Question Period Note: RURAL AND NORTHERN IMMIGRATION PILOT

Share objective and benefits of the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot

• Through the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot, the Government of Canada is helping small and rural communities attract and retain newcomers to Canada.

• The Government has partnered with organizations in Northern Ontario and Western Canada who will provide settlement recommendations based on local needs, as well as good job and integration support for newcomers.

• This innovative approach allows communities to benefit from immigration while helping them overcome their demographic and economic challenges.

• Rural and northern communities face specific economic and demographic challenges. Under existing federal economic immigration programs, the majority of newcomers settle in large urban centres for job opportunities or existing social ties. As a result, smaller communities across Canada have asked the Government to help them attract and retain skilled immigrants to their regions.

• The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot complements other immigration programs, including the Provincial Nominee Program and the Atlantic Immigration Pilot, as well as ongoing work with the territories to address the unique immigration needs in Canada’s North. The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot will seek to establish best practices that could inform future immigration programming, including the Municipal Nominee Program.

• The pilot partners Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada with federal regional development agencies (RDAs) and 11 communities to empower them to recruit and integrate newcomers that can support local economic development strategies.

• The communities were selected through an open call-out process. A large number of submissions was received. Analysis and consultation (provinces/territories, Regional Development Agencies) of the submissions focused on:

  • Economic potential: growth in economy, presence of diversity of key-growth sectors, and employment opportunities
  • Settlement potential: availability of settlement services and social infrastructure to support integration
  • Community capacity: administrative capacity and experience

• The 11 selected communities are:

  • Brandon, MB
  • Claresholm, AB
  • Moose Jaw, SK
  • North Bay, ON
  • Altona/Rhineland, MB
  • Sault-Ste-Marie, ON
  • Sudbury, ON
  • Thunder Bay, ON
  • Timmins, ON
  • Vernon, BC
  • West Kootenay, BC

• The response to the call out for community interest was positive, with a large number of communities, more than 50, signaling their interest. This is a pilot program, testing new, innovative approaches to using immigration to support the diverse economic development and labour market needs of smaller communities. As such, to be able to implement the approach effectively, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is focusing on a limited number of communities.

• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is working with the selected communities to establish local partnerships to develop the capacity to recruit and retain eligible foreign nationals. Some communities – Altona/Rhineland and Brandon, MB, and Sault Ste Marie, ON - have finalized and implemented local criteria and begun accepting information from interested candidates. The first community recommendations were made in late 2019. The first permanent resident application under the pilot was received before the end of the calendar year.

• The remaining communities are at varying stages of readiness as they develop the pilot locally and put dedicated resources in place. All are expected to become active in the pilot in the first half of 2020.

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