Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot: General Eligibility Requirements

The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) is a pathway to permanent residency available to applicants who wish to permanently live and work in the following areas in Canada:

• North Bay, Ontario
• Sudbury, Ontario
• Brandon, Manitoba
• Altona/Rhineland, Manitoba
• Moose Jaw. Saskatchewan
• Claresholm, Alberta
• Vernon, British Columbia
• West Kootenay (Trail, Castlegar, Rossland, Nelson), British Columbia
• Timmins, Ontario
• Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
• Thunder Bay, Ontario

Unlike the Express Entry programs or applications to work permits, the RNIP is unique.

The applicant plays their part in submitting their application, but the decision for the applicant to come to Canada lies equally with IRCC, which will evaluate the applicant’s materials, and the community that the applicant wishes to move to.

The community will assess whether you are the right addition for them, considering a range of economic and interpersonal factors.

GENERAL ELIGIBILITY

Although each of the communities have their own specific requirements, there are a few overarching requirements for the RNIP as a whole.

Work experience

If you are not an international student who graduated from a Canadian post-secondary institution, you must meet specific work experience demands.

• One year of full-time or part- time equivalent work experience in any National Occupation Classification (NOC) profession.
  • Full-time work entails working 30 paid hours per week. Your total for a year musty be 1560 hours or the part-time duration equivalent.
• Once you look up your occupation in the NOC, you must have performed all the responsibilities listed under main duties and the actions in the lead statement in the NOC. Find your NOC job description here.
• All the work experience included in your application must be paid work.
• The work experience does not have to be Canadian, but if it is, you must be legally authorized to work in Canada for the entire duration of your experience.

Job Offer

The job offer must have been received from within the community included in the RNIP.

It must be:

• Located in the community, physically.
• Not a seasonal offer and full-time.
• There must be no end-date, it cannot be contractual work.
• Corresponding with the NOC level that is displayed in your work experience.

The work experience cannot be from a:

• Consulate
• Employer who offers escort services.
• Business setup that aims to contract a worker to other organizations instead of retaining the individual.
• Structure where the applicant’s spouse or common law partner owns more than 50% of the shares.

If your occupation is regulated, you must show that you comply with requirements within each specific province or territory. If your occupation is not regulated, the employer will set the expectations for what skills you must possess.

The international student exemption for work experience:

There are two potential ways to qualify for this exemption. This exemption is only for students who have studied in the community. You are not eligible for this exemption if studying the English or the French language was half of your degree.

Funds

For RNIP applications received after September 23rd, 2022, the funds required from the applicant vary based on whether you have applied for a community recommendation or not.

The amount you require is based on the size of your family, which will be calculated by counting:

• Yourself
• Your spouse or common-law partner
• Your dependent children
• Your spouse or common-law partner’s dependent children

Source: canada.ca, updated on June 3, 2024