North Bay Introduces RNIP Immigration Stream

Canada introduced a new Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) stream on October 21. North Bay, a northern Ontario community, became the eleventh Canadian municipality to introduce an RNIP immigration stream. Now that it has unveiled the RNIP program criteria, it will be able to welcome applications.

The pilot has twelve participating communities, but Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan still has not introduced its program.

The city of North Bay houses over 50,000 people, and it is just three hours away from Toronto. It boasts of a diversified economy and promises strong health, tourism sectors, and mining sectors. North Bay also happens to have several post-secondary institutions and hence education is also an important element.

Why RNIP?

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) introduced the RNIP as a way to partner with communities that are beyond Canada’s main population centers. Often, immigrants tend to veer towards the more popular immigration destinations, which is why this program is very important. The program aims to attract immigrants who will be able to contribute to the economy of the communities.

Requirements:

All the communities have specified the requirements that candidates need to fulfill in order to complete the immigration process. Candidates should satisfy the following eligibility criteria:

• minimum one year of work experience in three years; international students and graduates are exempt from the rules
• specified levels of English or French
• a high school diploma
• financial means to support themselves as well as their immediate family members
• permanent, full-time, job offer in the community

The job offer should be at the same skill level, which is one level above or one level under the National Occupational Classification (NOC) corresponding with the candidates’ work experience.