Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot

Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot

The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot was established in 2019 as a means of stimulating economic growth in rural areas by attracting talented workers. Communities in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, and Yukon are included in this programme.

Canada is well-known for welcoming a large number of immigrants. However, the vast majority of new immigrants prefer to live in big cities such as Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver under the existing immigration system. The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot aims to remedy this by assisting smaller communities in attracting newcomers and assisting them in settling. Rural and northern areas interested in participating in the trial programme can apply. The federal government assists the communities that have been accepted in identifying and selecting new permanent residents. The immigrants are expected to have a good impact on the economy.

This programme expands on the success of the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIP), which began in 2017. AIP is intended to boost immigration to Canada's Atlantic Region by matching potential entrants with regional employers.

Program Requirements - Communities

A community must have a population of 50,000 or less and be located at least 75 kilometres from the heart of a census metropolitan area, or a population of 200,000 or less and be considered remote from other larger cities, in order to qualify. Communities must be located in one of the provinces or territories listed below:

• 1. Alberta
• 2. British Columbia
• 3. Manitoba
• 4. Northwest Territories
• 5. Nunavut
• 6. Ontario
• 7. Saskatchewan
• 8. Yukon