West Kootenay Rural & Northern Immigration Updates

February 13, 2024.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has extended the participation period of the West Kootenay Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot. Our intake is now open.

PLEASE NOTE: Changes have been made to the Community Criteria for priority NOC job eligibility. Review the changes under: West Kootenay Priority NOC Jobs on the Community Criteria tab to ensure you meet eligibility.

A change to processing Permanent Residence applications as of March 1, 2024: Candidates who receive a recommendation from our community must submit their permanent residency application before August 31, 2024.

Please visit this page regularly for updates as our intake will close again.

The Pilot will only accept applications from candidates who have lived in the West Kootenay region boundaries for 6 months or more. The Pilot will no longer accept applicants from out of the region or overseas.

The Pilot has a limited number of community recommendations. For this reason, some people will not be able to use the Pilot before it ends. Please visit Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s website to learn about other pathways to immigrate to Canada.

Eligibility

Applicants

Applicant Eligibility

The RNIP applicant must meet the federal eligibility criteria set by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
The applicant must intend to live in the West Kootenay region long-term.
The wage offered in your offer of employment must $22 per hour or more, and must be above or within the range of wages for that occupation in the Job Bank for similar jobs in the region.
- Note: Applicants who are currently working, studying, and/or residing for at least the last six months in the West Kootenay region will be exempt from the Community specific wage criteria of $22.00 per hour and may be paid wages between $18.00 to $21.99 per hour.
To apply to the West Kootenay RNIP:
- Carefully read through the Applicants page
- Then submit a complete application through our portal.

Employers

Definition of “Employer”

EMPLOYER refers to a business registered and/or an individual who owns any part in one or more businesses, numbered companies, franchise outlets, or companies with multiple locations in the West Kootenay Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot region.

Employer Eligibility

To ensure that the job offers are genuine, these requirements must be met:

The Employer must be based within the Community boundaries and be eligible to issue genuine job offers, as defined in the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship RNIP website.
The Employer must attest to their efforts made to recruit a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident prior to providing an eligible job offer.
The Employer must have operated in the West Kootenays for a minimum of two years (as defined in the Ministerial Instructions) or have made a business investment of at least $200,000 in the West Kootenay region.
The Employer must not be in violation of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada) and/or provincial employment standards.
The Employer must not request or accept any form of payment in exchange for providing a job offer.
The wage in the Job Offer must:
- Meet or exceed $22 per hour
  - Note: candidates who have worked and/or resided in the West Kootenay region for the last six months are exempt from the Community Specific Wage Criteria of $22 per hour, and may be offered wages between $18.00 to $21.99 per hour.
- Be above or within the range of wages for that particular occupation in the Job Bank for similar jobs in the region
Fast food franchise employees are not eligible to apply for the Pilot.

Employer Recommendation Limit

To ensure that RNIP is available to as many employers in the region as possible, an Employer Recommendation Limit has been created. The number of times an Employer can use the Pilot will be based on the number of full-time employees (30 hours/ week) they have. The RNIP Coordinator will ask the employer for proof of the number of full-time employees currently employed.

RNIP Recommendations Per Employer

1-65 full-time employees: 3 recommendations per year
66-100 full-time employees: 6 recommendations per year

Recommendation Limit Exemption: Job offers in priority NOCs, as outlined above, will not count towards this cap.

Note: Candidates must meet the minimum of 26 Community Criteria points to be eligible, unless the job offer is for a West Kootenay Priority NOC job (see below).

Job Eligibility

In-Region Candidates

All job offers for candidates living in the West Kootenay region must have a start date within two months from their RNIP application date.

Overseas Candidates

Overseas applicants are no longer eligible for the West Kootenay RNIP.

West Kootenay Community Criteria

The West Kootenay Community Criteria is developed by the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot Steering Committee. It is done in consultation with local businesses and stakeholders.

The Community Criteria is designed to:

Find applicants who best fit the community’s skilled workforce needs
Prioritize those applicants who intend to reside in the community

The Community Criteria may be adjusted over time, depending on the workforce needs of the region.

All Applicants applying to the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot must complete the Community Criteria Form and score 26 points or higher, with the exception of Applicants who have a job offer in a West Kootenay Priority NOC job (see below).

Community Criteria Form

West Kootenay Priority NOC Jobs

The RNIP Steering Committee meets quarterly, and if needed, identifies new priority jobs for the region. These are referred to as “West Kootenay Priority NOCs”.

The priority NOC jobs may change over time, depending on the needs of the community.

Applicants with a job offer for a West Kootenay Priority NOC are not required to fulfill the 26-point requirement outlined in our Community Criteria form. However, some Priority NOC jobs have additional eligibility requirements (see below) including a minimum amount of time worked for the employer. Please note: Even if you are a Selkirk College new graduate you must complete the additional eligibility requirements for some priority NOC occupations.

Fast food franchise employees are not eligible for the Pilot.

