The West Kootenay Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP) helps address our region’s critical workforce needs by connecting skilled international workers with local employers in priority sectors.
Who can participate in RCIP?
- Only eligible employers operating in one of the approved priority sectors can apply to become designated and hire through West Kootenay RCIP. [Note: Fast Food businesses are not eligible for West Kootenay RCIP. See definition of “Fast Food”]
- Most job offers must match one of the approved priority occupations.
- A small percentage of West Kootenay RCIP community recommendations can go to other occupations, as long as the job is still in a priority sector and the employer has hired someone previously in a priority occupation.
If your business/organization is not operating in one of the priority sectors, you cannot use the West Kootenay RCIP to hire workers at this time.
Job Offer Requirements
The job must be:
- within the boundaries of West Kootenay RCIP (see map).
- full time (at least 30 paid hours per week)
- non-seasonal (year-round)
- indeterminate (no end date)
- Volunteer work and unpaid internships don’t count.
- at a similar skill level as the candidate’s qualifying work experience (see the table below).
Employer Caps
To ensure fair access to the West Kootenay Rural Community Immigration Pilot, we’ve set annual limits (based on the calendar year) on how many candidates each designated employer can recommend (see exception below for health care and early childhood educators):
- 1-65 full-time employees: up to 3 community recommendation per calendar year (Jan 1-Dec 31)
- 66+ full-time employees: up to 6 community recommendation per calendar year (Jan 1-Dec 31)
These caps help distribute opportunities across businesses of all sizes and keep the program sustainable.
Employer caps do not apply to job offers for Health Care Aides (NOC 33102) or Early Childhood Educators (NOC 42202).
Wage Requirements
Any job offer made to candidates wishing to use the West Kootenay RCIP must meet the the Federal and West Kootenay wage criteria:
Federal Wage Requirements
The federal criteria specify that the job offer must include a wage that is:
- Above or within the range of wages for that particular occupation in the Job Bank (a Government of Canada database), based on the job’s NOC code and the region.
- For example, carpenters in the Kootenay Region have a minimum Job Bank wage of $21.50/hour and so candidates in this NOC must be offered at least $21.50/hour.
- If the Job Bank does not provide regional wage information:
- The employer may use wage data from:
- A similar region in the same province
- The provincial rate
- Or the national rate
- For example: NOC 41321- Career Counsellor, does not have a Job Bank wage specifically for the Kootenay Region. Using the Provincial wage in the Job Bank instead, candidates must be offered at least $23.08/hour.
- The employer may use wage data from:
West Kootenay Wage Requirements
The Rural Community Immigration Pilot is designed to strengthen our region by attracting and retaining skilled foreign workers who will build their lives and careers here in the West Kootenays. To support this goal, we require employers to offer wages that reflect the realities of living in our communities.
All job offers must provide a minimum wage of $20 per hour or align with the wage range listed in the Government of Canada’s Job Bank—whichever is higher. Even if the Job Bank shows an average wage below $20/hour, employers must still meet our $20/hour minimum.
This standard reflects the higher cost of living in the West Kootenay region, and our commitment to ensuring that newcomers have a fair opportunity to succeed, thrive, and put down roots in the community. We believe that fair compensation is a cornerstone of long-term retention, economic resilience, and community well-being.
Work Experience Requirements
To be eligible for a community recommendation through the Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP), most applicants must show they have at least one year of full-time, paid work experience—equal to 1,560 hours—within the last three years. Part-time work can count as long as it adds up to 1,560 hours total.
