RNIP to become a permanent immigration program by August 2024
The Canadian government's Immigration Minister, Sean Fraser, revealed that the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) may be established as a permanent immigration program or continue in some other form beyond August 2024.
The RNIP, created five years ago, has proven highly effective, attracting skilled immigrants to work in smaller communities experiencing labor shortages and aging populations.
Number of PRs through RNIP
With the help of RNIP, Canada successfully welcomed 1,360 new permanent residents in the previous year and another 510 in January 2023 alone.
If the trend persists, Canada is set to welcome around 6,120 immigrants through the RNIP program by the end of this year.
Language Requirements for the RNIP
The language skills required to apply for the pilot program depend on the specific job categories in the National Occupational Classification system. Additionally, applicants must possess a foreign diploma evaluated by Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report to be equivalent to a Canadian high school diploma.
Demonstrating language proficiency is possible through either the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) or the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) standards. These standards have minimum language requirements for each NOC category.
TEER 0 and 1: CLB/NCLC 6
TEER 2 and 3: CLB/NCLC 5
TEER 4 and 5: CLB/NCLC 4
Settlement Fund requirements for RNIP
To qualify for RNIP, applicants must provide evidence of financial resources to support themselves and their families after settling in the community. The number of family members not currently residing in Canada must also be disclosed.