February 2026
West Kootenay Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP) will reopen for community recommendation applications on Tuesday, April 7, 2026 at 10:00 AM Pacific Time.
Before reopening, we wanted to let all employers know about some important changes for 2026.
Please review all 2026 program details carefully before preparing an application.
2026 Allocations
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) have given the West Kootenay RCIP region 200 allocations for community recommendation for Canadian permanent residency for 2026.
2026 Priority Sectors
For 2026, employers operating in the following priority sectors are eligible to use West Kootenay RCIP:
- Business, Finance & Administration*
- Health
- Education, Law, Social, Community & Government Services
- Sales & Service
- Trades & Transport
- Manufacturing & Utilities
If your primary business activities do not fall within one of these sectors, you are not eligible to participate in 2026.
*Business, Finance and Administration is newly added this year and can now start the process to become a designated employer.
2026 Priority Occupations (NOCs)
West Kootenay RCIP has identified 25 priority occupations for 2026. The majority of recommendations will go to these occupations.
However, a limited number of recommendations may be used for occupations that are not on the priority list. These are considered secondary occupations and will be very limited and competitive.
In 2025, employers were required to hire for a priority occupation before they could apply for a secondary occupation.
IRCC has removed this requirement. Employers may now apply under a secondary occupation, even if they have not previously hired for a priority occupation.
The list of 2026 priority occupations is available on our website.
2026 Intake Process
West Kootenay RCIP will move to a monthly intake model in 2026.
- The application pool will open once per month (dates and time will be announced by email and on the website beforehand).
- 25 applications will be accepted each month.
- A maximum of 7 applications per month may be for Secondary NOC occupations. Once the 7 Secondary NOC spots have been filled, no additional Secondary NOC applications will be accepted for that month.
- Approximately 18 recommendations will be issued per month.
- Each employer may submit one application per month (as space allows).
Applications will be accepted on a first come, first served basis. Once the monthly limit is reached, intake will close.
Unfortunately, due to limited spots and very high demand, this will be competitive.
Scoring Grid & Pool System
West Kootenay RCIP is moving from a pass/fail model to a scoring grid and pool system.
Each eligible application will:
- Be scored using the West Kootenay RCIP Scoring Grid
- Be entered into a pool of candidates for that month
Candidates must meet the minimum required 50 points to enter the pool.
The top-scoring applications will be presented to the RCIP Steering Committee for review and decision.
Applications with higher scores are generally more competitive and more likely to receive a recommendation. However, all final decisions are made at the discretion of the Steering Committee.
The Steering Committee’s decision is final. There is no appeal process.
If a candidate is not selected, but meets the minimum points requirement, their application will remain in the pool for up to two additional months to determine if their score is more competitive in a subsequent intake.
Caps to Certain Sectors & Occupations
IRCC Occupation Caps
IRCC limits the number of recommendations that can be issued for certain occupations including the following priority NOCs:
- Restaurant & Food Service Managers (NOC 60030) are capped at 5% of total allocations
- Food & Beverage Servers (NOC 65200) are capped at 5% of total allocations
Once these limits are reached, no further recommendations can be issued for those occupations.
- For example, West Kootenay RCIP has 200 allocations; 5% of 200 means maximum 10 Restaurant/ Food Service Managers will receive community recommendations in 2026.
Employer Caps (Updated for 2026)
Employer caps apply in 2026 and vary by sector and company size.
Business, Finance & Administration; Education, Law, Social, Community & Government Services (excluding child care centres); Trades & Transport; and Manufacturing & Utilities
- 49 or fewer employees: up to 3 applications per year
- 50 or more employees: up to 6 applications per year
Sales & Service
- 49 or fewer employees: up to 2 applications per year
- 50 or more employees: up to 4 applications per year
Health care and child care employers are exempt from employer caps.
Please Note: Employer caps are applied per calendar year and are based on the number of applications submitted, not the number approved for community recommendation. This is a change from 2025.
Because space is limited and the process is competitive, employers are encouraged to use their annual allocation carefully. Employers should prioritize candidates who clearly meet the eligibility requirements and who present a strong application with a high likelihood of receiving a community recommendation.
Minimum Wage Requirement (Updated for 2026)
For 2026, all job offers must pay: $21.00 per hour or the Job Bank median wage for the occupation, whichever is higher. Learn more about wage requirements.
Job offers that do not meet the wage requirement will not be eligible for recommendation.
Important
Due to limited capacity, West Kootenay RCIP staff are not able to:
- Confirm whether a specific candidate will score competitively
- Share specific scores
- Review draft applications
- Provide individual eligibility assessments in advance
We appreciate your understanding and your continued interest in supporting immigration and workforce development in the West Kootenay region.