West Kootenay in British Columbia has revealed its list of priority sectors and occupations for the Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP).
Assess your eligibility for the RCIP
The RCIP is an employer-driven pathway to permanent residence (PR) for foreign nationals in participating rural communities.
Located in southeastern B.C., West Kootenay’s RCIP designated area extends from the area north of the US border from Rock Creek on the West to Yahk on the East; Northwestern boundary to Hughes Peak and Northeast to the area around Duncan Lake.
It includes the communities of Nelson, Castlegar, Trail, Kaslo, and Cursinas, Amongst Others.
To be eligible, a foreign national must have a full-time, permanent job offer from a designated employer in the region. The job must be in a priority occupation.
They must also meet other RCIP requirements for language ability, education, work experience, and (unless already working in Canada) settlement funds.
West Kootenay RCIP priority sectors
Only eligible employers that are operating in one of the priority sectors mentioned below can apply to become designated and then hire through the West Kootenay RCIP:
- Health.
- Education, law and social, community and government services.
- Sales and service.
- Trades, transport and equipment operators.
- Manufacturing and utilities.
If a business operates in multiple sectors, at least one of the business activities must be in a priority sector, and the job offer must be in that sector, for the employer to qualify for designation.
West Kootenay RCIP priority occupations
The following table sets out the eligible occupations, along with the corresponding minimum required Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) levels in all four language abilities:
| General Job Titles | NOC | CLB Level Requirement | Additional Eligibility Requirements |
| Accounting technicians and bookkeepers | 12200 | 5 | Must be in one of the 5 priority sectors. |
| Bakers | 63202 | 5 | Fast Food businesses are not eligible. |
| Career development practitioners and career counsellors (except education) | 41321 | 6 | N/A. |
| Carpenters | 72310 | 5 | N/A. |
| Cooks | 63200 | 5 | Fast Food businesses are not eligible. |
| Early childhood educators and assistants | 42202 | 5 | There is no employer cap for this occupation. |
| Food and beverage servers | 65200 | 4 | Fast Food businesses are not eligible. |
| Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers, and related support occupations | 65201 | 4 | Accepted Job Titles: 1) Barista, or 2) Food Counter Attendant. Fast Food businesses are not eligible. |
| Front Desk Agents | 64314 | 4 | N/A |
| General office support workers | 14100 | 4 | Must be in one of the 5 priority sectors |
| Health care aides | 33102 | 5 | There is no employer cap for this occupation. |
| Heavy-duty equipment mechanics | 72401 | 5 | N/A |
| Light duty cleaners | 65310 | 4 | Accepted Job Titles: 1) Housekeeping Room Attendant, or 2) Light Duty Cleaner. |
| Material handlers | 75101 | 5 | Accepted Job Titles: 1) Forklift Operator, 2) Forklift Truck Operator, 3) Labourer-Material Handling, or 4) Material Handler-Manufacturing & Warehousing. |
| Other labourers in processing, manufacturing and utilities | 95109 | 4 | Accepted Job Title: General Labourer – Manufacturing. |
| Other trades helpers & labourers | 75119 | 4 | N/A |
| Painters and decorators (except interior decorators) | 73112 | 5 | N/A |
| Social and community service workers | 42201 | 5 | N/A |
| Transport truck drivers | 73300 | 5 | 75% or more of the driving/ job duties must happen within the West Kootenay RCIP Region. |
West Kootenay RCIP has stated that while most job offers must match one of the approved priority occupations, a small percentage of community recommendations can go to other occupations if the job is still in a priority sector, and the employer has hired someone previously in a priority occupation.
To give employers fair access to the pilot, the community has also implemented annual limits on the number of candidates each designated employer can recommend.
These limits are based on the size of the business.
- Employers with 1 to 65 full-time employees can make up to 3 community recommendations per year.
- Employers with 66 or more full-time employees can make up to 6 community recommendations per year.
Who is eligible for the RCIP?
Once an employer has identified a foreign national they wish to hire, they must submit a recommendation application.
Foreign nationals who are successfully recommended through the community can apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for PR.
Apart from having a qualifying job offer that is from a designated employer in the community within a priority occupation, foreign nationals need to meet other criteria:
- Have at least 1 year (1,560 hours) of related work experience in the past three years*.
- Meet language proficiency requirements.
- Have a Canadian educational credential or the foreign equivalent.
- Have enough money to support the settlement process for themselves and their family.
*Students who have graduated from an eligible post-secondary school in the region such as Selkirk College may qualify without work experience.
