Rural Community Immigration Pilot Requirements & Application Process
The Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP) is a permanent residence pathway for eligible skilled workers who want to settle in participating rural communities across Canada. Applicants must meet federal requirements for work experience, language, education and settlement funds, while also securing an eligible job offer from a designated employer. RCIP currently operates in 14 communities, each with its own priority sectors, occupations and designated employers. After receiving a qualifying job offer, the applicant must obtain a community recommendation before applying to IRCC for permanent residence. In some cases, an eligible applicant may also qualify for an employer-specific work permit while the permanent residence application is being processed.
What Is the Rural Community Immigration Pilot?
The Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP) is a Canadian permanent residence pathway for skilled workers who want to live and work in participating rural communities. It is a community-driven economic immigration program designed to help smaller communities address local labour shortages while attracting newcomers who intend to settle there long term.
RCIP currently includes 14 rural communities across Nova Scotia, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. Participating communities work with IRCC to identify labour market needs, designate eligible employers and recommend suitable candidates for permanent residence.
Who Is RCIP For?
RCIP is intended for skilled workers who meet the federal program requirements and can obtain an eligible job offer from a designated employer in a participating community. The applicant must also intend to live in the community where the qualifying employment is located.
Is RCIP Currently Open?
Yes. RCIP is currently an active permanent residence pathway. However, participating communities manage their own employer designation, priority sectors or occupations and community recommendation processes. Availability of designated employers, eligible jobs and recommendation intake can therefore vary by community.
RCIP vs. RNIP
RCIP is different from the former Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP). RNIP ended on August 31, 2024 and no longer accepts new applications. RCIP was subsequently launched as a new rural immigration pilot, building on the community-driven approach used under RNIP.
Who Can Apply for RCIP?
To qualify for permanent residence through the Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP), the applicant must have an eligible job offer from a designated employer and meet the program’s requirements for work experience, language ability, education and settlement funds.
What Work Experience Is Required?
In most cases, the applicant needs at least 1 year, or 1,560 hours, of related paid work experience within the 3 years before applying.
The work experience must include the actions described in the NOC lead statement and most of the occupation’s main duties. It must also meet RCIP’s TEER relationship rules:
- For a TEER 0 or 1 job offer, qualifying work experience may be in TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3.
- For a TEER 2 job offer, qualifying work experience may be in TEER 1, 2, 3 or 4.
- For a TEER 3 or 4 job offer, qualifying work experience may generally be in TEER 2, 3 or 4.
- For a TEER 5 job offer, the work experience must be in the same five-digit NOC code.
A specific health-care exception may apply to certain occupations. Self-employment, volunteer work and unpaid internships do not count.
Certain international graduates may be exempt from this requirement if they completed an eligible credential at a publicly funded post-secondary institution in the participating community and meet IRCC’s study, residence and timing conditions.
What Are the RCIP Language Requirements?
The minimum language level depends on the TEER category of the job offer:
- TEER 0 or 1: CLB/NCLC 6
- TEER 2 or 3: CLB/NCLC 5
- TEER 4 or 5: CLB/NCLC 4
Applicants must prove their English or French ability through an approved language test, such as CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training, PTE Core, TEF Canada or TCF Canada. Language test results must be less than two years old when the permanent residence application is submitted.
What Education Is Required?
The applicant must have a Canadian secondary or post-secondary educational credential, or an equivalent foreign credential.
If the applicants completed their education outside Canada, an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) from a designated organization or professional body. The ECA must be less than five years old on the date of application and must show that the foreign credential is equivalent to at least an eligible Canadian secondary-school or post-secondary credential.
Are Settlement Funds Required?
Applicants must generally show sufficient funds to support themselves and their family after arriving in Canada. Proof of funds is not required if the applicant is already working in Canada with a valid work permit.
The required amount depends on family size and is updated periodically by IRCC.
RCIP Job Offer Requirements
An eligible job offer is required before an applicant can apply for permanent residence through the Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP). The offer must come from an employer that has been officially designated by the participating community. Each community is responsible for designating its own employers.
What Makes an RCIP Job Offer Eligible?
The position offered must be:
- full-time, with at least 30 paid hours per week;
- non-seasonal, providing regular employment throughout the year;
- indeterminate, with no fixed end date; and
- located within the boundaries of the participating RCIP community.
The wage offered must be at or above the applicable Job Bank wage for that occupation in the region where the work will take place. If no regional wage is available, the applicable provincial or national wage may be used.
The employer must also carry on business in the community, and the job offer must be genuine and respond to a labour market need. Volunteer positions and unpaid internships do not qualify.
What Is a Designated Employer?
A designated employer is an employer that has been approved by an RCIP community to hire candidates through the pilot. Employer designation is handled locally rather than directly by the applicant or IRCC.
Only a designated employer can provide the qualifying job offer required for an RCIP application. Participating communities publish information about designated employers and available opportunities through their own websites.
How Is the Job Offer Documented?
Once an eligible position and candidate have been identified, the employer completes the Offer of Employment to a Foreign National – Rural Community Immigration Pilot (IMM 0247). The employer and principal applicant sign the form, and the applicant uses it as part of the RCIP process.
RCIP Communities and Priority Jobs
RCIP is available in 14 participating rural communities across Canada. Each community works with IRCC to address its own labour market needs, which means the occupations, sectors and designated employers available through RCIP can differ from one community to another.
Which Communities Participate in RCIP?
The participating RCIP communities are:
- 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
What Are Priority Sectors and Occupations?
Participating communities identify the sectors and occupations that reflect their local labour shortages. A job used for RCIP must fall within a priority sector or occupation recognized by the relevant community.
Because these priorities are determined locally, an occupation that is eligible in one RCIP community may not necessarily be prioritized in another.
Where Can Applicants Find RCIP Employers and Jobs?
Each community publishes its own information about designated employers and available RCIP employment opportunities. Applicants should therefore check the official website of the specific participating community when looking for current employers, priority occupations and local RCIP requirements.
Community lists can change as employers become designated or program priorities are updated, so current information should always be confirmed directly with the participating community.
How to Apply for RCIP
The RCIP process generally involves the following steps:
- Confirm that you meet the federal eligibility requirements.
Check the requirements for qualifying work experience, language ability, education and settlement funds, unless an exemption applies. - Find an eligible job with a designated employer. The job offer must meet RCIP requirements and the participating community’s applicable priority-sector or occupation rules.
- Prepare the documents required for the community recommendation. Depending on your circumstances, these may include language test results, an Educational Credential Assessment, proof of qualifying work experience and proof of settlement funds.
- Apply for a community recommendation. The designated employer and applicant must follow the participating community’s process. The community assesses whether the candidate, employer and job offer meet its RCIP requirements.
- Receive the community recommendation. If the community approves the application, the applicant receives the recommendation needed for the permanent residence application.
- Apply to IRCC for permanent residence. Submit the required RCIP forms and supporting documents through the applicable IRCC application process and pay the required fees.
- Complete any additional IRCC requirements. IRCC may request biometrics, a medical examination, police certificates or additional documents before making a final decision.
Can an RCIP Applicant Work While Waiting for PR?
RCIP also provides an optional employer-specific work permit pathway for eligible applicants who need to work while their permanent residence application is being processed. This work permit is separate from the permanent residence application and has its own eligibility requirements.
