RCIP – the Rural Community Immigration Pilot

The Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP) is a permanent residence route for skilled workers wishing to work and settle in rural and remote communities.

14 were selected on the basis of their capacity to support and benefit from skilled immigration. These communities authorise particular employers to recruit for positions that cannot be filled locally.

An overview of the RCIP

The RCIP is a permanent residence (PR) route designed to give skilled foreign workers the opportunity to settle permanently in Canada, while filling key labour gaps in Canada’s rural and developing communities.

As well as meeting the other eligibility criteria, a foreign national may apply for permanent residence through this route only where they have:

• A job offer from an employer in one of the 14 participating communities; and
• A recommendation from the economic development organisation in the community, which has partnered with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) under the RCIP.

Who is eligible to apply under the RCIP?

To be eligible to apply under the RCIP, a candidate must:

• Have a valid job offer from a designated employer in a participating community.
• Have at least one year (1,560 hours) of relevant work experience in the past three years.
• Candidates who studied and graduated in the community nominating them may be exempt from the work experience requirement, provided their education meets all the other conditions*
• Demonstrate language proficiency by taking an approved language test.
• Hold a Canadian educational credential or an equivalent foreign credential.
• Demonstrate sufficient funds to support themselves and their family when settling in the community.

Work experience requirements

The work experience must:

• Match the skill level corresponding to the Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities (TEER) category of theNational Occupational Classification (NOC)of the job offer
• Cover the activities set out in the NOC description of the job offered
• Include most of the main duties listed for that occupation

The job’s TEER level	Work experience requirements
TEER 0 or 1	The work experience must be at TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3
TEER 2	The work experience must be at TEER 1, 2, 3 or 4
TEER 3 or 4	The work experience must be at TEER 2, 3 or 4
TEER 5	The work experience must be under the same 5-digit NOC code
An exception – health care	Where the candidate’s experience is at NOC 31301 (TEER 1), the candidate may be eligible with a job offer at: * NOC 33102 (TEER 3): nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates * NOC 44101 (TEER 4): home support workers, caregivers and related occupations

Education

The educational credential requirements under the RCIP differ according to where the foreign national completed their education:

Location	Details
For education in Canada	An eligible Canadian educational credential under the RCIP is one of the following: – A Canadian secondary school diploma – A recognised Canadian post-secondary certificate, degree or diploma from adesignated learning institution (DLI)
For education outside Canada	AnEducational Credential Assessment (ECA)report is required from a designated organisation or professional body which: – Is less than 5 years old at the time of application – Confirms that the candidate’s foreign credential is equivalent to – A Canadian secondary school diploma – A Canadian post-secondary certificate, degree or diploma

The settlement funds required

The funds required under the RCIP are based on the number of people in the candidate’s family.

Number of family members	Funds (Canadian dollars)
1	$7,963
2	$9,692
3	$12,069
4	$15,056
5	$17,145
6	$19,015
7	$20,884
Where there are more than 7 people, for each additional family member, add	$1,869

The work experience exemption for graduates who studied in the community

A candidate does not need to meet the work experience requirement where the candidate is an international student who graduated from a public post-secondary institution in the community with:

• An eligible credential from a programme lasting two years or more, and the candidate:
  • Studied full-time throughout the programme
  • Received the credential no more than 18 months before applying for permanent residence
  • Lived in the community for at least 16 of the last 24 months while studying
• A master’s degree or higher completed in two years or less, and the candidate:
  • Studied full-time throughout the degree
  • Received the degree no more than 18 months before applying for permanent residence
  • Was present in the community throughout the period of study

This exemption does not apply to an international graduate where the candidate’s credential comes from a programme in which:

• More than half the programme involved studying English or French
• More than half the programme was completed through distance learning
• The candidate was awarded a scholarship or fellowship requiring them to return to their country of origin to apply what they learned

What is an eligible credential?

An eligible credential refers to a degree, diploma, certificate, trade or apprenticeship credential earned from a publicly funded Canadian post-secondary institution located in the recommending community.

Participating communities

14 communities from across Canada were selected to take part in the RCIP. They are set out in the table below:

Community	Province
Pictou County	Nova Scotia
North Bay	Ontario
Sudbury	Ontario
Timmins	Ontario
Sault Ste. Marie	Ontario
Thunder Bay	Ontario
Steinbach	Manitoba
Altona/Rhineland	Manitoba
Brandon	Manitoba
Moose Jaw	Saskatchewan
Claresholm	Alberta
West Kootenay	British Columbia
North Okanagan Shuswap	British Columbia
Peace Liard	British Columbia

Each community is also responsible for publishing the occupations and employers eligible to take part in the pilot.

The occupations and employers published for the RCIP communities are set out below. This page will continue to be updated as further details become available.

Eligible occupations and employers

How to apply – the Rural Community Immigration Pilot

1. Securing a job offer:Receive a job offer from a designated employer in one of the participating communities. Visit the community’s website to see the eligible employers.
2. Obtain a community recommendation: the employer submits the candidate’s recommendation application to the community. The community verifies that:
   • The job offer is genuine and in a priority sector or occupation
   • The candidate meets all the pilot’s eligibility criteria
3. Apply for permanent residence: where recommended by the community, the candidate may apply for permanent residence through the online Permanent Residence (PR) Portal.
4. Prepare the application: use the document checklist to gather all the required forms and documents. Ensure that:
   • All forms are completed in full and signed
   • All questions are answered truthfully
5. Pay the fee: pay the application fee online (from CAD 1,525) and include the payment receipt with the application.
6. Submit the application:Upload the signed forms and supporting documents. An incomplete application is refused and must be corrected and resubmitted.

Where the application is approved, IRCC contacts the candidate about the next steps.