Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) Program

Below is a summary of the eligibility requirement of the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) Program.

Job Offer

The following requirements must be met for the job offer:

• Must be in the participating community (location of work must be in the community and employer must continue running their business in the community).
• Must be full time and non-seasonal, and permanent.
• Must have a wage that meets or exceeds the Job Bank’s prevailing minimum wage for the occupation in the province of employment (or at the national level if no provincial rate is available).
• Must be for an occupation at a skill level related to the NOC TEER category that matches your work experience, unless for certain health care sector jobs:
  • Job offer: TEER 0 or 1 | Work experience requirement: TEER 0, 1, 2, 3
  • Job offer: TEER 2 or 3 | Work experience requirement: TEER 1, 2, 3 or 4
  • Job offer: TEER 4 | Work experience requirement: TEER 1 (for health care exception only), 2, 3 or 4
  • Job offer: TEER 5 | Work experience requirement: must be in the same 5-digit NOC code.

You can learn how to find your NOC and its category here.

Work Experience

In the last 3 years, you must have worked outside or inside Canada at least 1,560 hours (equivalent to 1 year if you were working 30h/week).

The following requirements apply:

• Count hours worked part-time or full-time (can be in different occupations and with different employers). The hours must have been worked over a total period of at least 12 months.
• Count only paid hours of work (volunteering or unpaid internships do not count).
• Don’t count hours when you were self-employed, unless the experience was acquired as a medical practitioner entitled to practise medicine under the laws of the jurisdiction.
• Don’t count hours when not authorized to work.

You do not need to meet the work experience requirements if you are an international graduate with a degree, diploma, certificate, or trade or apprenticeship from a post-secondary program from a Canadian publicly funded institution in the participating community recommending you :

• of 2 years or longer, or
• less than 2 years if master’s degree or higher.

You must also have :

• received the credential no more than 18 months before your application for permanent residence,
• been a full-time student for the entire time you were studying, and
• been living in the participating community recommending you:
  • at least 16 months during the last 2 years before you graduated, or
  • the duration of your degree if master’s degree or higher.

Education

The minimum education requirements are a Canadian high school diploma, or the equivalent outside Canada.

If you studied outside Canada, you need an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA). You can learn more about how to request an ECA here.

Language proficiency

The minimum language requirements for each of the four language ability, speaking, listening, reading and writing, depends on NOC TEER category of the job offer :

• TEER 0 or 1: CLB6
• TEER 2 or 3: CLB5
• TEER 4 or 5: CLB4

For more information on Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) and which language tests you are allowed to take, check this page.

Intent to live in the community and community-specific requirement

You must prove that you intend to live in the community and that you meet the community’ additional requirements. You can visit the community’s websites to learn more (see previous section for links to their websites).

Proof of funds

You need to have enough money to support yourself and your family when you get to Canada. However, if you are already living and working in Canada with a valid work permit, you do not need to show proof of funds.

The funds required depend on the number of family members (including any dependents that will not immigrate with you). The funds must be yours and must not be borrowed. Below is a table with the required funds, last updated by IRCC on June 3, 2024.