Hire Through the Rural Community Immigration Pilot
In this pilot the employer files the application, not the worker. We get you designated, keep the job offer inside your community’s rules, and build the recommendation package so it is complete before the intake opens. We cover three British Columbia communities and Greater Sudbury.
The four communities we cover
Each community designates its own employers, sets its own sectors, occupations and grid, and runs its own intake calendar.
North Okanagan-Shuswap
Vernon, Salmon Arm, Armstrong, Enderby and area. Run by Community Futures North Okanagan.
- Next intake
- November 8, 2026 to November 15, 2026
- Employer caps
- Caps are set per occupation: some NOCs are limited to one or two applications per employer a year, and some have a community-wide limit for 2026.
West Kootenay
Nelson, Castlegar, Trail, Rossland and area. Run by Community Futures Central Kootenay.
- Next intake
- None scheduled
- Employer caps
- Employers with fewer than 50 staff can file two to three applications a year, larger employers four to six. Health care and child care employers are exempt.
- Designated employers
- 296 (as of September 16, 2026)
Peace Liard
Fort St. John, Dawson Creek, Chetwynd, Tumbler Ridge and area. Run by Community Futures Peace Liard.
- Next intake
- None scheduled
- Employer caps
- Each designated employer could file one candidate application at first in 2026. The community said it may lift that cap if allocations remain. Four NOCs are capped at 5 percent each and 20 percent combined, listed by the community as 60031, 62020, 65100 and 62010.
- Designated employers
- 280 (as of April 2026)
Greater Sudbury
Sudbury, Lively, Chelmsford, Val Caron and area. Run by City of Greater Sudbury, Economic Development division.
- Next intake
- September 28, 2026 to October 2, 2026
- Employer caps
- No per-employer cap on candidate applications is published. The community accepts at most 15 new employer designation applications per intake window, in the order received, and a complete designation application must be submitted by the deadline shown for each intake. An employer supporting a worker who has been with them less than six months must show proof of recruitment efforts.
- Designated employers
- 347 (on its RCIP list as of October 1, 2026)
Who can be designated
Each community decides who is designated and publishes its own criteria. The rules they share:
- In continuous, active operation under the same management for at least two years in the community. A business that has operated elsewhere and moves to the community can qualify only if the community confirms the move will make, or has made, a substantial contribution to the local economy. North Okanagan-Shuswap's guidelines also ask for a pre-existing relationship with the community.
- Operating in one of the community's priority sectors and hiring for at least one of its priority occupations, with at least 75 percent of the work performed inside the community.
- Not in an excluded industry. North Okanagan-Shuswap excludes gasoline stations, food service contractors, mobile food services, fast food outlets, cafeterias and buffets, and snack and non-alcoholic beverage bars. West Kootenay excludes fast food businesses, gas stations (unless the site includes a distinct, full-service grocery store), law firms and private households. Peace Liard and Greater Sudbury list only the federal exclusions.
- Hiring for full-time, permanent, non-seasonal positions of at least 30 hours a week.
- In good standing with provincial occupational health and safety and labour authorities, and not in violation of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act or Regulations.
- Not a staffing agency, a consulate, a business owned by an immigration representative, or a business controlled by the candidate or their spouse. Home-based businesses may not qualify.
- Willing to support the settlement of each newcomer and their family.
Designation, then recommendation
Step 1
Complete two IRCC trainings
Employer Onboarding Training and the intercultural competency course (called Building Welcoming Workplaces in some communities), both free and online. The person who attends should be the employer or the manager who will supervise the newcomer.
Step 2
Complete the Employer Designation Application
Each community has its own form or portal. It covers business details, NAICS code, labour needs, recruitment efforts, your settlement commitments, and both training certificates. Some communities only accept designation applications during announced employer intake periods.
Step 3
Review by the RCIP team
The community reviews the application and may ask for tax, payroll or WorkSafeBC records to confirm two years of operation and good standing. North Okanagan-Shuswap targets fifteen business days for a complete file.
Step 4
Receive designation
Designation is done once and stays valid while you meet the criteria and the community's priorities still cover your sector.
Step 5
File recommendation applications
During each intake you submit the candidate's application through the community's platform or portal, with the job offer form, recruitment record, the candidate's documents and their intent to reside form.
What you commit to at designation
- Connect each newcomer employee and their family with a local settlement service provider in their preferred official language.
- Report on candidates recruited, their employment status, wage and hours, and the settlement supports provided, for up to three years after hiring.
- Tell the RCIP team in writing if the candidate quits, is terminated or laid off, or if the business changes ownership, location or closes.
- Never charge or recover recruitment fees from the worker, directly or through anyone else. Doing so is grounds for de-designation.
- Comply with employment standards, occupational health and safety, and immigration law. De-designation lasts one to two years.
What we handle
Karam Mundi is a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant licensed by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants. The community and IRCC make every decision. Our job is a complete, compliant file on the first filing.
Designation application
We map your business against the criteria, flag anything that could hold up review, and prepare the application package with your training certificates.
Job offer and recruitment record
We help you complete the IRCC offer of employment form, meet the wage and hours rules for the specific NOC, and document recruitment the way the community expects.
Recommendation package
We assemble the candidate's federal eligibility evidence, the statement of intent, and the community documents so the application is complete on the first filing.
Permanent residence and work permits
After the recommendation, we prepare the candidate's PR application, the optional two-year RCIP work permit, and the spouse's open work permit.
Timing around intake windows
Each community runs its own calendar: five short windows a year in North Okanagan-Shuswap, two larger intakes in West Kootenay in 2026, and one 2026 intake in Peace Liard with monthly selection meetings. We plan document collection so the file is ready before an intake opens, not during it.
Retention obligations
We set up the reporting and settlement steps you commit to at designation, so the relationship with the community stays in good standing.
Request an employer call
Tell us which community you hire in, where you are with designation and what you need to fill. We will come back within one to two business days with the fastest route and what it involves.
Community rules forbid recovering any recruitment cost from the worker. Employer fees stay with the employer under a written retainer.
Employer questions
Does designation guarantee I can bring in a worker?
No. Designation lets you file recommendation applications. Each candidate is then ranked in a pool and only the highest scores are recommended at each meeting. The BC communities also cap some occupations, and West Kootenay and Peace Liard cap how many applications an employer can file in 2026.
Can I use the pilot for staff who already work for me?
Yes. The community allows designated employers to apply for current employees, for example someone on a work permit you want to keep, as long as the job and the person meet the rules.
How long does the whole process take?
Designation review takes weeks once the trainings and form are done. Recommendation depends on the community's intake calendar and the pool ranking. IRCC then processes the permanent residence application on its own timeline. Plan in months, not weeks.
Who pays the immigration consultant?
The employer, or the worker for their own PR application, under a written retainer. Community rules forbid recovering any recruitment cost from the worker, so we structure the agreement so the employer's costs stay with the employer.
What if my occupation is not on the priority list?
It depends on the community. North Okanagan-Shuswap approves secondary NOCs case by case before filing. West Kootenay accepts a limited number of secondary NOC applications inside its priority sectors. Peace Liard allows discretionary NOCs for exceptional roles only, scored on sector points alone. We can prepare that request.
Last reviewed by Cancord Immigration Services Inc.: October 2026. Based on each community’s employer designation pages and guidelines, its 2026 priorities, and the IRCC pilot pages.
Intakes Are Short. Be Ready for the Next One.
Designation takes weeks, a complete file takes longer. Start before the intake opens, not during it.