Rural Community Immigration Pilot, British Columbia
Peace Liard RCIP: Eligibility Check and Points Calculator
Fort St. John, Dawson Creek, Fort Nelson, Chetwynd, Tumbler Ridge and the rest of the Northeast BC Peace Liard region. Built from the community's 2026 scoring grid, with the sector points, NOC values, IRCC caps and the 10-point minimum per factor that decide who enters the pool.
- Built from the community's 2026 scoring grid
- Last verified September 2026
- Built by a licensed RCIC
- Maximum points
- 125
- Pool floor
- 50
- At least 10 in each factor
- Last published cutoff
- Not published
- Next intake window
- None scheduled
- See the intake notes below
Part 1 of 4
The job offer
Everything in this pilot starts with a job offer from a designated employer. These answers decide eligibility before any points are counted.
Part 2 of 4
Your experience, language and education
These are the federal rules IRCC applies to every rural pilot community.
Part 3 of 4
Ties to the community
The statement of intent is mandatory and carries the 10-point minimum for this factor. The rest decides where you rank. Peace Liard has not published cutoff scores. Recommendations follow sector distribution targets, so the score that wins varies by sector, and the pool floor of 50 with 10 in each factor is the only fixed line.
Part 4 of 4
Settlement funds
IRCC needs proof you can support your family on arrival, unless you already work in Canada.
2026 priority occupations, sector points and caps
The community sets 6 priority sectors and a list of occupations inside them. The sector comes first: a priority occupation with an employer outside a priority sector is not eligible. The wage must meet or exceed Job Bank's minimum wage for the occupation in the Northeast BC region. There is no single community floor. Job-offer points are the sector value plus the occupation value, capped at 25.
- Health (12)
- Education, law and social, community and government services (11)
- Trades, transport and equipment operators (10)
- Natural resources, agriculture and related production (10)
- Business, finance and administration (9)
- Sales and service (7)
Excluded: Consulates, staffing or employment agencies, and businesses owned by an immigration representative; A business the candidate or their spouse owns or controls.
| NOC | Occupation | TEER | NOC points | 2026 status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 72404 | Aircraft mechanics and aircraft inspectors | 2 | +15 | Open |
| 72600 | Air pilots, flight engineers and flying instructors | 2 | +15 | Open |
| 33103 | Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants | 3 | +13 | Open |
| 33109 | Other assisting occupations in support of health services | 3 | +13 | Open |
| 42201 | Social and community service workers | 2 | +13 | Open |
| 42202 | Early childhood educators and assistants | 2 | +13 | Open |
| 12200 | Accounting technicians and bookkeepers | 2 | +10 | Open |
| 13100 | Administrative officers | 3 | +10 | Open |
| 13110 | Administrative assistants | 3 | +10 | Open |
| 21222 | Information systems specialists | 1 | +10 | Open |
| 22220 | Computer network and web technicians | 2 | +10 | Open |
| 72410 | Automotive service technicians, truck and bus mechanics and mechanical repairers | 2 | +10 | Open |
| 73201 | General building maintenance workers and building superintendents | 3 | +10 | Open |
| 73300 | Transport truck drivers (local) | 3 | +10 | OpenLocal driving only. |
| 14401 | Storekeepers and partspersons | 4 | +8 | Open |
| 60020 | Retail and wholesale trade managers | 0 | +8 | Open |
| 60030 | Restaurant and food service managers | 0 | +8 | Open |
| 60031 | Accommodation service managers | 0 | +8 | 5 percent of 2026 recommendations, and 20 percent combined with the other capped NOCsThe community's cap list names this code as food service manager. |
| 63200 | Cooks | 3 | +8 | Open |
| 14100 | General office support workers | 4 | +3 | Open |
| 62010 | Retail sales supervisors | 2 | +3 | Closed for 2026The IRCC cap for this occupation was reached in May 2026. No further recommendations for this code in the 2026 intake. |
| 62020 | Food service supervisors | 2 | +3 | 5 percent of 2026 recommendations, and 20 percent combined with the other capped NOCs |
| 64314 | Hotel front desk clerks | 4 | +3 | Open |
| 65100 | Cashiers | 5 | +3 | 5 percent of 2026 recommendations, and 20 percent combined with the other capped NOCs |
| 65310 | Light duty cleaners | 5 | +3 | Open |
Discretionary NOCs are for exceptional cases: regulated or highly skilled roles, or roles critical to community infrastructure. They are capped at 20 percent of recommendations and score sector points only. In the sales and service or business sectors that cannot reach the 10-point job-offer minimum. Source: community 2026 priorities and scoring grid.
