RCIP follows the model of the earlier Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot. Each participating community works with a local economic development organization that designates employers, sets priority occupations and sectors, and recommends candidates to IRCC. To apply, you need a genuine full-time job offer from a designated employer in one of the communities, a community recommendation, and to meet federal requirements on work experience, language, education and settlement funds. Graduates of a local public institution may be exempt from some of the experience requirements.
Because it is a pilot, the details are set by IRCC and each community and can change: which communities participate, which occupations are prioritized, how many recommendations are available and what each community expects as proof of intent to settle. We confirm the current requirements for the specific community and employer before advising you, rather than relying on how the program looked last year.
The pilot suits candidates who might not be competitive in Express Entry but have skills a smaller community needs. Where an employer is not yet designated, or a community’s intake is closed, we look at the Atlantic Immigration Program, provincial streams or a work permit as a first step.
Who this is for
- Skilled workers with a job offer, or a strong prospect of one, from an employer in a participating rural community
- Temporary foreign workers already employed in a participating community
- Graduates of a public post-secondary institution in a participating community
- Employers in participating communities who want to become designated and retain foreign workers
- Candidates whose CRS score is not competitive and who are open to settling outside the major cities
What we do
- Confirm whether your community and employer participate, and what the community currently prioritizes
- Assess your eligibility against the federal work experience, language, education and settlement fund requirements
- Support employers through designation and the job offer requirements
- Prepare your community recommendation application, including evidence of your intention to settle
- File the permanent residence application to IRCC once recommended, and any work permit available while it is processed
- Track the application and respond to community or IRCC requests
How it works
- 1
Community and employer check
We confirm the community is participating, the employer is or can be designated, and the occupation fits the community’s current priorities.
- 2
Eligibility assessment
We assess your experience, language, education and funds against the federal criteria and identify any gaps to close first.
- 3
Community recommendation
We prepare the recommendation application with the job offer, your settlement intentions and supporting evidence, and liaise with the community organization.
- 4
Permanent residence application
Once recommended, we file the complete application to IRCC, pursue a work permit where available, and manage the file to landing.