News

About the pilot

The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot is a community-driven program. It’s designed to spread the benefits of economic immigration to smaller communities by creating a path to permanent residence for skilled foreign workers who want to work and live in 1 of the participating communities.

We’re partnering with these communities to test new approaches to:

• use immigration to help meet local labour market needs and support regional economic development
• create welcoming environments to support new immigrants staying in rural communities

This pilot will help increase long-term retention of skilled newcomers to rural areas by working with:

• community-based partners
• other federal government partners
• provincial and territorial governments

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible for the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot Program, you must meet all these requirements. You must

• get a recommendation from a designated community economic development organization
• have qualifying work experience or have graduated from a publicly funded post-secondary institution in the recommending community
• have a qualifying job offer
• meet or exceed the minimum language requirements
• meet or exceed the educational requirements
• prove you have enough money to support your transition into the community
• intend to live in the community

Recommendation from a designated community

You must get a recommendation from 1 of the communities participating in the pilot.

They decide who to recommend based on

• your intent to live in the community
• your job offer in the community and the economic needs of the community
• your work experience and skill set
• your ties to the community

When communities are ready to begin recruiting and recommending candidates, more information will be available.