Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) Program: Assessing the application against selection criteria - Applications locked-in on or after November 16, 2022

Applicants should be assessed against the pass and fail selection criteria below, based on the information and documents provided in the application. Applicants must meet all of the following criteria to be approved.

The Ministerial Instructions were amended on September 23, 2022, to:

• expand the geographic boundaries for seven of the eleven participating communities, so more employers are able to participate. The communities expanding their boundaries are: North Bay (Ont.), Sudbury (Ont.), Timmins (Ont.), Thunder Bay (Ont.), Moose Jaw (Sask.), West Kootenay (BC) and Vernon (BC);
• modify the period of time communities are able to participate, from the original 3 years until February 2024 to ensure all permanent residence applications are received by August 2024 (when the pilot comes to an end);
• make it easier to fill labour market needs in the health care and trades sectors, by expanding the range of job offers available to candidates, with specific work experience;
• provide clarification that job offers are not eligible from a business where more than 50% is owned (or controlled directly or indirectly) by the foreign national or their spouse / common-law partner;
• reduce the amount of settlement funds participants are required to have, from 50% to 12.5% of the Low-Income Cut-Offs (LICO) for rural areas outside census metropolitan areas or census agglomerations; and
• strengthen program integrity.

Read the full text of Ministerial Instructions Amending the Ministerial Instructions with respect to the Rural and Northern Community Immigration Class.

For instructions on processing scenario 1, please refer to instructions: Assessing the application against selection criteria – Applications locked-in before September 23, 2022.

For instructions on processing applications under scenario 2, please refer to instructions: Assessing the application against selection criteria - Applications locked-in on or after September 23, 2022, and before November 16, 2022.

On this page

• Confirmation of community recommendation
• Education
• Official language proficiency
• Qualifying work experience
• Employment requirements
• Settlement funds
• Intent to reside in the community
• Valid temporary status for applications within Canada

Confirmation of community recommendation

The designated economic development organizations of the participating communities can only recommend individuals in support of applications for permanent residence made under the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot

A community recommendation [IMM 0112] is issued by the designated economic development organization of the participating community to persons who have been recommended. Applicants must submit a copy of this completed and approved form with their permanent residence application.

Part of the completeness check includes verifying that the applicant who is applying for permanent residence under the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) Program is listed on the encrypted monthly community recommendation spreadsheet that the Department receives electronically from the designated economic development organizations of the participating communities.

The community recommendation [IMM 0112] is considered valid for a period of 6 months, beginning on the day on which it is issued, unless the economic development organization revokes the community recommendation [IMM 0112] or the economic development organization is removed from the schedule, in which case the recommendation is invalid beginning on the day of revocation or removal. The applicant must submit a complete application for permanent residence on or before the expiry date of the recommendation. This is verified in the completeness check upon receipt of the RNIP application.

Education

Applicants must demonstrate they have the following:

• a Canadian secondary (high school) or post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree,
  • The degree, diploma or certificate must have been granted by an educational or training institution that is recognized by the provincial authorities responsible for registering, accrediting, supervising and regulating such institutions. Refer to the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials (CICIC) website to verify whether a school is recognized.

  or

• a completed foreign educational credential, and
• an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report from a designated organization approved by IRCC, which must
  • show that the foreign education is equal to a completed Canadian secondary (high school) or post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree, and
  • be less than 5 years old at the time of the application

If an officer has concerns about the authenticity of an applicant’s foreign educational credentials, they should notify the Immigration Program Guidance Branch (IPG) (available internally only), which will consult with the appropriate ECA designated organization for further instruction. Should the authenticity of an applicant’s foreign educational credentials still be a concern after consultation, the officer will send a procedural fairness letter to the applicant, explaining the concerns, and allow the applicant to respond to those concerns through correspondence, documentation and/or an interview.

For additional guidance on misrepresentation, processing offices should consult the misrepresentation section of chapter ENF 2.

The procedures for determining misrepresentation or any other inadmissibility, including procedural fairness, remain the same under the RNIP.

Official language proficiency

The applicant must provide a language test approved by IRCC that:

• shows the applicant meets the minimum language level for the NOC of the applicant’s job offer:
  • TEER 4 or TEER 5, level 4 in the Canadian Language Benchmarks in English or the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens in French for each of the 4 language skill areas
  • TEER 2 and TEER 3, level 5 in the Canadian Language Benchmarks in English or the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens in French for each of the 4 language skill areas
  • TEER 0 or TEER 1, level 6 in the Canadian Language Benchmarks in English or the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens in French for each of the 4 language skill areas
• is less than two years old on the date of application

See the language requirements section for information on evidence of language proficiency.

Qualifying work experience

Applicants must demonstrate that they have obtained work experience

• for at least 1 year of full-time work (1,560 hours total at 30 hours per week), or an equal amount in part-time work, within the last 3 years preceding the date the application is made;
• that was for paid work (volunteer work and unpaid internships do not count);
• for one or more occupations at TEER 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 of the NOC; work experience accumulated under more than one occupation must meet the TEER requirements for the occupation (NOC) provided in the offer of employment;
  • For TEER 5, the candidate must accumulate work experience in the same 5-digit occupation
  • For TEER 4, your work experience can be in TEER 1 for the healthcare exception only
  • Healthcare exception: If your work experience is in NOC 31301 (Registered Nurses and Registered Psychiatric Nurses - TEER 1), you can have a job offer in the following occupations:
    • NOC 33102 (TEER 3): Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates, or
    • NOC 44101 (TEER 4): Home Support Worker
• where they carried out the activities listed in the lead statement of the NOC and a substantial number of the main duties
  • duties that begin with “may” in the NOC description are not usually considered essential duties;
• that was obtained overseas or in Canada; and
• self-employed work experience can be included when calculating the period of qualifying work experience if it was acquired as a medical practitioner entitled to practise medicine under the laws of the jurisdiction. However, any other periods of self-employment can not be included when calculating the period of qualifying work experience.

