Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP): Admissibility and making a final decision
This section contains policy, procedures and guidance used by IRCC staff. It is posted on the department’s website as a courtesy to stakeholders.
Determining admissibility
Once the officer has determined that an applicant is a member of the Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP) as established under section 14.1 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), the principal applicant and their family members, whether accompanying or not, must complete medical examinations and pass criminal and security checks, including that they are no longer under a 5-year misrepresentation ban and have no valid removal order.
Approving the application
If an officer approves an application from a temporary resident in Canada who is a member of a program referred to in paragraph 70(2)(a) or (b) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR), the applicants will receive an email from IRCC’s landings team inviting them to create an account within the landings portal and follow the instructions to confirm their permanent resident status.
- Once the applicant creates an account, they will need to confirm their current address in Canada to verify their presence in Canada within the portal and submit photos under their portal account for permanent resident card production.
- Currently, in-person interviews for landing are not required for clients residing in Canada. (Certain exemptions apply). Once the information is received and verified by IRCC’s landings team, all applicants and their accompanying dependents in Canada will be landed, and an electronic version of their Confirmation of Permanent Residence (CoPR) will be sent to them via the landing portal. Applicants will be able to confirm their permanent residence online.
Note: The offer of employment [IMM 0247 (PDF 1.5 MB)] must remain valid, or the applicant must be occupying the position of employment, the community certificate of recommendation must not be revoked, and the designated economic development organization must still be in good standing at the time the visa is issued.
Note: In certain cases, it is possible that a fee line will not be automatically generated by the system. The officer will have to create the RPRF record, then pay and complete the fees. Then they will be able to generate the CoPR.
If the applicant or any accompanying dependent family members live outside of Canada, officers should send the ready for visa letter, CoPR and permanent resident visa (PRV) (if applicable) to the applicant’s address outside of Canada.
- Approved applicants who are residing outside Canada must present their CoPR and PRV counterfoil (if applicable) to an officer at a Canadian port of entry [R71.1(1)].
Note: Do not issue a PRV counterfoil to applicants whose passport was issued by a visa-exempt country identified in paragraph R190(1)(a) or (b), R190(2)(b) to (f), or R190(2.1). However, officers may request to see the applicant’s original passport in these cases.
Refusing the application
When a case is refused, the processing officer does the following:
- All refused applicants must be provided with a formal refusal letter found in the GCMS . The refusal letter must :
- inform the applicant of the immigration program in which their application was considered
- explain to the applicant the reason that their application in that program was refused
- inform applicants who have paid the RPRF, that they are entitled to a refund and provide an approximate timeframe for its receipt
- if the applicant is in Canada and is refused for inadmissibility, the processing officer
- takes appropriate action(s), depending on the inadmissibility (for example, refers to the IRCC inland office to write a subsection A44(1) report, which could lead to an admissibility hearing or a removal order)
- consults chapters ENF 1: Inadmissibility, ENF 2 / OP 18: Evaluating Inadmissibility, ENF 3: Admissibility, Hearings and Detention Review Proceedings and ENF 5: Writing 44(1) Reports for more information on inadmissibility and the actions to be taken
- shows the final disposition on the RCIP file as “Refused”.
Unauthorized work experience
While designated communities do not consider unauthorized work experience in Canada as qualifying for community recommendation under the RCIP, it is possible for a person who has worked in Canada without authorization to be recommended by a designated economic development organization of a designated community. Despite being issued a certificate of recommendation, a person who has worked in Canada without authorization has failed to comply with subsection A30(1), and on that basis could be found inadmissible under section A41.