The Canadian immigration department has started the Rural Community Immigration Pilot program to offer permanent residence to skilled workers in 14 rural and remote communities in different provinces.
All communities participating in the program will designate organizations to handle all pilot program-related matters. This means a local economic development organization will represent each participating community. These organizations will work alongside IRCC to:
- Identify labor shortages;
- Endorse reliable employers;
- Recommend candidates for permanent residency.
RCIP Participating Communities
| 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 |
RCIP Requirements
The community-based program RCIP is an employer-driven stream. This means the candidates who want to apply for the permanent residence program in Canada through RCIP need a job offer in the designated community.
Secondary school certification, English language proficiency, funds, organization recommendation, and work experience are mandatory requirements. Applicants in Canada can also apply for this program if they hold a valid temporary status. No work experience is required if you studied and graduated in the community.
Optional Work Permit
Applicants, when they apply for the permanent residence program, can also apply for a 2-year work permit till the PR application is decided. They, in this case, can only work for the designated employer.
Work permit requirements are also the same as those of PR. The spouse of the applicant can also apply for a work permit for the same duration.
Who can apply for the RCIP?
Interested applicants must fulfill the following requirements to apply for the RCIP PR program:
Work Experience
A minimum of 1 year (1,560 hours) of related work experience in the past 3 years is required to apply for the RCIP. The work experience must:
- be at a skill level related to the National Occupational Classification (NOC) Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibilities (TEER) category of your job offer;
- include most of the main duties; and
- include the actions listed in the description of your NOC.
Work experience requirements as per the TEER are:
| Job Offer TEER | Required Work Experience TEER |
| 0 or 1 | 0, 1, 2, or 3 |
| 2 | 1, 2, 3, or 4 |
| 3 or 4 | 2, 3, or 4 |
| 5 | Same 5-digit NOC code |
Following are the exceptions for the healthcare workers:
| Work Experience (NOC Code & TEER) | Eligible Job Offer (NOC Code & TEER) |
| NOC 31301 (TEER 1) – Registered Nurses and Registered Psychiatric Nurses | NOC 33102 (TEER 3) – Nurse aides, orderlies, and patient service associates |
| NOC 44101 (TEER 4) – Home support workers, caregivers, and related occupations |
Job Offer
It is also mandatory for the applicants to hold a valid job offer from a designated employer. The job placement must be from the eligible community.
Each community has designated certain employers to make job offers. You should check their website to see the list of designated employers.
Language Ability
Interested candidates must also fulfill the English or French language proficiency requirements. The minimum score required depended upon the level of occupation from the NOC TEER category as follows:
- TEER 0 or 1: CLB 6
- TEER 2 or 3: CLB 5
- TEER 4 or 5: CLB 4
Supporting Funds
The candidates must also prove that they have the following funds at the time they apply for the PR:
| Number of family members | Funds you need (in Canadian dollars) |
| 1 | $7,963 |
| 2 | $9,692 |
| 3 | $12,069 |
| 4 | $15,056 |
| 5 | $17,145 |
| 6 | $19,015 |
| 7 | $20,884 |
| If more than 7 people, for each additional family member, add | $1,869 |
Educational Qualification
To apply for permanent residence under the RCIP, a candidate must have a Canadian educational credential or the foreign equivalent which are:
| Education Type | Requirements |
| Education in Canada | – Canadian secondary school (high school) diploma |
| – Recognized Canadian post-secondary certificate, diploma, or degree from a designated learning institution | |
| Education Outside Canada | – Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report from a designated organization or professional body for the required level. ECA report must be less than 5 years old on the date of application. The report must show the foreign credential is equivalent to a Canadian secondary school diploma or a Canadian post-secondary certificate, diploma, or degree. |
Community Recommendation
You need a valid community recommendation as a part of your application for the pr. This means you can only proceed with your application for permanent residence if you receive a recommendation.
Once you receive a valid job offer from a designated employer, they will submit your community recommendation application for review.
The community will assess whether:
- You meet all the eligibility requirements for the pilot program.
- Your job falls within a priority sector or occupation and the offer is legitimate.
General Documents
You must also include the general documents with your visa application for the RCIP:
- fee payment receipt.
- passport and travel documents.
- identity and civil status documents.
- police certificate.
- photo(s).
Applying for the PR under RCIP
You must submit your pr application once you have fulfilled all the above-mentioned eligibility requirements. The application process is done online on the official portal of IRCC. You can also download the RCIP Checklist to completely know if your application is complete. The permanent residence application cost start from $1,525.