Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP): Special initiatives and pilot projects – International Mobility Program

The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) is a federal program established by Ministerial Instructions, effective November 1, 2019. The goal of this pilot is to attract and retain skilled immigrants in rural and northern communities by testing innovative approaches to permanent immigration.

Facilitating entry for these workers under the International Mobility Program supports paragraph 3(1)(e) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) by encouraging the settlement and retention of workers in rural and northern communities.

On this page

• Eligibility
• Documentary evidence
• Work permits for spouses and common-law partners

Eligibility

Foreign nationals who have submitted a complete application for permanent residence under the RNIP Program and received an acknowledgement of receipt may apply for a 1-year employer-specific Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)-exempt work permit, under paragraph 205(a) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR).

To be eligible, foreign nationals must

• submit a work permit application online only (inside or outside Canada)
  • Foreign nationals applying for a work permit under the RNIP are not eligible to apply on paper or at a port of entry.
• have submitted an application for permanent residence under the RNIP Program and received an acknowledgment of receipt from IRCC or an acceptable IRCC-designated alternative
• have a completed IMM 0112 form: Recommendation from the designated Economic Development Organization – Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot
• have a Canadian secondary (high school) or post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree or the equivalent foreign credential
• have language test results from an approved IRCC testing facility
• have obtained 1 year of cumulative qualifying work experience

Documentary evidence

• Acknowledgement of receipt
• LMIA-exempt offer of employment
• Recommendation form
• Education
• Official language proficiency
• Qualifying work experience
• International graduates

The following sections are a detailed explanation of what should be provided as evidence for each document.

Acknowledgement of receipt

• the acknowledgement of receipt letter from the application for permanent residence for the RNIP
• or
• a designated IRCC alternative to the acknowledgement of receipt

LMIA-exempt offer of employment

• from an employer whose workplace is located within the boundaries of the community
• for non-seasonal, indeterminate employment
• located in the community
• for an occupation at skill type 0 or skill level a, b, c or d of the National Occupational Classification (NOC)

  • Employers must demonstrate that the job offered to the foreign national under this pilot matches their work experience. For example,

    If the work experience is in…	The job offer must be in…
    NOC 0	NOC 0 or a
    NOC a	NOC 0, a, or b
    NOC b	NOC a, b, or c
    NOC c	NOC b or c
    NOC d	NOC d in same occupation

• supported by a recommendation from the local economic development organization of the participating community that indicates that the job offer is genuine
• for which the wages being offered fall within or exceed the wage range for that particular occupation as set out 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

Recommendation form

Update due to COVID-19

As a temporary measure, the designated economic development organization is now able to digitally sign the recommendation form [IMM 0112]. The applicant can include either a copy of the recommendation form with a handwritten signature or a copy of the electronically signed recommendation form with their application.

All other document requirements must be met unless exempted under the COVID-19 special measures.

A recommendation form (Recommendation from the designated Economic Development Organization – Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot [IMM 0112]) is issued by the economic development organization in the participating community to persons who have been recommended. Applicants under the RNIP must include the IMM 0112 form with their work permit application.

The community recommendation form 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 [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. Since the foreign national may only apply for a work permit after receiving their acknowledgement of receipt, the recommendation form may be expired at the time of work permit application submission.

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 that a school is recognized.

  or

• a completed foreign education 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 for permanent residence under the RNIP program

Official language proficiency

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

• less than 2 years old on the date of application for permanent residence under the RNIP program
• shows the applicant meets the minimum language level for the NOC of the applicant’s job offer

Qualifying work experience

Applicants must demonstrate that they have obtained work experience of at least 1 year of cumulative, full-time work (1,560 hours total at 30 hours per week), or an equal amount in part-time work, within the 3 years before the date of application for permanent residence under the RNIP program:

• for paid work (volunteer work and unpaid internships do not count)
• for activities listed in the lead statement of the NOC and a substantial number of the main duties
  • This means the applicant performed some or all of the main duties, including all the duties that distinguish a particular occupation from any other. For example, duties that begin with “may” in the NOC description are not usually considered to be essential duties.
• for 1 or more occupations at skill type 0 or skill level A, B, C or D of the NOC; work experience accumulated under more than 1 occupation must meet the skill level requirement for the occupation (NOC) provided in the offer of employment (for NOC D, the candidate must accumulate work experience in the same 4-digit occupation)

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

Any periods of self-employment will not be included when calculating the period of qualifying work experience.

Work experience acquired during a period of study is allowed, as long as it does not exceed the work hours authorized under section R186.

International graduates

International students who have graduated from a Canadian post-secondary institution in a participating RNIP community may be exempt from the work experience requirements if

• (a) the international student was enrolled as a full-time student during the entire period of the program
• (b) the education credential was obtained within 18 months prior to the date of their permanent resident visa application
• (c) in the case of a master’s or doctoral degree that was less than two years in length, the international student was physically present in the rural or northern community for the duration of their studies and
• (d) for any post-secondary program other than those referred to in paragraph (c), the program was at least a 2-year program and, during the 24 months immediately prior to the day on which the credential was obtained, the international student was physically present in the rural or northern community for at least 16 months; the completion of 2 1-year programs does not meet the requirements of the work experience exemption

Work permits for spouses and common-law partners

Officers may issue an open work permit to RNIP spouses under LMIA exemption code C17, with a location restriction to the community where the principal applicant works. The spouse’s work permit must always be restricted to the same community as the principal applicant’s job location and should not be amended.

The open work permit should have a validity that matches the principal applicant’s, up to a maximum of 1 year or until the expiry of the passport or travel document, whichever is earlier.

Note to border services officers: Foreign nationals may not apply for an open work permit under LMIA exemption C17 at a port of entry.