Although most people planning to migrate to Canada choose the more popular provinces as their place of residence, the smaller communities in Canada are just as developed. The Rural and Northern immigration pilot is a program created to help increase the migration of foreign skilled workers towards smaller communities in Canada.
The eleven communities currently participating in this program are:
- North Bay, ON
- Sudbury, ON
- Timmins, ON
- Sault Ste. Marie, ON
- Thunder Bay, ON
- Brandon, MB
- Altona/Rhineland, MB
- Moose Jaw, SK
- Claresholm, AB
- Vernon, BC
- West Kootenay (Trail, Castlegar, Rossland, Nelson), BC
Eligibility Criteria
Candidates must apply for community recommendation (the registration deadline is July 31, 2024). Other criteria include:
- Graduated from a publicly funded post-secondary institution in the recommended community
- Have a minimum of 1 year of work experience in the past three years.
- Meet or exceed the language requirements (The minimum language requirements for each NOC are TEER 0 and 1: CLB/NCLC 6
- TEER 2 and 3: CLB/NCLC 5
- TEER 4 and 5: CLB/NCLC 4 )
- Have a Canadian educational certificate or an educational assessment credential (for candidates who school outside the country)
- Proof of funds
- Meet community-specific requirements
- Have temporary residence status
- Have a job or an existing job offer.
Canada International Mobility Program (IEC)
Canada Students Visa Fee, Requirements
Canada Startup Visa Program
Canada Student Direct Stream
Steps To Apply
- Meet the necessary criteria.
- Get a job offer: This is usually the most challenging criterion for most candidates to reach. However, this can be made easy by finding the needed information on the community website. The job offer must be full-time, and the pay must meet or exceed the minimum wage for the job under the National Occupational Classification (NOC).
- Please apply for the community recommendations: Each community has its requirements, so visiting their website would give more detailed instructions on how to proceed with the application.
- Apply for permanent residence: If you are not in Canada, you must apply for a temporary permanent residence. Biometrics would be needed during the application process. All applications must be done online by signing in and creating a profile on the Permanent Residence online portal account. Digital forms Generic Application Form for Canada (IMM 0008), Schedule A – Background/Declaration (IMM 5669), Additional Family Information (IMM 5406), Supplementary Information – Your travels (IMM 5562) would be filled online and the other forms would be filled using a PDF format.
Candidates who best fit the community’s economic situation and genuinely intend to stay in the community are prioritized in the selection process. Newcomers would be connected with settlement services and mentoring opportunities with established community members.
Good luck!