Some of the warmest welcomes in Canada come from smaller places: a mill town in northern Ontario, a valley in British Columbia, a francophone village in Manitoba. These two pilots, launched on January 30, 2025, let 18 communities recommend newcomers for permanent residence when local employers need them. If you have a job offer in one of these communities, or you are drawn to the idea of building a life somewhere you will be truly known, this route is worth understanding.
Read what changes on January 1, 2027 in our piece on the permanent program.
The participating communities
| Province | Rural Community Immigration Pilot | Francophone Community Immigration Pilot |
|---|---|---|
| British Columbia | West Kootenay, North Okanagan Shuswap, Peace Liard | Kelowna |
| Alberta | Claresholm | None |
| Saskatchewan | Moose Jaw | None |
| Manitoba | Steinbach, Altona/Rhineland, Brandon | St. Pierre Jolys |
| Ontario | North Bay, Sudbury, Timmins, Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay | Sudbury, Timmins, Superior East Region |
| New Brunswick | None | Acadian Peninsula |
| Nova Scotia | Pictou County | None |
Who qualifies
- A job offer from an employer designated by the community: full-time (at least 30 paid hours a week), non-seasonal, and with no end date, inside the community’s boundaries.
- A recommendation from that community.
- At least 1 year (1,560 hours) of paid, related work experience in the past 3 years, unless you graduated from a public post-secondary school in the community (see below).
- Language: for the rural pilot, CLB 6 for TEER 0 or 1 jobs, CLB 5 for TEER 2 or 3, and CLB 4 for TEER 4 or 5. For the francophone pilot, NCLC 5 in French in all four skills, with TEF Canada or TCF Canada, whatever the job.
- A Canadian high school diploma or higher, or a foreign credential with an equivalency assessment less than 5 years old.
- Enough settlement funds, unless you already work in Canada on a valid permit, and the intention to live in the community that recommends you.
Matching your job offer to your experience
| Job offer | Work experience that counts |
|---|---|
| TEER 0 or 1 | TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 |
| TEER 2 | TEER 1, 2, 3 or 4 |
| TEER 3 or 4 | TEER 2, 3 or 4 |
| TEER 5 | The same 5-digit NOC code |
Registered nurses have an exception: their experience can support a job offer as a nurse aide or orderly, or as a home support worker.
If you studied in the community
Graduates of a public post-secondary school in the community do not need the work experience if they studied full-time, received their credential no more than 18 months before applying, and either completed a program of 2 years or more while living in the community for at least 16 of the last 24 months, or completed a master’s degree or higher of 2 years or less while living in the community the whole time.
From job offer to permanent residence
- 01
Find a designated employer
Each community designates employers that have operated there for at least 2 years, in its priority sectors and occupations.
- 02
Get the community’s recommendation
Your employer applies to the community, which checks that the job is real and in a priority sector, then sends you a recommendation certificate.
- 03
Apply for permanent residence
Apply online through IRCC’s Permanent Residence Portal once you have the recommendation.
- 04
Start working sooner, if you need to
With the job offer and the recommendation, you can apply for a 2-year work permit with your employer. Your partner can get an open work permit for the same community.
- 05
Build your life in the community
The community chose you as much as you chose it. Its settlement partners are there to help you put down roots.
Settlement funds
| People in your family | Funds needed |
|---|---|
| 1 | $10,507 |
| 2 | $13,080 |
| 3 | $16,080 |
| 4 | $19,524 |
| 5 | $22,143 |
| 6 | $24,975 |
| 7 | $27,806 |
| Each extra person | $2,831 |
What it costs
| Who | Fee |
|---|---|
| You, the principal applicant | $1,590 (includes the $600 right of permanent residence fee) |
| Your spouse or partner | $1,590 |
| Each dependent child | $270 |
| Biometrics | $85 per person, or $170 per family |
Frequently asked questions
Do I need Express Entry for these pilots?
No. The pilots are separate programs with no points ranking. What matters is a qualifying job offer from a designated employer and the community’s recommendation.
Do I have to speak French for the francophone pilot?
Yes. You need NCLC 5 in French in all four skills, shown with TEF Canada or TCF Canada, whatever your job. The rural pilot accepts English or French.
Can I move to another city after I become a permanent resident?
As a permanent resident you have the right to live anywhere in Canada. The pilots do ask that you intend to live in the community that recommended you, and communities build these programs hoping newcomers will stay.
Is the rural pilot ending?
It is becoming permanent. The pilot closes on January 1, 2027, the day the permanent Rural Community Immigration Program opens in the same 14 communities, with the same rules. If you already have a recommendation dated December 31, 2026 or earlier, apply under the pilot before it expires. IRCC will keep processing the pilot applications it has already received.
You don’t have to face the wait alone.
Thousands of people have shared their real timelines so the next person isn’t left guessing in the dark. Add yours, keep your own application and your family’s together in one place, and see a grounded estimate of how long your decision might take, drawn from people who are walking the same path.
- Share your timeline and help the next applicant find their footing.
- Track your own and your family’s applications together, in one calm place.
- See a realistic estimate of your wait, based on people on the same journey.
It’s free, and what you track stays private to you. Sharing your timeline with the community is always your choice.
Key takeaways
- You need a job offer from an employer designated by a participating community.
- The community must recommend you before you apply for permanent residence.
- Each community sets its own intake and priorities, so availability changes through the year.
- IRCC: Rural and Francophone Community Immigration Pilots (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC: Rural Community Immigration Pilot eligibility (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC: Francophone Community Immigration Pilot eligibility (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC: Fee list (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC: Rural Community Immigration Program (opens January 1, 2027) (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC news release: Canada creates a permanent immigration pathway for rural communities (November 9, 2026) (opens in a new tab)
Last reviewed: Nov 11, 2026