Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot: Everything you should know

On February 11, 2020, the community of Claresholm, Alberta, became the fifth community participating in the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) to open to applicants. There are six communities that have not yet opened to applicants, and while the program is experiencing some delays, most communities should begin accepting applicants in the coming months.

With the addition of Claresholm, the only participating communities from Alberta, the five communities that are currently open include:

• Claresholm, Alberta
• Vernon, British Columbia
• Sault Ste-Marie, Ontario
• Brandon, Manitoba
• Altona/Rhineland, Manitoba

How to apply to the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot?

In order to apply to the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot, candidates must meet two sets of criteria. First, all candidates must meet the requirements set out by Canada’s federal immigration authorities. Second, candidates must meet the additional requirements established by the participating communities.

Federal Eligibility Requirements for the RNIP:

Candidates who wish to apply under RNIP must meet the requirements raised by Canada’s federal govt. as mentioned below:

• Qualifying work experience or international studies:

Candidates must have a minimum level of work experience OR have completed a minimum level of education at an institution in one of the participating communities.

• For work experience to be considered eligible, candidates must have a minimum of 12 months of continuous full-time work experience (or an equivalent amount in part-time, 1560 hours), obtained in the previous three years.
• For international students to be considered eligible, candidates must have completed a minimum of a two year full-time post-secondary educational credential OR a Master’s Degree or higher level of education at an institution in one of the participating communities.

The studies must have been completed within 18 months of applying for permanent residence.

The student must have been residing in the community for at least 16 of the 24 last months of their study period (or the full period if the credential was less than two years).

• Job offer from a participating community

Candidates must have an offer of employment from an employer based in one of the participating communities. In order to be considered valid and genuine, the job offer must meet the following requirements:

• Job must be full-time, non-seasonal, and permanent job;
• Job must meet minimum wage requirements for the position’s NOC skill level;
• Must belong to the same NOC Code as the applicant’s qualifying work experience;
• Candidates’ experience must match the requirements for the position
• English or French Language Requirements

The English or French language requirement depends on the NOC skill level of the candidate’s qualifying work experience as mentioned below:

• NOC Skill Level 0 or A: Canadian Language Benchmark of Level 6 (CLB6)
• NOC Skill Level B: CLB 5
• NOC Skill Level C or D: CLB 4

To demonstrate language proficiency, candidates must submit results from an approved language test completed within the two years.

• Education Requirements

All candidates must have completed a minimum level of education equivalent to a Canadian high school diploma. Candidates who completed studies outside of Canada must submit an Educational Credentials Assessment with their application.

• Settlement Funds:

Unless a candidate is already working in Canada, they must demonstrate that they have the adequate financial resources required to support settlement in Canada. The requirement for the same is as follows as per the number of family members:

• Number of family members Required funds (in CAD) 1 (single applicant) $12,960 2 $16,135 3 $19,836 4 $24,083 5 $27,315 6 $30,806 7 $34,299 For each additional family member $3,492 Intention to reside in the community

All candidates must have the intention to reside in the community to which they apply.

For more information and further assessment, you may contact Winny and consult.