· To be considered for the RNIP, candidates must meet the following federal criteria as well as the requirements established by the participating community where they intend to settle:

· Obtain a recommendation from one of the designated communities.

· Have one year of continuous work experience in the past three years (minimum of 1,560 hours)

· have graduated from a publicly funded post-secondary institution in the recommending community.

· Hold a genuine job offer to work in one of the designated communities.

· Meet the language proficiency requirement for the NOC skill type/level of the offered job.

· Have sufficient funds to settle and support themselves and their family in the community.

· Intend to live in the community.

Ø Community Recommendation

A community recommendation is based on the candidate’s:

· Intent to reside in the designated community.

· Job offer and the community’s economic requirements.

· Work experience and skills.

· Ties to the community.

These recommendations are provided by a designated community economic development organization.

Ø Work Experience

Eligible candidates must have:

· A minimum of 1,560 hours (equivalent to one year) of paid work experience in the past three years.

· The work experience must be in one occupation but can be gained from different employers. Work experience can be acquired in Canada or outside Canada

· . Work experience can be accumulated during the three years preceding the application, regardless of breaks in employment.

· Self-employed work experience is not considered eligible.

Candidates must have performed the majority of the main duties and all the essential duties listed in the National Occupational Classification (NOC) for their profession, as well as the activities listed in the lead statement.

Note: International students may be exempt from the work experience criteria if they are recent graduates from either a full-time post-secondary program of at least two years or a full-time master's program or higher.

Ø Education

Candidates must have:

· A Canadian high school diploma or its foreign equivalent.

· Diplomas obtained outside Canada must be confirmed for equivalency through an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report from a designated organization.

· The ECA report must be dated within five years of the application.

Individuals who have graduated from a post-secondary program in the recommending community are exempt from the work experience requirement if they graduated with:

· A degree, diploma, certificate, or trade/apprenticeship from a post-secondary program lasting two years or more

· Were full-time students throughout the entirety of the program

· Obtained the credential within 18 months prior to the application for permanent residence

· Resided in the community for at least 16 months of the last 24 months of study

· A master’s degree or PhD and: Were full-time students throughout the entirety of the program

· Obtained the credential within 18 months prior to the application for permanent residence

· Resided in the community for the entirety of the degree program

Individuals who are ineligible to apply as international students include those who:

· Studied remotely for more than half of the program

· Studied English or French for more than half of the program

· Received a scholarship or fellowship requiring them to return to their home country to apply their studies.

Ø Job Offer

· Candidates must secure a genuine, full-time, permanent job offer in one of the participating communities. The offered wage must meet or exceed the minimum wage listed for that NOC in the Canada Job Bank, and candidates must demonstrate through their previous experience that they can fulfill the duties of the job offered.

A genuine job offers, as defined by the Government of Canada, must:

· Meet the genuine needs of the employer

· Confirm that the employer is actively engaged in the business for which the offer is made Ensure that the employer can fulfill the terms of the offer

· Verify that the employer has complied with all employment laws and regulations in the past

Furthermore, the job offer must fall within the TEER category or be one skill level above or below the NOC that best corresponds to the candidate’s work experience. Candidates with a TEER category 5, however, must have a job offer in the same occupation.

Ø Language Requirements

The minimum language requirement is determined by the NOC TEER category associated with the candidate’s job offer.

Here are the minimum language requirements for each NOC TEER category. "CLB" refers to Canadian Language Benchmark:

· NOC TEER category 0 and 1: A minimum language score of CLB 6 is required.

· NOC TEER category 2 and 3: A minimum language score of CLB 5 is required.

· NOC TEER category 4 and 5: A minimum language score of CLB 4 is required.

Ø Funds

Candidates must demonstrate that they possess sufficient funds to support themselves and their families upon relocation to Canada. These funds must belong to the candidates and cannot be borrowed from anyone.

Acceptable documents for proof of funds include:

· Bank account statements Documents showing ownership of real property or other investments (such as stocks, bonds, debentures, treasury bills, etc.)

· Documents guaranteeing payment of a fixed amount of money payable to the candidate (such as banker’s drafts, cheques, traveller’s cheques, or money orders).

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