Pictou County
Nova Scotia
RCIP
Pictou County Partnership
Atlantic Canada's only RCIP community. Employer designation and candidate recommendation both run through the Partnership in New Glasgow.
Rural and francophone pilots
RCIP & FCIP: permanent residence through a rural or francophone community.
Eighteen communities across seven provinces can recommend you for permanent residence if a designated local employer offers you a job. Here is every community, what it prioritises, when it opens and what it takes to score.
- 18 designated communities
- RCIC-led, Brampton & London
- Reviewed August 2026
18Designated communities
14Run the rural pilot (RCIP)
6Run the francophone pilot (FCIP)
2Run both pilots
Community rules, intake windows and occupation lists change often and without much notice. Reviewed August 2026. Always confirm against the community's own page before you act.
The two pilots
Two pilots, one structure.
Both replaced the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot. Both are employer-driven and community-gated: you need a job offer from an employer the community has designated, and then the community recommends you to IRCC. The difference is the language you bring.
RCIP
Rural Community Immigration Pilot
For candidates working in English or French. Language minimums scale with the skill level of your job offer.
- TEER 0 or 1 offer — CLB 6
- TEER 2 or 3 offer — CLB 5
- TEER 4 or 5 offer — CLB 4
- Accepted tests: CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training, PTE Core, TEF Canada, TCF Canada — results under two years old
FCIP
Francophone Community Immigration Pilot
For French-speaking candidates settling in a francophone minority community outside Quebec. It supports Canada's target of rebuilding French-speaking communities across the country.
- NCLC 5 in all four abilities — reading, writing, listening and speaking
- French only. An English test will not be accepted, whatever your job offer
- The same NCLC 5 applies at every TEER level
- Communities: Acadian Peninsula, Sudbury, Timmins, Superior East, St-Pierre-Jolys and Kelowna
Eligibility
What both pilots ask for.
Work experience
One year — 1,560 hours — of related paid work in the last three years. Part-time counts and hours from more than one job can be combined, but volunteer work, unpaid internships and self-employment do not count. You must have performed most of the main duties in the occupation.
Healthcare workers get an exception in some communities; graduates of a local institution can be exempted entirely (see below).
Education
A Canadian secondary or post-secondary credential from a designated learning institution, or a foreign credential with an Educational Credential Assessment less than five years old from CES, ICAS, WES, IQAS or ICES.
Three regulated occupations need a professional-body assessment instead: architects (NOC 21200), physicians (31100, 31101, 31102) and pharmacists (31120).
The TEER matrix — whose experience counts for which offer
| If your job offer is at… | Your work experience must be at… |
|---|---|
| TEER 0 or TEER 1 | TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 |
| TEER 2 | TEER 1, 2, 3 or 4 |
| TEER 3 or TEER 4 | TEER 2, 3 or 4 |
| TEER 5 | The same 5-digit NOC code as the job offer |
The graduate exemption
You can skip the work experience requirement altogether if you finished a credential of at least two years at a publicly funded post-secondary institution inside the community, studied full time, apply within 18 months of getting the credential, and lived in the community for at least 16 of the 24 months of study.
A master's degree or higher qualifies with a shorter programme — up to two years — provided you were in the community for the whole length of the programme and apply within 18 months.
The exemption is lost if more than half the programme was language study, more than half was distance learning, or you held a scholarship or fellowship requiring you to return home.
The directory
All 18 designated communities.
Each community sets its own priority sectors, occupation list, intake windows, employer caps and minimum score. Filter below, then go straight to the source.
North Bay & Area
Ontario
RCIP
North Bay & District Chamber of Commerce
102 community recommendations issued in 2026 to the end of June (about 40% of the year's allocation), 24 of them in June. Boundary covers Nipissing District, Parry Sound District and the Town of Latchford. From 1 July 2026 Security Guards (64410) and Administrative Assistants (13110) were removed and Plumbers (72300) and Construction Millwrights & Industrial Mechanics (72400) added. All fast food and retail, including convenience stores and gas stations, are excluded.
Sudbury
Ontario
RCIP FCIP
City of Greater Sudbury Economic Development
Runs both RCIP and FCIP. Funded by FedNor, the Greater Sudbury Development Corporation and the City. Publishes a Community Scoring Grid; applicants on maintained status now face extra documentation requirements.
