Middle class jobs in Rural and Northern Communities to receive support from new Immigration Pilot

The Government of Canada is making some much-needed policy changes to support smaller rural communities to improve their economic and social spirit. A new five-year economic immigration plan has been unveiled by the Centre to aid the development of rural and northern communities in Ontario, Western parts of Canada. The policy will also help three of the nation’s territories to attract and retain skilled foreign workers.

The Rural and Northern Pilot, which is an extension of the Atlantic Immigration Program launched in 2017, will accommodate permanent residence for foreign nationals with the ideal skill levels in these provinces and territories:

• Ontario
• Manitoba
• Saskatchewan
• Alberta
• British Columbia
• Yukon
• Northwest Territories
• Nunavut

The Pilot, which was unveiled by the Honorable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, will select eligible territories and townships based on different criteria. Interested communities must work alongside a local economic development organization to present an application, illustrating how they meet the eligibility criteria and how immigration will help promote economic development in their respective communities.

To qualify as a participant community, this should be a community or precinct with a population of 50,000 or less located within 75 km from the hub of a metropolitan city with a population of 100,000 or more. Also, cities stand eligible if they have a population of up to 200,000 and qualify as remote, which means they have a Remoteness index is equal to, or greater than 0.25 as declared by the Statistics Canada’s Index of Remoteness.

“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.
This new Pilot has been put in place to ensure that even at a rural level, Canada’s economy thrives and the needs of the labor market are met. A more community-driven approach is necessary to make sure that every cog in the nation’s economic clockwork contributes to its overall growth, with a comprehensive strategy in mind.