Provinces and Territories Covered by The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot Program
- Alberta
- British Columbia
- Manitoba
- Northwest Territories
- Nunavut
- Ontario
- Saskatchewan
- Yukon
Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot Program : Community Requirements
Communities must:
- Have a population of 50,000 or less and be located at least 75km from the core of a Census Metropolitan Area, OR
- Have a population of up to 200,000 people and be considered remote from other larger cities, according to the Statistics Canada Remoteness Index.
- Have job opportunities.
- Have an economic development plan.
- Have a local economic development organization that can manage the pilot for your community
- Help settle new immigrants in the community by having or developing:
- Relationships with local or regional immigrant-serving organizations
- Opportunities to connect newcomers with established members of the community
- Access to key services like
- Education
- Housing
- Transportation
- Health care
- Communities must also have letters of support from:
- The municipality (local leaders) AND
- A local or regional immigrant-serving organization.
How Communities Apply to The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot Program
A completed application includes:
- Community Interest Form (available on the federal government website).
- An economic development plan was written in the last 3 years.
- A letter of support from a municipal leader
- A letter of support from a local or regional immigrant-serving organization
Optionally, the application might also include:
- Letters of support from:
- Major employers.
- Community members.
- Demographic and economic data.
The Economic Development Organization must complete the application, with a deadline of March 1, 2019.
What Is A Local Economic Development Organization?
An economic development organization has:
- Economic development central to its mandate.
- Economic development or strategic plan, or falls under a broader plan.
- Available resources to participate in the pilot
Examples include:
- Community futures organization.
- Chamber of commerce.
- Other independent or not-for-profit economic development organization.
- Hybrid organization of a municipality with an independent board of directors made up of community stakeholders.