Projet pilote d'immigration rurale (PCIR)

The Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP) is a permanent residence pathway for skilled workers who want to work and settle in participating rural and remote communities across Canada.

RCIP is community-driven. Applicants need more than general federal eligibility: they must have a qualifying job offer from a designated employer, meet the applicable federal requirements and receive a recommendation from the participating community before applying for permanent residence.

Anka Canada Immigration Consulting assists applicants with assessing RCIP eligibility, reviewing employment and NOC requirements, and preparing the immigration stages of the application

Services are provided by Volkan Sacilik, RCIC-IRB, CICC Licence No. R1042981.

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How Does the Rural Community Immigration Pilot Work?

RCIP currently operates through selected rural communities that identify local labour-market priorities and designate employers who can hire through the program.

The process generally involves:

1. finding qualifying employment with a designated employer in a participating community;

2. confirming that both the applicant and job offer meet RCIP requirements;

3. obtaining a recommendation from the community; and

4. applying to IRCC for permanent residence.

Each community may establish its own priority sectors, occupations and recommendation procedures. A job in a participating community therefore does not automatically qualify for RCIP.

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Work Experience Requirements

Most applicants need at least one year, or 1,560 hours, of qualifying related work experience within the previous three years.

The work must generally be paid, correspond to the duties of the claimed NOC and be at an appropriate TEER level in relation to the job offer. Self-employment generally does not count.

Certain international graduates of public post-secondary institutions located in the participating community may be exempt from the work-experience requirement if they meet the specific study, residence and timing conditions.

This is why both the applicant's past experience and the specific job being offered should be reviewed together.

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Language and Education Requirements

The minimum language level depends on the TEER category of the job offer:

• TEER 0 or 1: CLB/NCLC 6

• TEER 2 or 3: CLB/NCLC 5

• TEER 4 or 5: CLB/NCLC 4

Applicants must provide results from an approved language test.

Applicants must also generally have at least a Canadian secondary-school credential or higher, or a qualifying foreign credential supported by an Educational Credential Assessment.

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Does the Employer Matter?

Yes. RCIP requires a qualifying job offer from an employer that has been designated by the participating community.

Employers must meet community and federal requirements before they can hire through the pilot. Communities also focus on identified labour shortages and priority sectors, so the same occupation may not be treated the same way in every participating location.

Before relying on RCIP, it is therefore important to confirm:

• that the employer is properly designated;

• that the position falls within the community's current priorities;

• that the job offer meets RCIP requirements; and

• that the applicant's work experience is sufficiently related to the offered position.

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Can You Work While the PR Application Is Processing?

Certain RCIP candidates may qualify for an optional two-year employer-specific work permit that allows them to begin or continue working while the permanent residence application is processed.

The employer must complete the applicable Employer Portal steps, and the candidate must meet the specific work-permit requirements.

The work permit and permanent residence application remain separate decisions; approval of one does not guarantee approval of the other.

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Common Issues to Watch For

RCIP applications can become more complicated when:

• the employer is not designated;

• the job is outside the community's current priorities;

• the NOC or TEER classification is incorrect;

• work experience is not sufficiently related to the job offer;

• the graduate work-experience exemption is assumed incorrectly;

• language, education or settlement-fund requirements are overlooked;

• the applicant's intention to settle in the community is unclear.

Reviewing the applicant, employer, job offer and community requirements together can help identify whether RCIP is actually the right permanent residence pathway before proceeding.

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How Anka Canada Immigration Consulting Can Assist

Anka can review your work experience, proposed job offer, NOC classification, education, language results and immigration history to assess whether RCIP may be an appropriate pathway.

Where retained, we can also assist with the immigration documentation and permanent residence application once the required employer and community steps have been completed.

The objective is to ensure that the federal requirements, community criteria and employment arrangement are aligned before the permanent residence application is submitted.​

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Important Information

RCIP participating communities, employer-designation rules, priority occupations and eligibility requirements can change. Eligibility should always be assessed under the requirements in force when the relevant community and permanent residence applications are made.

This page provides general information only and does not guarantee a community recommendation, work permit or permanent residence approval.