Answer about 15 minutes of questions and see which Canadian immigration routes may fit you.
Get your free Roadmap SnapshotIRCC says the Rural Community Immigration Pilot becomes a permanent program with the same 14 communities and 5,500 PR spaces targeted for 2027.
On November 9, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, that the Rural Community Immigration Pilot is becoming a permanent program, the Rural Community Immigration Program. It is expected to continue with the 14 communities already in the pilot, and the 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan targets 5,500 permanent resident admissions under it in 2027. This is a government announcement of a permanent program; IRCC has not yet published a start date or any new eligibility rules.
What did IRCC announce?
According to IRCC's news release and backgrounder of November 9, 2026:
- The pilot, launched in January 2025, becomes the permanent Rural Community Immigration Program, described by IRCC as employer- and community-led.
- The program intends to continue with the 14 communities in the pilot, with expansion to more communities planned in the future. IRCC says criteria for new communities will come in a later announcement.
- Communities set their priority sectors and occupations, and vet and designate local employers. Only designated employers in those sectors can use the program.
- From January 2025 to August 2026, IRCC says communities designated more than 1,950 employers, who issued over 4,700 job offers and community recommendations.
How many people will it admit?
IRCC's supplementary information for the 2027–2029 levels plan sets these targets. They also cover remaining applications under the current pilot and the earlier Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot.
| Year | Target | Range |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 | 5,500 | 4,000 to 6,500 |
| 2028 | 6,000 | 5,000 to 7,000 |
| 2029 | 6,500 | 4,000 to 7,000 |
Which communities are included?
IRCC's backgrounder lists the 14 communities expected to take part:
- Nova Scotia: Pictou County
- Ontario: North Bay, Sudbury, Timmins, Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay
- Manitoba: Steinbach, Altona/Rhineland, Brandon
- Saskatchewan: Moose Jaw
- Alberta: Claresholm
- British Columbia: West Kootenay, North Okanagan Shuswap, Peace Liard
What has not been announced yet?
Several points readers will ask about are not in IRCC's November 9 material:
IRCC's announcement does not mention the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot. It is also not a new route for people without a job offer: the pathway still depends on a job with an employer designated by a participating community.
- The date the permanent program replaces the pilot.
- Whether candidate requirements (work experience, language, education, settlement funds) will change from the pilot rules.
- What happens to community recommendations and applications already in progress, beyond the levels plan note that remaining pilot applications are counted in the targets.
- Which communities will be added, and when.
Who is affected?
Most directly: workers and international graduates already working, or offered work, in one of the 14 communities; employers there that are designated or want to be; and candidates in the pilot's process today, who should keep following the current pilot rules on IRCC's program page until IRCC publishes transition instructions.
What to do next
If you live or work in one of the 14 communities, check that community's own designated-employer list and priority occupations, and keep your language test and documents current. If you are outside these communities, compare other routes, such as provincial nominee programs and Express Entry. For a written plan based on your own profile, start with the free Snapshot.
Admission targets are planning figures, not guarantees, and processing times are estimates. A job offer or community recommendation does not guarantee permanent residence. Sources: IRCC news release and backgrounder, November 9, 2026; Supplementary Information for the 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan; read November 9, 2026.
Not sure how this applies to your situation? A licensed immigration consultant (RCIC) can review your profile with you.