Timmins
Ontario
RCIP FCIP
Timmins Economic Development Corporation
Runs both pilots and covers Hearst, Kapuskasing, Cochrane, Kirkland Lake and Temiskaming Shores. Minimum community score of 79 for RCIP effective 30 July 2026. Maximum 4 applications per employer per intake; from August 2026 there is no cap on total applications. Visitors and people without status are not eligible.
Sault Ste. Marie
Ontario
RCIP
Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corporation
Portal window 17-23 August 2026. Six priority sectors. Effective 1 July 2026 Natural & Applied Sciences was removed and Sales & Service added, with a maximum of 2 applications per employer for unlisted Sales & Service occupations. Fast-food, restaurant-based businesses and security companies are excluded.
Thunder Bay
Ontario
RCIP
Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission
Covers the Thunder Bay census metropolitan area. 25 priority occupations with headcount-based employer limits. Retail Salespersons (64100) and Security Guards (64410) capped at 24 each; the retail cap was reached in June 2026 and is closed. Short-haul local truck drivers (73300) need six months of CVOR logbooks. From 1 August 2026 case-by-case exemptions are considered for unlisted TEER 0-3 occupations where the candidate has six or more months in the same role and location.
Steinbach
Manitoba
RCIP
Steinbach Economic Development Corporation
Employer-initiated only. Boundary covers the City of Steinbach plus the RMs of Ste. Anne, Piney and La Broquerie, Landmark and Vita. Monthly intakes open on the first business day and close at the 15th or after 7 applications, whichever comes first. Up to 5 recommendations per intake, first come first served, with a maximum of 1 per occupation per month and 2 per occupation per year.
Altona/Rhineland
Manitoba
RCIP
Altona & Rhineland Economic Development (A.R.E.D.)
Designation starts with a meeting at the economic development office in Altona. Runs a job board with candidate profiles and career alerts. Candidates may hold only one active application at a time.
Brandon
Manitoba
RCIP
Economic Development Brandon
A former RNIP community, now open for community recommendation applications. Publishes a Sector & Labour Market Priorities list and a public designated employer list.
Moose Jaw
Saskatchewan
RCIP
Moose Jaw & District Chamber of Commerce
Nine 2026 intake windows, each Monday to Friday 8am-4pm CST. Cooks (63200) and Retail Sales Supervisors (62010) reached their 2026 caps and are closed. Employers must hold a Saskatchewan Certificate of Registration. Visitor status, including maintained visitor status, is not eligible.
Claresholm
Alberta
RCIP
Town of Claresholm Economic Development
30 allocations for 2026 released 3 per month. Boundary is a 25 km radius including Granum and Stavely. Intake opens on the 1st and closes the second-last Tuesday; the committee meets the following Thursday and recommendations go to the highest scorers two business days later. Sales & Service is capped at 6 for the year and occupations are locked to their listed sector.
West Kootenay
British Columbia
RCIP
West Kootenay Regional Immigration Initiative
Intake 2 September 2026 10:00 PT to 7 September 2026 16:00 PT. The June 2026 intake closed at a minimum score of 91. 298 designated employers, 148 recommendations in 2025 and 123 so far in 2026. Employer designation is still accepting applications.
North Okanagan-Shuswap
British Columbia
RCIP
Community Futures North Okanagan & Community Futures Shuswap
Five intake windows in 2026. Cut-off scores so far: Intake 1 = 91, Intake 2 = 93, Intake 3 = 94 (2025 was 84, 84 and 90). Intake 4 runs 12-20 September with a selection meeting on 19 October; Intake 5 runs 8-15 November with a meeting on 7 December. Boundary is the whole Regional District of North Okanagan plus Columbia Shuswap electoral areas C, D, E, F and G and the City of Salmon Arm.
Peace Liard
British Columbia
RCIP
Northeast BC Immigration
Covers the Peace River Regional District and the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality: Fort St. John, Dawson Creek, Chetwynd, Tumbler Ridge, Taylor, Pouce Coupe, Hudson's Hope and Fort Nelson. 56 recommendations issued to date through the April 2026 intake. A final selection committee meets at the end of August 2026 for discretionary candidates only; a second intake in autumn 2026 depends on additional federal allocations.
Acadian Peninsula
New Brunswick
FCIP
Commission de services regionaux Peninsule acadienne
Francophone pilot only, operating in French. Six priority sectors. The employer starts the process.
Superior East
Ontario
FCIP
Superior East Community Futures Development Corporation
Francophone pilot covering Chapleau, Dubreuilville, Wawa, White River, Hornepayne and Manitouwadge plus surrounding First Nations. 25 eligible occupations. Candidate questions must go through the employer.