Applicants do not have to be employed at the time they apply.

Work experience acquired during a period of study is allowed, as long as it did not exceed the work hours authorized under the study permit.

Work experience exemption

International students are exempt from the work experience criteria if they obtained an eligible credential, as defined in subsection 3(4) of the Ministerial Instructions with respect to the Rural and Northern Community Immigration Class, from a publicly funded post-secondary institution in the community, provided that either of the following occurred:

• any post-secondary program lasting 2 years or longer–they were enrolled as a full-time student during the entire 2-year or longer post-secondary program, and both of the following apply:
  • the program was completed within 18 months prior to the application for permanent residence to IRCC; and
  • they were physically present in the rural or northern community for at least 16 months during the 24 months immediately prior to obtaining the eligible credential.

  Note: The completion of two 1-year programs does not meet the requirements of the work experience exemption

• master’s or doctoral degree program lasting less than 2 years–they were enrolled as a full-time student for the duration of the program and both of the following apply:
  • the program was completed within 18 months prior to the application for permanent residence to IRCC; and
  • they were physically present in the rural or northern community for the entire period of their studies.

Employment requirements

Applicants must demonstrate that they meet the relevant employment requirements of the job they are being offered. Relevant employment requirements may include education, training or other qualifications listed in the NOC description, with the exception of Canadian licensing requirements in the case of regulated occupations.

Job offer requirements

Applicants must demonstrate that they have obtained a job offer and submit an Offer of Employment to a Foreign National – Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot form [IMM 5984] that is:

• genuine, as determined under subsection 200(5) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR);
• from an employer whose workplace is located within the boundaries of the community;
  • refer to the Recommendation application received date (lock-in date of PR application) to determine the boundary to be applied when assessing the job offer
• from an employer who is not:
  1. a consulate,
  2. an employer referred to in paragraphs 200(3)(g.1) or (h) of the Regulations,
  3. a business that recruits individuals in order to establish a pool of candidates who are intended to be transferred or contracted to other businesses, or
  4. a business in which a majority of shares (more than 50%) or other ownership interests is held, either individually or collectively, by the foreign national or their spouse or common-law partner or that is controlled, directly or indirectly, by the foreign national or their spouse or common-law partner
• for full-time, non-seasonal (year-round), and indeterminate (no end date) employment;
• located in the community;
• at a wage that is above or within the range of wages for that particular occupation in the Job Bank of the Canada Employment Insurance Commission;
  • Generally, in the absence of a regional rate, the employer should offer the provincial rate. In the absence of a provincial rate, the employer should offer the national rate.
• for an occupation at TEER 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 of the NOC:
  • at TEER 0 and 1, the work experience must be in TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3,
  • at TEER 2 and 3, the work experience must be in TEER 1, 2, 3 or 4,
  • at TEER 4, the work experience must be in TEER 1 (Healthcare exception only), 2, 3, or 4, or
    • Healthcare exception: If your work experience is in NOC 31301 (Registered Nurses and Registered Psychiatric Nurses - TEER 1), you can have a job offer in the following occupations:
      • NOC 33102 (TEER 3): Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates, or
      • NOC 44101 (TEER 4): Home Support Worker
  • at TEER 5, the work experience must be in TEER and the same occupation as the work experience

• Healthcare exception: If your work experience is in NOC 31301 (Registered Nurses and Registered Psychiatric Nurses - TEER 1), you can have a job offer in the following occupations:
  • NOC 33102 (TEER 3): Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates, or
  • NOC 44101 (TEER 4): Home Support Worker

Settlement funds

If an applicant is not already working in Canada, they must demonstrate that they have sufficient funds available for settlement in Canada at the time of application and when the application is finalized. The funds must be all of the following:

• available and transferable
• unencumbered by debts or other obligations
• sufficient to support the initial establishment in Canada

Sufficient funds are determined according to the applicant’s family size (including both accompanying and non-accompanying dependants). The funds must be 12.5% of the current Low Income Cut-Offs for rural areas outside census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations.

Officers may wish to request additional information and documentation from applicants to demonstrate and support their ability to become economically established. If the applicant is unable to demonstrate that they have sufficient funds to meet the requirements, officers are to refuse the application.

Intent to reside in the community

IRCC must be satisfied that the applicant intends to reside in the participating community or within a reasonable commuting distance of the participating community before issuing the permanent resident visa.

When seeking permanent resident status, whether at a local IRCC office in Canada or at a port of entry, applicants must establish that they still intend to reside in the community that has recommended them. For more information, see Examination before granting permanent residence under the RNIP Program.

Valid temporary status for applications within Canada

If a foreign national is in Canada at the time of their permanent resident visa application, they must have a valid temporary resident status.

Processing offices must follow procedural fairness guidelines if they are not satisfied that an RNIP applicant meets the criteria to become a member of the RNIP Program. In such cases, the office must inform the applicant of their concerns, and the applicant must have the opportunity to respond and provide additional information in support of their application.