2026 intakes and cutoff scores
Your employer can only file during an intake. Peace Liard has not published cutoff scores. Recommendations follow sector distribution targets, so the score that wins varies by sector, and the pool floor of 50 with 10 in each factor is the only fixed line. The community had 60 recommendations for 2026 and had issued 56 by June 25, 2026.
| Intake | Applications accepted | Decision | Cutoff score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 intakeOpened April 1 at noon, with no published closing date. The Selection Committee issued 19 recommendations in April and 20 in May, and the community reported 56 issued in total by June 25. The community planned a final 2026 meeting at the end of August for discretionary NOC candidates only. One application per designated employer at first. | From April 1, 2026 | To be announced | Not published |
Peace Liard has not announced another 2026 intake. A second intake in fall 2026 depends on extra allocations from IRCC's annual redistribution, expected to be finalized around October 2026. Updates are posted on the community's website and emailed to designated employers. A recommendation is valid for 6 months. 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.
How the process works
Step 1
Check the federal rules
Work experience, language, education and funds are set by IRCC and do not change from community to community.
Step 2
Get a qualifying job offer
Full-time, permanent and non-seasonal, from a designated employer in a priority sector and occupation, at or above Job Bank's minimum wage for the NOC in Northeast BC. If you do not already work for the employer, they must show they tried to hire a Canadian or permanent resident first.
Step 3
Your employer files through the portal
Designated employers upload the recommendation application form, your documents and your intent to reside form through the community's SimpleSurvey portal once an intake opens. Email submissions are not accepted.
Step 4
Scoring, pool and Selection Committee
Applications are scored on the 2026 grid and pooled. During the 2026 intake the Selection Committee met in April, May and June and issued recommendations to the highest-ranked candidates within sector targets.
Step 5
Recommendation, then permanent residence
A recommendation certificate is valid for six months and lets you apply to IRCC for permanent residence. The optional two-year RCIP work permit is available once the PR application is in.
Step 6
Settle in the community
Your employer and local settlement providers are expected to help. The community expects you to follow the plan in your statement of intent.
The federal rules behind the checks
IRCC sets these for every rural pilot community. The community adds its own sector, wage and points rules on top.
Work experience and TEER match
At least one year (1,560 hours) of related paid work in the last three years. The TEER of the job offer decides which TEERs of experience count.
| Job offer TEER 0 or 1 | Experience in TEER 0, 1, 2, 3 |
| Job offer TEER 2 | Experience in TEER 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Job offer TEER 3 or 4 | Experience in TEER 2, 3, 4 |
| Job offer TEER 5 | Experience in TEER 5, same five-digit NOC |
One exception: a year as a registered nurse or registered psychiatric nurse (NOC 31301) counts for a job offer as a nurse aide, orderly or patient service associate (NOC 33102) or as a home support worker or caregiver (NOC 44101).
Recent graduates of a public post-secondary institution inside the community can be exempt. They must have studied full-time for the whole program and received the credential no more than 18 months before applying for permanent residence. After a program of two years or more, they must have spent at least 16 of the last 24 months of study in the community; after a master’s or doctoral program shorter than two years, they must have been there for the whole program. The exemption scores 10 work-experience points here.
