Details and eligibility criteria for new Canadian rural immigration pathway revealed

New information has been released about a rural immigration pathway to permanent residence (PR) in Canada.

The Rural Community Immigration Class is a pathway for foreign nationals who can help overcome labour shortages in designated communities outside of Quebec, and want to reside in these communities long term.

To qualify, applicants must meet criteria for

• Work experience;
• Education;
• A job offer;
• Language proficiency;
• Proof of funds; and
• Intent to reside.

Details regarding each of the criteria can be found below.

*Applicants from within Canada must have a valid temporary resident status at the time of application which they must maintain until PR status has been granted.

Work experience

Applicants must have at least one year of continuous full-time work (or equivalent part-time) in an occupation listed under the National Occupational Classification (NOC).

The work experience must be

• Within three years of applying for permanent residence;
• Involve performing the key tasks and main duties described in the NOC;
• With a third-party employer (except for medical practitioners); and
• If done in Canada, the applicant must have had proper work authorization and temporary resident status.

The work experience required is dependent on the offer of employment.

*International graduate exemption:

The work experience requirement does not apply to applicants who have obtained an eligible credential from a post-secondary program and meet the following requirements:

• Studied full-time throughout the program;
• Obtained the credential 18 months before applying;
• For master’s or doctoral programs shorter than two years, applicants must have lived in the designated community where employment is located for the full program; and
• For other programs of at least two years, they must have lived in the community for 16 of the 24 months before graduating.

Genuine offer of employment

An employment offer must meet the following requirements:

• Be from a designated employer (an employer approved by an economic development organization);
• Be for permanent, full-time work that isn’t seasonal;
• Be based in the designated community, with at least 75% of the work performed there;
• Be for employment the applicant is qualified for, based on their work experience or education that matches the duties outlined in the National Occupational Classification (NOC);
• Be for a job in which the candidate has recent work experience, unless the candidate qualifies for an exception, such as being a nurse or an eligible international graduate.

Language proficiency

Applicants must provide language test results from a designated institution approved by the Canadian government, and must demonstrate the required level of proficiency based on the NOC TEER of their job offer.

Scores from language tests will be converted to Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) score, in accordance with the government’s scoring grid.

Language tests results are valid for two years, after which they expire.

Education

Applicants must have obtained a secondary school diploma, or a higher level credential.

If the degree was obtained within Canada, they need to submit a copy of the Canadian credential.

If degree was obtained outside Canada, they need to submit a copy of a foreign secondary school education credential along with an equivalency assessment that is less than five years old at the time of applying.

Proof of funds

Applicants must show they have enough available funds to support themselves and their family members for one year.

The amount must be at least half of the low-income threshold for rural areas outside major cities, as published annually by Statistics Canada.

*This does not apply to applicants who are already working in Canada.

Intent to reside

The applicant must demonstrate that they intend to reside in a designated community.

Applicants must have a valid certificate of recommendation from an economic development organization at the time of application.

These certificates are issued by an economic development organization, and are valid for six months from the date of issue.