Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) Program: Other situations

Adding a family member

Only the principal applicant must be named in the community recommendation [IMM 0112]. If the applicant’s family composition changes during processing, the applicant must inform IRCC, but there is no need for a new or amended community recommendation.

During processing, a principal applicant can add a new family member as a dependent, such as a newborn child or a new spouse or common-law partner. The applicant may also request that a family member originally declared as non-accompanying be included as accompanying.

Officers should not process a request to add a spouse or child (as an accompanying dependent) if the principal applicant does not appear to meet the eligibility requirements.

If the applicant will meet the eligibility requirements and wants to add their family member(s) to the application, the following must be submitted by the principal applicant:

• applicable fees
  • processing fees (if accompanying)
  • biometric fees and right of permanent residence fees (RPRF) (if accompanying and if applicable)
• proof of relationship (birth certificate, marriage certificate, documents in support of a common-law relationship)
• all applicable immigration forms: IMM 0008, IMM 5406 (if over 18) and Schedule A (if over 18)

Once all the required forms and applicable fees have been submitted, the officer will

• add the dependent in the Global Case Management System (GCMS) (or change from non-accompanying to accompanying in GCMS)
• apply the processing fees (and biometric fee and RPRF, if applicable)
• verify that the applicant continues to demonstrate that they have sufficient funds available for their family, including the new family member(s)
• review admissibility requirements. The added family member(s) must pass medical and background checks. The officer will request medicals if not already done as a non-accompanying dependent, request biometrics (if applicable), and review all admissibility requirements such as criminality and security.

Changing immigration categories

An applicant who has applied in another category and who is subsequently recommended by the economic development organization of a participating community must submit a new application under the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) Program. In such a case, the following applies:

• If the initial application has not been placed into processing and the applicant wishes to withdraw the application, the processing fee can be refunded.
• If the initial application has been placed into processing, no refund is possible.
• If the applicant does not wish to withdraw the initial application, processing on both applications may continue, but only one permanent resident visa can be issued to an applicant. For concerns relating to the applicant’s intent to reside in the community that recommended them, see Assessing the application against selection criteria.

Changing employers

An applicant who has a permanent residence application in process may obtain a new genuine offer of employment only under the following circumstances:

• The employer from whom the applicant has an offer of employment becomes an employer who has been non-compliant as referred to in paragraph 200(3)(h) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR).
  
  OR
  
• The applicant is already working under a work permit issued under section R200 and was issued a new work permit for the reasons referred to in subsection R207.1(1).

Revocation of recommendation

Applications that have been put into processing should be refused if the community revokes the recommendation.

Applications that have not been put into processing should be returned to the applicant if the community revokes the recommendation.

The designated economic development organization of a participating community will inform IRCC immediately of the revocation of a recommendation and update the record of recommendation in the affected files.