Language, education and funds
| TEER 0 or 1 job | CLB 6 in every ability |
| TEER 2 or 3 job | CLB 5 in every ability |
| TEER 4 or 5 job | CLB 4 in every ability |
Education: a Canadian secondary school diploma, or a foreign credential with an Educational Credential Assessment under five years old. Funds: not required if you already work in Canada on a valid work permit. Otherwise:
1: $10,507, 2: $13,080, 3: $16,080, 4: $19,524, 5: $22,143, 6: $24,975, 7: $27,806, then $2,831 per extra family member.
Peace Liard designated employers
Only an employer the community has designated can make an RCIP job offer in the Northeast BC Peace Liard region. Designation means the employer may take part. It does not mean the employer is hiring. The community's list names 280 employers as of April 2026.
For employers in Fort St. John, Dawson Creek and the region
The employer files the application. We help you get designated and file it right.
Designation, the job offer form, the recruitment record, the recommendation package and the worker’s permanent residence application, all timed to the intakes.
Common questions about the Peace Liard pilot
How does the Peace Liard RCIP scoring grid work?
Five factors, 25 points each, 125 in total: the job offer (the employer's sector plus the occupation's own value), work experience, language, education, and ties to the community. You need at least 10 in each factor and 50 overall to enter the pool. The calculator on this page applies the 2026 grid to your answers.
How is the Peace Liard grid different from a category list?
The job offer is scored as the employer's sector (7 to 12 points) plus the occupation's own value (3 to 15 points), capped at 25. An aircraft mechanic at a trades employer scores 25, a cashier at a retailer scores 10, and the job-offer factor must reach 10 to enter the pool at all.
What score do I really need?
The floor is 50 points with at least 10 in each of the five factors. Peace Liard has not published cutoff scores. It issues recommendations to the highest-ranked candidates in line with sector distribution targets, so the score that wins depends on how many strong files your sector has that month.
Is there a minimum wage?
Not a single community floor. The offer must meet or exceed Job Bank's minimum wage for the occupation in the Northeast BC region. Check the NOC on Job Bank before the employer signs the offer of employment form.
What if my job is not on the 2026 list?
Up to 20 percent of recommendations can go to discretionary NOCs, but the community says these are for exceptional cases such as regulated or highly skilled roles, or roles critical to community infrastructure. They score sector points only, so in the sales and service or business sectors they cannot reach the 10-point job-offer minimum.
Is the 2026 intake still open?
The intake opened on April 1, 2026 with no published closing date, and 56 of the 60 recommendations had been issued by June 25. The community planned a final meeting at the end of August for discretionary candidates only. A second intake in fall 2026 depends on extra allocations from IRCC's annual redistribution, expected around October.
How many applications can my employer file?
One candidate application per designated employer at first in 2026, to spread recommendations across sectors and communities. The community said it may lift that cap if allocations remain.
Can I work while IRCC processes my permanent residence application?
Yes, through the optional RCIP work permit. It is employer-specific, valid for two years, and needs the recommendation, the job offer, and proof that you have already applied for permanent residence. Your spouse or partner can get an open work permit limited to the same community.
What counts as a close family member for the connection points?
Siblings, parents, grandparents and adult children who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents and have lived in the community for at least twelve months.
Last reviewed by Cancord Immigration Services Inc.: September 2026. Reviewed against the community's 2026 scoring grid, its candidate and employer pages, its 2026 update posts, and the Canada.ca eligibility pages for the Rural Community Immigration Pilot. Community Futures Development Corporation of Peace Liard delivers the pilot for the Northeast BC region in partnership with IRCC. Boundary: The Peace River Regional District and the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality in northeast British Columbia, including rural areas inside both.
Other communities in the pilot: North Okanagan-Shuswap, West Kootenay, Greater Sudbury.
A Job Offer Is Only the Start
We check the offer against the community and federal rules, build the file before the intake opens, and handle the permanent residence application after the recommendation.