February 2025

The Government of Canada launched two new pilots on January 30, 2025: the Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP) and the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot (FCIP). These two programs are launched against the context of the unique labour market and demographic challenges faced by the rural and Francophone minority communities in Canada.

Goal of RCIP and FCIP

Encouraged by the success of the Rural and Northern immigration Pilot (RNIP), these programs aim to attract and retain newcomers by providing individuals destined to live in rural and francophone communities with a permanent residence pathway. The goal is to have the newcomers settle long-term and fill key jobs that would help the rural and Francophone minority communities develop their economy and increase their demographic weight.

Who can apply

There are presently a total of 18 communities participating in the programs. The list of the communities can be found on the IRCC website.

To qualify, you must:

1. Have a valid job offer from a designated employer in the community
2. Have at least 1 year (1,560 hours) of related work experience in the past 3 years
   • Note: You may be exempted if you studied and graduated in the community (see if you are exempted)
3. Prove your language abilities by taking an approved test
   • English: CELPIP, IELTS, PTE
   • French: TEF Canada, ECF Canada
4. Have a Canadian educational credential or foreign equivalent

• Education in Canada:
  • (1) Canadian secondary school diploma OR
  • (2) recognized Canadian post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree from a designated learning institution
• Education outside of Canada: An educational credential assessment (ECA) report from a designated organization or professional body that
  • is less than 5 years old on the date you apply, and
  • shows you completed a foreign credential equal to
    • (1) a Canadian secondary school diploma, OR
    • (2) Canadian post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree

5. Prove you have enough money to support your transition and your family’s transition into the community
   • See proof of funds and how much money you need

You do not have to be in Canada to apply. In addition, you may be eligible to get a work permit while you wait for the permanent residence application to be processed. You will need a job offer from a designated employer and a referral letter from your participating community.

• See work permit for RCIP
• See work permit for FCIP

How many people will benefit from this program?

IRCC states that these new pilot programs are an effort to continue the success of the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP), which was introduced in 2019 and ended in 2024, while they work on creating a permanent program. IRCC offers statistics for the RNIP that are insightful in speculating on the success of the new programs:

• As of December 31, 2024, 8,580 newcomers have been granted permanent residence through the RNIP, helping address labour shortages in key health care and manufacturing sectors.
• Preliminary findings suggest strong retention in RNIP communities. In October 2022, 87% of RNIP newcomer survey respondents stated that they stayed and planned to stay in their RNIP communities.

There are differences between the new programs and RNIP. The main difference is the inclusion of new Francophone communities—a measure reflective of IRCC’s aim to enhance the long-term vitality and prosperity of Francophone and Acadian minority communities. Thus, traditional Francophone communities, including part of the Acadian Peninsula, Sudbury, Timmins, and St. Pierre Jolys, are participating in the Welcoming Francophone Communities initiative that helps them settle and integrate French-speaking newcomers who arrive in their communities under FCIP.

It is important to note that the process of the new pilots is more employer-driven, as interested employers must undergo an employer designation process. A permanent residence applicant must obtain an offer from a designated employer who has completed this process.

Why Kelowna?

Kelowna is one of the communities included to participate in the FCIP. However, there is no significant French-speaking population in this region. According to Statistics Canada, only 6.7% of the Kelowna population spoke both English and French, and only 1.9% have French as their  mother tongue.

One can only speculate why Kelowna was chosen to participate in the pilot program, which aimed at increasing the number of French-speaking newcomers settling in Francophone communities outside of Quebec. However, a quick look into the history of Kelowna may provide  a clue. Kelowna’s European population began with a French root in the 19^th century. The first European settler was a French Catholic priest known as Father Pandosy, whose settlement attracted many other European settlers to the area.

Canada has a Policy on Francophone Immigration, which mainly aims to “restore” the demographic weight of Francophone and Acadian communities. It seems that IRCC’s goal of increasing Francophone immigration has a very specific intention—develop the Francophone minority communities to enhance the overall vitality of the French language. This means identifying the historically significant Francophone communities outside of Quebec that risk distinction, such as Kelowna.