A study by the Northern Policy Institute found that last year, the RNIP helped boost Thunder Bay’s economy beyond simply assisting foreign nationals in finding jobs and settling into their communities. In one year the program offered:
- 229 jobs to its applicants,
- generated 92 other jobs in the local economy, and
- a total of $11.6 million in wages.
The RNIP is growing at a fast pace, welcoming 1,425 foreign nationals to gain permanent residence in Canada in the first half of 2023. The program’s effectiveness has led Ottawa to increase the number of foreign nationals allowed to immigrate to some of the communities in the program.
The RNIP aims to recruit skilled immigrants to work in smaller communities with aging populations and labor shortages through the five-year program, which is expected to become a permanent immigration program soon.
RNIP welcomed 1,345 new permanent residents to Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia last year. By the end of the first half of this year, the program has already surpassed those immigration numbers by about 6%, granting permanent residence to 1,425 foreign nationals.
“I’ve seen firsthand the importance of this program throughout our region,” Sudbury MP Viviane Lapointe said. “Not only has the program directly addressed gaps and challenges such as labor shortages, but it also continues to drive economic prosperity for our communities in ways that will have a generational impact,” says the program’s director.
“I’ve heard personally from employers how helpful this program has been in attracting workers, growing and expanding businesses, and creating economic opportunities in our communities.”
“From my perspective, the Rural and Northern Immigration Program has been an enormous success,” stated then-Immigration Minister Sean Fraser earlier this year.
What is the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot?
The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot is an initiative driven by the local communities. By offering a path to permanent residency for highly talented foreign workers who wish to live and work in one of the participating communities, it aims to expand the benefits of economic immigration to smaller communities.
Additionally, each community will have its own
- additional criteria for being eligible
- process for applying for jobs,
- community recommendations application process
Participating communities in RNIP are:
- North Bay, ON
- Sudbury, ON
- Timmins, ON
- Sault Ste. Marie, ON
- Thunder Bay, ON
- Brandon, MB
- Altona/Rhineland, MB
- Moose Jaw, SK
- Claresholm, AB
- Vernon, BC
- West Kootenay (Trail, Castlegar, Rossland, Nelson), BC
Want to know more details about the “Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot Boosted the local economy of Thunder Bay” you can contact one of our immigration specialists at Gunness & Associates.
Tel: (416) 604-2669
Email: info@immigrationmatters.info
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