St-Pierre-Jolys
Manitoba
FCIP
Village of St-Pierre-Jolys with AMBM and CDEM
Francophone pilot delivered with the Association des municipalites bilingues du Manitoba and the Conseil de developpement economique des municipalites bilingues du Manitoba.
Kelowna
British Columbia
FCIP
Societe de developpement economique de la Colombie-Britannique (SDECB)
Francophone pilot. Candidates need French at NCLC 5, a credential at least equal to Canadian secondary school, experience in an eligible occupation, a genuine offer from a designated employer and the intention to settle in Kelowna.
No community matches that search.
For employers
Getting designated.
Only a designated employer can make a job offer that counts. Designation is free, comes from the community's economic development organisation rather than IRCC, and there is no LMIA.
What qualifies a business
- Operating continuously in the community for at least two years
- In good standing, with no employer-compliance violation and no outstanding administrative penalties
- Hiring in an occupation on the community's priority list
- At least 75% of the business inside the community boundary
- Willing to complete free onboarding and intercultural competency training
- Willing to provide settlement support to the newcomer and their family
What is excluded
- Consulates and staffing or employment agencies
- Businesses more than 50% owned or controlled by the candidate or their spouse
- Striptease, erotic dance, escort and erotic massage businesses
- Jobs that are not genuine, or offers created for the application
- Businesses owned by an authorised immigration representative
Several communities add their own exclusions — fast food, convenience stores, gas stations, security companies and restaurant-based businesses are the most common.
While you wait
The two-year work permit.
Your permit
Once the community recommends you, you can apply for an employer-specific work permit valid for up to two years and start work while IRCC processes the permanent residence application. It is optional, but for most people it is the point of the exercise.
Your family
Your spouse or common-law partner may qualify for an open work permit restricted to the same community. Dependent children can study. The restriction matters: the household is expected to actually live in the community, not commute to a city.
The flow
How it actually runs.
1
Pick a community
Check its priority occupations, boundary and whether it is open. Your occupation has to be on that specific community's list.
2
Get a job offer
From an employer already designated by that community, full time and non-seasonal, meeting the TEER matrix.
3
Community recommendation
The employer or you apply during an intake window. The community scores, ranks and issues a recommendation to the highest scorers.
4
Apply to IRCC
File the permanent residence application with the recommendation, plus the optional work permit so you can start earning.
Questions
The things people get wrong.
Can I apply without a job offer?
No. Both pilots are employer-driven from end to end. There is no pool you can enter on your own, and no community will look at a profile that has no designated employer attached to it.
Does a recommendation give me 600 CRS points?
No. RCIP and FCIP are not provincial nominations. They are their own permanent residence class, filed directly with IRCC, and they sit outside Express Entry. If you are also in the Express Entry pool, a community recommendation does nothing to your CRS score.
Can I move after I land?
Legally you have mobility rights the moment you are a permanent resident. But you sign an intent to live in the community, the work permit is tied to it, and IRCC assesses genuine intention at the time you apply. Applying with a plan to leave immediately is misrepresentation.
I am on a visitor visa in Canada. Can I apply?
It depends on the community. Timmins and Moose Jaw explicitly exclude visitors, including people on maintained visitor status. Others are silent. Status is one of the first things to check before you invest time in an employer.
Is FCIP easier because fewer people apply?
Fewer people qualify, which is not the same thing. NCLC 5 in all four abilities in French is a real barrier, and there are only six francophone communities with small allocations. It is a genuinely good route if you already speak French; it is not a shortcut if you do not.
What score do I need?
There is no national cut-off — each community runs its own grid and its own draws. Published 2026 minimums include 91 in West Kootenay's June intake, 94 in North Okanagan-Shuswap's third intake and 79 in Timmins from 30 July. Those numbers rise as allocations run down through the year.
How many recommendations are actually being issued?
Very few communities publish. Of those that do, North Bay had issued 102 by the end of June 2026, West Kootenay 123 and Peace Liard 56. Allocations are small and several occupation caps have already closed for the year.
Is a rural community your best route?
For some profiles it is the only realistic route to permanent residence. For others it is a two-year detour that a stronger Express Entry profile would beat. As a licensed RCIC we will tell you which one you are.
This page summarises public information from IRCC and the designated communities and is not legal advice. Reviewed August 2026.
RCIP / FCIP review
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