Your work experience must meet all of the following:
- Be paid (volunteer or unpaid internships do not qualify)
- Match the skill level of your job offer (see TEER level matching rules below)
- Include a substantial number of the main duties listed in the National Occupation Classification (NOC) job description for that role
- Be with an employer (self-employed experience usually does not qualify—see below)
- Be legal (you must have had work authorization if the experience was gained in Canada)
TEER Level Matching Rules
You must have work experience in the following TEER levels depending on your job offer:
| Job Offer TEER Level | Valid Work Experience Levels |
|---|---|
| TEER 0 or 1 | TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3 |
| TEER 2 | TEER 1, 2, 3, or 4 |
| TEER 3 | TEER 1* (only for healthcare), 2, 3, or 4 |
| TEER 4 | TEER 1* (only for healthcare), 2, 3, or 4 |
| TEER 5 | TEER 5 in the same 5-digit NOC only |
Healthcare Exception: If your experience is in NOC 31301 (Registered Nurse or Registered Psychiatric Nurse – TEER 1), your job offer can be in:
- NOC 33102 (Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates – TEER 3), or
- NOC 44101 (Home support workers – TEER 4)
Work Experience Exemptions for International Graduates
You do not need to meet the work experience requirement if:
- You graduated from a public post-secondary institution located in the community, and
- You meet all of the following:
For two-year or longer programs:
- You studied full-time during the entire program
- You graduated no more than 18 months before applying for permanent residence
- You lived in the community for at least 16 of the final 24 months of your studies
For master’s or doctoral degrees (less than 2 years):
- You studied full-time during the entire program
- You graduated no more than 18 months before applying
- You lived in the community for the entire duration of the program
You are not eligible for the exemption if:
- Your program included more than 50% distance/online learning from outside the community
- More than 50% of your program was focused on learning English or French as a second language
- You completed two separate one-year programs (this does not count as a two-year program)
- Your studies were funded by a scholarship or fellowship that requires you to return to your home country
If you meet the international graduate exemption, your application should clearly indicate this and include the necessary supporting documents such as transcripts, study permits, and proof of residence in the community during your studies.
Proof of Work Experience
If you are not exempt, you must provide:
- Reference or experience letters from each employer, including:
- Your name, job title, and job duties
- Hours worked per week
- Dates of employment
- Annual salary and benefits
- Company letterhead, address, contact details, and supervisor’s signature
If reference letters are not available, include:
- Job offer letters
- Pay stubs or bank deposit records
- Tax documents such as T4 slips (Canada)
- Employment contracts
Self-Employment
Most self-employed experience does not count, unless you are a licensed medical professional (e.g., physician) with recognized credentials and billing arrangements under a provincial health authority. All other self-employment must be assessed very carefully and is unlikely to qualify.
Language Requirements
All West Kootenay Rural Community Immigration Pilot candidates must prove their language abilities by taking an approved test.
The minimum score needed will depend on the TEER (skill level) of the job being offered. [Note: the TEER is the second number in the NOC code of the job being offered, for example, Cook is NOC 63200 and the TEER is 3, so a cook must score CLB 5 or more in all four categories].
- TEER 0 or 1 occupation must have a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) score of 6 or more
- TEER 2 or 3 occupation must have a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) score of CLB 5
- TEER 4 or 5 occupation must have a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) score of CLB 4
Education Requirements
All West Kootenay RCIP candidates must have a Canadian educational credential or the foreign equivalent.
Canadian Education Credential
A Canadian educational credential is a:
- Canadian secondary school (high school) diploma
- recognized Canadian post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree from a designated learning institution
Foreign Equivalent
For education outside of Canada, an educational credential assessment (ECA) report from a designated organization or professional body must be included in the application. This report must:
- be less than 5 years old on the date you apply to West Kootenay RCIP
- shows the candidate completed a foreign credential equal to a Canadian secondary school (high school) diploma or Canadian post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree
Settlement Funds Requirement
NOTE: West Kootenay RCIP does not require proof of settlement funds as part of the community recommendation application. However, your candidate will need to provide this proof when they apply for permanent residence to IRCC. For this reason, we strongly recommend confirming that your candidate has adequate settlement funds before submitting a recommendation application.
Candidates will only need to show proof of settlement funds if they are not already working in Canada when they apply for permanent residence.
If the candidate is currently working in Canada with valid authorization, this requirement does not apply to them.
For everyone else, they must show they have enough money to support themself and their family after they arrive. The amount depends on their family size and is based on 50% of the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) for rural areas.
To find the current settlement fund amounts and full details, visit the Government of Canada website:
Proof of settlement funds – Rural Community Immigration Pilot
Proof of Current Legal Status in Canada
If your candidate is already living in Canada, they must include proof of their current legal status as part of the community recommendation application.
This means they must submit a copy of their valid immigration document, such as:
- Work permit
- Study permit
- Visitor record
- Temporary resident permit
The document must show that they are legally authorized to be in Canada at the time of application.
Important Notes for Employers
- It is your responsibility to ensure that your candidate includes this proof in their application to West Kootenay RCIP.
- If the document has expired or is missing, the application will be considered incomplete and may be returned.
- Being in Canada without valid status makes a candidate ineligible for the RCIP program.
If you have questions about your candidate’s immigration status, please contact us before applying.