Sean Fraser declared the expansion of the Rural and Northern Immigration Program on August 26. He declared it at a press conference held in Timmins. The RNIP functions through select communities in the rural part of the country to acquire and recruit talented and skilled individuals across the globe and bridge the gaps in the labor markets.
The RNIP expansion measures include the following changes:
- Extending the geographical boundaries of the participating communities to bring employers as participants. The participating communities include Vernon, Sudbury, North Bay, Moose Jaw, Timmins, West Kootenay, and Thunder Bay.
- Enlarging the available job offers for candidates having skilled work experience. This measure will ease the labor market requirements in the health care and trade sectors.
- Even when the pilot program ends, communities will be able to participate until August 2024.
- Participants won’t need higher settlement funds as costs will be reduced with the expansion.
IRCC considers the importance of bringing more Francophone immigrants to rural communities in Canada, outside the Quebec province. The new measures of expansion also commit to delivering a seamless process of settlement for the immigrants with French language proficiency. They also encourage an increased number of Francophones and also to put efforts into retaining them.
Participating Canadian communities
The Rural Northern and Immigration Program comprises eleven participating communities across the provinces of British Columbia, Northern Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.
The participating communities in the above provinces include:
- Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
- Brandon, Manitoba
- Vernon, British Columbia
- Claresholm, Alberta
- Sudbury, Ontario
- North Bay, Ontario
- Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
- West Kootenay, British Columbia
- Timmins, Ontario
Each participating community can invite at least 125 candidates annually. The program will have the potential to have at least 2,750 candidates.
IRCC reported that RNIP welcomed over 1,130 newcomers to Canada until June 30. The newcomers potentially reduced gaps in healthcare, transportation, hospitality, manufacturing, and retail.
Significance of RNIP
The maximum of new immigrants coming to Canada prefers staying in large urban areas of the country. As a result, the rest of the areas in Canada aren’t able to experience the benefits of immigration.
The Rural and Northern communities have to go through several challenges related to economy and demographics. However, the RNIP expansion will lead to bridging the gap in the Canadian labor market. Expansion of community boundaries will also help remote area employers to access the RNIP. This will further widen the horizon for smaller communities and contribute to economic development.
RNIP is an initiative for both rural communities and potential new immigrants to work through strengthening local economies. It also aims to help newcomers work smoothly by settling easily in the Canadian culture.
The Rural and Northern Immigration Program is largely reliant on the Atlantic Immigration Program. AIP is the one that supports the employer and helps them hire foreign nationals in New Brunswick, PEI, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Nova Scotia. The program came into effect from 2022 onwards and successfully invited 167 new permanent residents. IRCC has faith that they can expect the same level of success with RNIPs expansion.
Immigration through RNIP
The RNIP requires its candidates to qualify for its minimum eligibility criteria. You must either possess valid working experience or must have completed graduation from a post-secondary institution with public funding in the suggested community. The candidates must have work experience accounting for 1,560 hours in NOC within the recent three years before they apply.
Apart from the work experience, they must also meet the language and educational requirements. Having enough settlement funds to support themselves is another requirement. Candidates must display a clear intention of living in the community.
It is essential to qualify for the requirements associated with the community specifically. Each community will have separate requirements. To become aware of these requirements, one must go to the official websites of the communities they wish to live in. Once you qualify for all the eligibility requirements, you will need to attain a job in the specific community.
After possessing the job offer, you can easily apply for a recommendation to the community directly. You can apply for permanent residence once a community considers you. You could receive a community recommendation through a designated community that seeks economic development.
