Canada has announced a new immigration pilot aimed at rural and Francophone minority communities.
Work continues toward creating a permanent rural immigration program.
“Today’s announcement for a permanent Rural and Northern Immigration Program is tremendous news for Nipissing-Timiskaming and all of northern Ontario," says MP Anthony Rota. "The Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RNIP) has shown how rural communities can attract and retain skilled workers who contribute to our economic growth. This will allow current employers to build stronger workforces now and into the future."
The pilot will launch this fall. It aims to ensure that rural communities continue to have the ability to access programs that address labour shortages and help local businesses find the workers they need. It will provide pathways to permanent residence for newcomers who can help to overcome critical labour job shortages and want to live long-term in smaller communities.
"Modelled on the success of the RNIP and as part of our Francophone Immigration Policy, we are also launching the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot in the fall of 2024. The pilot will focus on increasing the number of French-speaking newcomers settling in Francophone minority communities outside of Quebec and will help ensure the economic development of Francophone minority communities, while also helping to restore and increase their demographic weight," says a news release.
See: Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot
The community application process opens this spring to select communities who will participate in the pilots.
As of December 31, 2023, 4,595 newcomers received permanent residence through the RNIP, helping address labour shortages in key sectors such as health care, accommodatio n and food services, retail, manufacturing, scientific and technical services.
