North Bay releases intake dates for Rural Community Immigration Pilot applications

The new priority sector, Natural and applied sciences and related occupations, will include roles in engineering, architecture, IT, and the physical/life sciences, focusing on technical and professional positions that require post-secondary education.   

So, stay tuned. There’s always a chance that more occupations will be added to the list.  

The five other eligible sectors are:   

• Business, Finance and Administration  
• Health  
• Education, law, social, community, and government services  
• Sales and service  
• Trades and transport  

Application Intake dates 2026

The city has also released the application intake dates for eligible participants in 2026. It works out approximately one week every month until December. The dates are: 

• February 15, 12:00 am to February 21, 11:59 pm  
• March 8, 12:00 am to March 14, 11:59 pm  
• April 5, 12:00 am to April 11, 11:59 pm  
• May 3, 12:00 am to May 9, 11:59 pm  
• June 7, 12:00 am to June 13, 11:59 pm  
• July 12, 12:00 am to July 18, 11:59 pm  
• August 9, 12:00 am to August 15, 11:59 pm  
• September 13, 12:00 am to September 19, 11:59 pm  
• October 18, 12:00 am to October 24, 11:59 pm  
• November 15, 12:00 am to November 21, 11:59 pm  

Jobs most likely to be recommended in North Bay  

In 2025, North Bay RCIP issued 190 community recommendations between June and December. This is out of over 500 applications. The breakdown per sector looks like this:  

• 13 successful candidates from Business, Finance, and Administration.   
• 53 successful candidates from Health.  
• 47 successful candidates from Education, Law, Social, Community and Government Services.  
• 34 successful candidates from Sales and Service.  
• 43 successful candidates from Trades, Transportation, and Equipment Operators  

What is RCIP  

RCIP is a community-driven permanent residence pilot program that works with IRCC to identify priority occupations, designate trusted local employers, and recommend suitable candidates. Rural communities fill urgent workforce gaps, and participants benefit from additional support from their employer and the local community.  

The pilot officially launched last year, and there hasn’t been a final count of how many RCIP participants became permanent residents, but the Immigration Levels Plan has 8,175 available spots for permanent residence admissions through economic pilot programs for 2026.  

Where can you participate in RCIP?  

There are 14 cities in six provinces participating in the Rural Community Immigration Pilot, including North Bay. The full list:   

• Pictou County, Nova Scotia  
• North Bay & Area, Ontario  
• Sudbury, Ontario  
• Timmins, Ontario  
• Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario  
• Thunder Bay, Ontario  
• Steinbach, Manitoba  
• Altona/Rhineland, Manitoba  
• Brandon, Manitoba  
• Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan  
• Claresholm, Alberta  
• West Kootenay, British Columbia  
• North Okanagan–Shuswap, British Columbia  
• Peace Liard, British Columbia  

So, these are destinations you might think about if you can handle rural living and don’t have a great chance of getting an Express Entry ITA.   

There is no point system for participants, but candidates do need work experience, an education credential, settlement funds, and language ability. 

Thinking about moving to one of Canada’s rural communities? Check back for updates and join the Moving2Canada community for updates on RCIP, destination guides and more.