About the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot

The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) is a new community-driven immigration program. It is designed to spread the benefits of economic immigration to smaller communities by creating a path to permanent residence for skilled foreign workers who want to work and live in Moose Jaw.

The RNIP allows eligible employers to make full-time permanent job offers to skilled foreign workers who can help fill identified labour shortages in our city.

The Selection Committee recommends people for permanent residence who have the skills and experience that the Moose Jaw economy needs and have an intent to reside in the community, and the Government of Canada makes the final decision to approve applications for permanent residence.

Click here for more details about applying for the program.

Supporting Moose Jaw’s Economic Development Strategy, priority occupations have been identified as complementary to the area’s strengths as outlined on the RNIP home page. Priority occupations are set by the Selection Committee and determined using a variety of sources including local employers’ experiences, historical labour market reports, and future labour market projections. These may be updated from time to time.

The occupations listed below will be targeted in Year 1 of the Moose Jaw Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot program to accomplish the community’s goals of economic diversification, community development, and employment growth within priority sectors.

• 3111 - Specialist physicians
• 3112 - General practitioners and family physicians

• 6211 - Retail sales supervisors
• 6311 - Food service supervisors
• 6322 - Cooks
• 7241 - Electricians (except industrial and power system)
• 7251 - Plumbers
• 7282 - Concrete finishers
• 7295 - Floor covering installers
• 7321 - Automotive service technicians, truck and bus mechanics and mechanical repairers
• 8252 - Agricultural service contractors, farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers

• 75 - Transport and heavy equipment operation and related maintenance occupations
• 1525 - Truck dispatcher
• 4412 - Home support workers, housekeepers, and related occupations
• 8431 - General farm workers
• 9462 - Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers, and related workers

9617 - Labourers in food and beverage processing

In addition to the priority occupations listed above, the Selection Committee has allotted up to 15% of annual recommendations for non-priority occupations, referred to as “Open NOCs”. Applicants with a job offer not listed above will be considered only at the discretion of the Selection Committee.  As the number of allocations in this category are limited, Moose Jaw retains the right to limit the number of open NOC positions used by a single employer or sector.

There are three ways you might participate in the RNIP pilot program.

1. You are currently employed and live in Moose Jaw

If you are a temporary resident living in Moose Jaw and you are currently employed or being offered full-time permanent employment:

• Make sure you meet all of the federal eligibility criteria for the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot.
• Ask your employer to contact the Program Coordinator to begin the employer screening process.
• If your employer is eligible and an official job offer has been made, you will be authorized to apply for a community recommendation.

2. You do not live or work in Moose Jaw

If you are a temporary resident within Canada or you are a foreign national living outside of Canada:

• Make sure you meet all of the federal eligibility criteria for the RNIP.
• Explore job vacancies that are posted on behalf of eligible employers.
• Apply online for the jobs that are suited to your skill set and work experience.
• Once a job offer has been made to you by an eligible employer, you will be asked to apply for a community recommendation.

3. You are a student

To qualify for the RNIP, international graduates need to be offered a full-time permanent position within Moose Jaw. Some international graduates are exempt from the federal eligibility criteria for “work experience”. To find out if you are exempt from these criteria, check the federal eligibility criteria for international students.

Don’t meet the RNIP requirements? For other ways to immigrate to Moose Jaw, visit the Government of Canada’s website.

Please see the Employers page

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) provides an in-depth description of the process for candidates who would like to participate in the RNIP. A summary of two possible scenarios are as follows:

Scenario A: For employers seeking a candidate through the program:

  • Employer contacts the Selection Committee to confirm that they meet the mandatory criteria.
  • Qualifying job offers are posted on the Moose Jaw RNIP website.
  • Candidates create a profile once they declare that they meet the federal minimum criteria and community specific criteria.
  • Candidates apply to jobs through this website.
  • The Program Coordinator assesses candidates’ qualifications, intention to reside in Moose Jaw, and best fit for the position.
  • Employer reviews shortlisted candidates and selects the successful applicant.
  • Employer extends a qualifying job offer to the successful applicant.


Scenario B: For employers that have already identified a candidate they would like to hire:

  • Employer contacts the Program Coordinator to confirm that they meet the mandatory criteria.
  • Employer identifies the desired candidate.
  • Program Coordinator requests the appropriate documentation from the desired candidate.
  • Program Coordinator assesses:
    ◦ Whether the desired candidate meets the federal minimum criteria and community specific criteria;
    ◦ The candidate’s qualifications in relation to the job; and
    ◦ The candidate’s intention to reside in Moose Jaw.


Next steps:

  • Successful candidates in scenario A or B then apply for recommendation to the Moose Jaw Selection Committee.
  • The Program Coordinator assesses prioritization points and conducts interviews with top ranking candidates.
  • On a monthly basis, the top-ranking candidates are presented for recommendation decision to the Selection Committee (to recommend or decline). The Selection Committee is informed of other candidates that are currently being held for the next month’s meeting.
  • The Selection Committee informs candidates of the status of their application on a monthly basis.
  • If the candidate’s application is approved by the Selection Committee, the candidate submits an application for permanent residence to IRCC.

Intake Period
Applicants who meet the federal and community eligibility criteria will be placed into a candidate pool. The committee will accept applicants up to the last day of every month. The committee will offer a recommendation to those candidates with a qualifying job offer, who best fit the Community Criteria as demonstrated by the ranking based on priority points. Applicants who were not chosen for recommendation will be placed back into the candidate pool. Applications will be considered for recommendation up to 6 months after the initial application date, after which the application will be declined. Applicants can choose to re-apply.

Interviews
Applicants who apply from outside Canada must be available for a 15 to 30-minute videoconference interview. Applicants who are currently in the Community may be required to attend an in-person interview at the discretion of the Selection Committee.

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