Canadian Immigration Pilots
Pilots are targeted permanent residence pathways for particular regions, sectors or communities. They open and close on their own timetable, and four of them closed inside a twelve-month window. This page is what is actually running as of August 2026 — and what has ended, so you do not waste months preparing for a programme that no longer takes applications.
Open now
- ● Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP) — launched 30 January 2025 across 14 designated communities, including West Kootenay, North Okanagan Shuswap and Peace Liard in BC. Needs a job offer from a designated employer plus a community recommendation.
- ● Francophone Community Immigration Pilot (FCIP) — launched the same day in six communities including Kelowna, BC. Same structure as RCIP, but French only: NCLC 5 in all four abilities, and English test results are not accepted.
- ● Atlantic Immigration Program — not a pilot any more. It became a permanent program in January 2022 and runs across New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI and Newfoundland and Labrador. Needs a job offer from a provincially designated employer and a provincial endorsement; no LMIA required. Roughly 4,000 admissions a year.
Closed — and often still advertised
If you have been told any of these is your pathway, get a second opinion.
- ● Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) — ended 31 August 2024. Applications filed on or before that date are still being processed, but there is no new intake. RCIP is its successor. See our RNIP page if you have a file already in the system.
- ● Agri-Food Pilot — ended 14 May 2025.
- ● Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots — both streams closed and intake paused on 19 December 2025, with no reopening announced. These replaced the older Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker pilots in March 2025.
- ● Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot — concluded at the end of 2025.
- ● Yukon Community Program — concluded 30 June 2025; Yukon's regular nominee streams continue.
How the open pilots actually work
RCIP and FCIP share a design that catches people out. Being "open" federally does not mean you can apply today. Each participating community runs its own intake windows, its own annual allocation and its own employer designation list, and some fill their recommendation quota within days of opening. The sequence is: the employer becomes designated, the job offer is made, the community issues a recommendation, and only then do you file with IRCC.
Neither RCIP nor FCIP is permanent. IRCC said in 2024 that it intended to make a rural pathway permanent, but the 2026–2028 levels plan does not create one. Both remain pilots that could end the way RNIP did.
Where a pilot fits against the alternatives
Pilots suit people who are genuinely willing to settle in a smaller community and who have, or can get, an offer from a designated employer there. They are usually not the fastest route for someone already established in a major centre with Canadian work experience — Express Entry or a provincial nomination will normally be stronger. We will tell you honestly which of the three you actually fit, including when the answer is none of them yet.
Reviewed by a licensed RCIC · Last updated 13 August 2026. Immigration rules change often — confirm anything time-sensitive with us or on canada.ca.
Further reading: Every Canadian immigration programme that has closed since 2024
Looking for related services? See our full Permanent Residency overview or all services.
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- Understanding your Canadian immigration needs and goals.
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Consultations are free for most enquiries. Permanent residence consultations (Express Entry, PNP and related PR pathways) are $25.
Frequently asked questions
Is RNIP or RCIP the current program?
RCIP. The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot ended on 31 August 2024. The Rural Community Immigration Pilot launched on 30 January 2025 and replaced it, alongside the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot on the same day. If a website is inviting you to apply to RNIP, it has been wrong for two years.
Do I need a job offer for RCIP or FCIP?
Yes, and not just any job offer. It has to come from an employer the community has designated, and the community's economic development organisation then has to issue you a recommendation. Both pilots also require full-time, non-seasonal, permanent work. The job offer is the hard part of these applications, not the paperwork.
Can I apply to the Atlantic Immigration Program from outside Canada?
Yes. You need a job offer from a designated employer in one of the four Atlantic provinces, at TEER 0 through 4 — TEER 5 does not qualify — and a provincial endorsement of your settlement plan. There is no LMIA requirement, which is often the practical advantage over a work-permit-first route.
What happened to the caregiver pilots?
The Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots opened in March 2025, were oversubscribed, and IRCC paused intake on 19 December 2025 with both streams closed. Nothing has been announced about reopening. We keep our caregiver page current, and we will not take money to prepare an application for a programme that is not accepting them.
Are these pilots permanent?
No. RCIP and FCIP are pilots, and the 2026–2028 levels plan did not create a permanent rural program. That is not a reason to avoid them, but it is a reason not to build a five-year plan around one. Pilots close, sometimes with little notice.
Still unsure how this applies to your case? Book an appointment with a licensed RCIC.
More Permanent Residency services
Other pathways we handle in this area — or talk to a licensed RCIC about which fits your case.
Waymark runs on the Nova System platform — built in Abbotsford, BC by practising RCICs.