Below is a list of the current West Kootenay Priority NOCs. Click the job title for information on the NOC, TEER, and additional eligibility requirements.

Accountants, Accounting Technicians & Bookkeepers

Job Offer	NOC	TEER	Additional Eligibility Requirements
Accountants	11100	1	Before applying to RNIP, the Candidate must work for the employer on the IMM5984 (Job Offer Form) in that job for a minimum of 3 months full-time or 6 months part-time. Wage must be $23.08 per hour or more. Pay stub documentation will be required as proof.
Accounting technicians and bookkeepers	12200	2	Before applying to RNIP, the Candidate must work for the employer on the IMM5984 (Job Offer Form) in that job for a minimum of 3 months full-time or 6 months part-time. Wage must be $18.00 per hour or more. Pay stub documentation will be required as proof.

Industrial, Electrical, and Construction Trades (Major NOC group)

This group is based on the 2016 NOC Major Category 72. Follow link to learn about the different jobs this includes.

Computer Systems Developers & Programmers, Software Developers and Programmers

Job Offer	NOC	TEER	Additional Eligibility Requirements
Computer systems developers and programmers	21230	1	Wage must be $23.08 per hour or more.
Software developers and programmers	21232	1	Wage must be $26.00 per hour or more.

Nursing and Health Care Aides

Job Offer	NOC	TEER	Additional Eligibility Requirements
Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses	31301	1	No additional eligibility requirements.
Licensed practical nurses	32101	2	No additional eligibility requirements.
Nurse aides, orderlies, and patient service associates	33102	3	Before applying to RNIP, the Candidate must work for the employer on the IMM5984 (Job Offer Form) in that job for a minimum of 3 months full-time or 6 months part-time. Wage must be $20.95 per hour or more.

Social and Community Service Workers

Job Offer	NOC	TEER	Additional Eligibility Requirements
Social and community service workers	42201	2	Before applying to RNIP, the Candidate must work for the employer on the IMM5984 (Job Offer Form) in that job for a minimum of 9 months full-time. The wage must be $19.56 per hour or more. Pay stub documentation will be required as proof.

Early Childhood Educators and Early Childhood Educator Assistants

Job Offer	NOC	TEER	Additional Eligibility Requirements
Early childhood educators	42202	2	Before applying to RNIP, the Candidate must work for the employer on the IMM5984 (Job Offer Form) in that job for a minimum of 3 months full-time or 6 months part-time. Wage must be $18.00 per hour or more. Pay stub documentation will be required as proof.
Early childhood educator assistants	42202	2	Before applying to RNIP, the Candidate must work for the employer on the IMM5984 (Job Offer Form) in that job for a minimum of 1 year full-time. Wage must be $18.00 per hour or more. Pay stub documentation will be required as proof. Must meet all Federal eligibility requirements for this job.

Chefs, Cooks, and Bakers

NOTE: fast food franchise employees are not eligible to apply.

Job Offer	NOC	TEER	Additional Eligibility Requirements
Chefs	62200	2	Before applying to RNIP, the Candidate must work for the employer on the IMM5984 (Job Offer Form) in that job for a minimum of 9 months full-time. Wage must be $18.00 per hour or more. Pay stub documentation will be required as proof.
Cooks	63200	3	Before applying to RNIP, the Candidate must work for the employer on the IMM5984 (Job Offer Form) in that job for a minimum of 9 months full-time. Wage must be $18.00 per hour or more. Pay stub documentation will be required as proof.
Bakers	63202	3	Before applying to RNIP, the Candidate must work for the employer on the IMM5984 (Job Offer Form) in that job for a minimum of 9 months full-time. Wage must be $18.00 per hour or more. Pay stub documentation will be required as proof.

Hotel Front Desk Clerks

Job Offer	NOC	TEER	Additional Eligibility Requirements
Hotel front desk clerks	64314	4	Before applying to RNIP, the Candidate must work for the employer on the IMM5984 (Job Offer Form) in that job for a minimum of 9 months full-time. Wage must be $18.00 per hour or more. Pay stub documentation will be required as proof.

Construction Managers

Job Offer	NOC	TEER	Additional Eligibility Requirements
Construction managers	70010	0	Wage must be $41.00 per hour or more (based on the Job Bank rates).

Mechanics

Job Offer	NOC	TEER	Additional Eligibility Requirements
Automotive service mechanics	72410	2	Wage must be $20.00 per hour or more.
Heavy-duty equipment mechanics	72401	2	Wage must be $34.00 per hour or more.

Transport Truck Drivers

Job Offer	NOC	TEER	Additional Eligibility Requirements
Transport truck drivers	73300	3	Before applying to RNIP, the Candidate must work for the employer on the IMM5984 (Job Offer Form) in that job for a minimum of 3 months full-time . Wage must be $25.00 per hour or more. Pay stub documentation will be required as proof.