Moose Jaw could benefit from changes to national immigration program

The federal government is expanding the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) program to make it easier for communities — including Moose Jaw — to fill labour needs and attract more people.

“Immigration plays a crucial role in our economic recovery from the pandemic and, now more than ever, newcomers are vital to the future of rural and northern communities across the country. The Government of Canada is committed to supporting these communities, expanding immigration to create jobs, addressing our labour shortage, and helping businesses grow,” Ottawa said in a news release.

The Honourable Sean Fraser, minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship, announced recently that the federal government was expanding RNIP by increasing the benefits of immigration in the participating communities. Several new improvements will be implemented this fall and will support partners, employers and candidates through various actions.

Those actions include: 

• Expanding the geographic boundaries of the participating municipalities — including Moose Jaw
• Making it easier to fill labour market needs in health care and the trades by expanding the range of job offers available to candidates with specific experience
• Allowing municipalities to participate for a longer period — until August 2024 — when the pilot program ends
• Helping municipal partners provide more support to candidates and employers
• Reducing the number of settlement funds municipalities are required to have
• Strengthening the program’s integrity

These changes should help meet the needs of community partners and promote growth in smaller and rural communities across Canada, the federal government said. With expanded geographic boundaries, the RNIP should support more employers in filling labour market needs.

“Regional immigration programs, like the RNIP, are increasingly important to the sustainable growth of our country and build on the success of the new permanent Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP), launched in March 2022,” the government continued, “which continues to help the Atlantic provinces attract the skilled newcomers they need to address the labour shortage and demographic challenges in the region. 

“To date, 167 confirmed permanent program applications have been received since the launch.”

According to the federal government: 

• Rural communities employ over four million Canadians and account for almost 30 per cent of GDP, while they help supply food, water and energy for urban centres, sustaining the industries that contribute to Canada’s prosperous economy
• The RNIP communities are North Bay (Ont.), Sudbury (Ont.), Timmins (Ont.), Sault Ste. Marie (Ont.), Thunder Bay (Ont.), Brandon (Man.), Altona/Rhineland (Man.), Moose Jaw (Sask.), Claresholm (Alta.), West Kootenay (BC) and Vernon (BC)
• As of June 30, 1,130 newcomers had arrived in RNIP communities, helping address labour shortages in important sectors, such as health care, hospitality and food services, retail, manufacturing and transportation
• It is estimated that roughly 125 newcomers and their family members could be welcomed into each of the participating communities every year
• There is a maximum of 2,750 principal applicants, plus family members, whose applications can be accepted for processing under RNIP in any given year 

Expanding regional immigration builds on the ongoing work to strengthen Canada’s immigration system, including Ottawa’s plan to hire up to 1,250 new employees by the end of this fall to reduce application backlogs, address labour shortages, improve client experience and reunite families. The federal government adds that it is taking action to ensure Canada’s immigration system works well for everyone — including those in rural and northern communities.