1. Rural & Northern Immigration

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 one of the following communities.

•   North Bay, Ontario
•   Sudbury, Ontario
•   Timmins, Ontario
•   Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
•   Thunder Bay, Ontario
•   Brandon, Manitoba
•   Altona / Rheinland, Manitoba
•   Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
•   Claresholm, Alberta
•   Vernon, British Columbia
•   West Kootenay (Trail, Castlegar, Rossland, Nelson), British Columbia

Who can apply

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

•   You have graduated from a publicly funded post-secondary institution from the above recommending community
•   You have the required qualifying work experience
•   You meet or exceed the language requirements
•   You meet or exceed the educational requirements
•   You can prove that you have enough money to support your transition into the community
•   You intend to live in the community
•   You meet community-specific requirements

If you meet all of the requirements, you can start to look for an eligible job in the community.

International students

You’re exempt from the work experience criteria above if you’re an international student who

1. Has been a full-time student and have completed a program of 2 years or longer (Diploma or Masters)
2. Graduated within the last 18 months before your application for permanent residence
3. You were in the community for at least 16 of the last 24 months spent studying to get your credential. Student who have studied Master’s must have been in the community for the length of their studies.

You cannot qualify under the above program if your credentials are from a program in which

• •   studying English or French made up more than half of the program
  •   distance learning made up more than half of the program
  •   a scholarship or fellowship was awarded that requires you to return to your home country to apply what you learned
  •   You were in the community for at least 16 of the last 24 months spent studying to get your credential. Student who have studied Master’s must have been in the community for the length of their studies

Work experience

You need 1 year of continuous work experience (at least 1,560 hours) in the past 3 years.
Your work experience must include

• • • •   most of the main duties and all the essential duties listed in your National Occupational Classification (NOC)
      •   the activities listed in the lead statement of your NOC

You can see which duties are involved by searching your job title on the NOC web page.

Language requirements

You must meet the minimum language requirements (English or French) based on the NOC categories listed below:

• • • •   NOC 0 and A: CLB/NCLC 6
      •   NOC B: CLB/NCLC 5
      •   NOC C and D: CLB/NCLC 4

You must submit your results from a designated language test. These results must be less than 2 years old when you apply.

Educational requirements

You must have one of the following

• • • •    a Canadian secondary school (high school) diploma, or
      •    a Canadian post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree, or
      •    an educational credential assessment (ECA) report, from a designated organization or professional body, showing that you completed a foreign credential that’s equal to a Canadian secondary school (high school) or post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree (your ECA report must be less than 5 years old on the date of your application).

Settlement funds

Unless you’re already working legally in Canada when you apply, you must prove you have enough money to support yourself and any family members while you get settled in your community.

You must prove you have enough money to support any family members you may have, even if they’re not coming to Canada with you.

Intend to live in the community

To participate in the pilot, you must plan to live in the community.

Community-specific requirements

Each community will have additional requirements for applicants.

To find our your eligibility and applying under this process, contact us for more information. Email: [email protected]. Tel: +(514)7467465

About the process

There are 4 steps to applying for permanent residence under this pilot.

• • • 1. Check that you meet both
         a. IRCC eligibility requirements and
         b. the community-specific requirements.
      2. Find an eligible job with an employer in one of the participating communities.
      3. Once you have a job offer, submit your application for recommendation to the community.
      4. If a community recommends you, apply for permanent residence.

Each community will also have its own

• • • •    additional eligibility requirements
      •    job search process
      •    community recommendation application process

This information will be available on its website.

2. Atlantic Immigration Program

About the pilot

The Atlantic Immigration Pilot helps with the hiring of qualified candidates for jobs that haven’t been able to fill locally. These candidates can be overseas or living in Canada temporarily. Under this program, both the employer and the candidate must meet a minimum requirement. The employer must be designated by the provincial government in the Atlantic Province, where the candidate will be working. The employer and candidate have several steps to follow in order for the application to be launched for Permanent Residency.

The Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program has 3 programs for hiring candidates. Each has its own requirements. The programs are listed below

• • • •   Atlantic International Graduate Program
      •   Atlantic High-skilled Program
      •   Atlantic Intermediate-skilled Program

Atlantic International Graduate Program

To qualify under program, the candidate

• • • •   Should have a graduated a 2 year college diploma, certificate, trade or apprenticeship credential for a recognized public institution from the Atlantic Province
      •   Need not require any work experience, but must have a job offer for minimum 1 year from a designated employer of the province and the job has to be full time and non-seasonal
      •   Can work in any of the following categories – NOC O, A, B or C
      •   Must meet the language requirement is CLB / NCLC 4
      •   Show proof of funds required by the province (Between $3,500 – $9,000)

Atlantic High-Skilled Program

To qualify under program, the candidate

• • • •   Should have minimum 1 year experience in the last 3 years in Categories NOC O, A or B
      •   Should have a job offer for minimum 1 year, from a designated employer of the province and the job has to be full time and non non-seasonal
      •   Must get a job offer in the following categories – NOC O, A or B
      •   Must have completed Canadian Secondary high school or post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree from a recognized institution OR have a foreign degree, diploma or certificate with a valid Educational Credential Assessment that meets Canadian Equivalency.
      • Language requirement is CLB / NCLC 4
      • Show proof of funds required by the province (Between $3,500 – $9,000)

Atlantic Intermediate-Skilled Program

To qualify under program, the candidate

• • • •   Should have minimum 1 year experience in the last 3 years in Categories NOC O, A or B or C
      •   Should have a job offer which is permanent and no set end date, from a designated employer of the province and the job has to be full time and non non-seasonal
      •   Must get a job offer in the following categories – NOC O, A or B or C
      •   The category also specifically recognizes health care field workers like Registered Nurse, licensed Practical Nurse, Nurse Aide or Patient Services Associate and Home Support Workers
      •   Must have completed Canadian Secondary high school or post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree from a recognized institution OR have a foreign degree, diploma or certificate with a valid Educational Credential Assessment that meets Canadian Equivalency.
      •   Language requirement is CLB / NCLC 4
      •   Show proof of funds required by the province (Between $3,500 – $9,000)

3. Caregiver Program

Caregivers now have a great way to come to Canada, to work and also apply for Permanent Residency. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has introduced 2 immigration programs that are specifically designed for caregivers, thanks to the programs: The Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker pilots.

These programs have reached its cap in 2020 and are expected to open again, early 2021.

With these pilot programs, employers will no longer need an LMIA before hiring a caregiver from abroad. The application is launched with a dual intent of work permit and permanent residency. While the candidate initially gets a work permit approval, the PR file is processed as they complete the 2 years in their work permit, which is a mandatory requirement for caregivers in Canada.

Through these 2 programs, the caregivers will also benefit in the following:

• • •   Get an occupation-specific work permits and not employer-specific. This will allow for a fast change of employers when necessary;
    •   Bring family along when they come to Canada. The family members can get an open work permits and/or study permits for the spouse and / or children
    •   Ensure a smooth transition from temporary to permanent status. Once the caregivers complete the work experience requirement, they will be able to become permanent residents quickly.