The Government of Canada has unveiled a new five-year economic immigration pilot that will help rural and northern communities in Ontario, Western Canada and Canada’s three territories attract and retain skilled foreign workers.
The community-driven Rural and Northern Pilot builds on the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program launched in 2017 and will facilitate permanent residence for foreign workers of various skill levels in eligible communities in the following provinces and territories:
- Ontario
- Manitoba
- Saskatchewan
- Alberta
- British Columbia
- Yukon
- Northwest Territories
- Nunavut
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) says eligible communities can be either a city with a population of 50,000 or less located at least 75 kilometres from the core of a metropolitan area of 100,000 or more, or a city of up to 200,000 people that qualifies as remote.
Like the Atlantic Immigration Pilot (AIPP), the new Rural and Northern Pilot will operate alongside Canada’s Provincial Nominee Program.
The employer-driven AIPP works with businesses in the Atlantic Canada provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador to hire foreign workers for positions they haven’t been able to fill locally.
In 2018, the AIPP allowed the four participating provinces to endorse up 2,500 foreign workers and international students for permanent residence. IRCC did not specify a quota for the new pilot.
“By creating an immigration pilot aimed at rural and northern communities, we’re looking to ensure that the benefits of immigration are shared across the country,” Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Ahmed Hussen, said at the launch of the new pilot on January 24.
Bernadette Jordan, Minister of Rural Economic Development Canada, said the pilot’s community-driven approach is essential.
“The Pilot will support the economic development of smaller communities by testing new, community-driven approaches to address their diverse labour market needs.”
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