The Sudbury Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot opens in December.
Canada Immigration's Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) program, like the Atlantic Immigration Pilot, is intended to help newcomers and immigration refugees with job offers find a pathway to permanent residency (PR). RNIP will help Sudbury address some of its challenges in retaining citizens by helping qualified newcomers settle in the area as they move towards Canadian citizenship. It is also expected to help the labour shortage in the city, with a specific focus on filling the mining supply and services, and tourism sector jobs.
Sudbury will bring in 100 newcomers and their families in the first year. Speaking to CBC News, Sudbury’s director of economic development Meredith Armstrong commented: “There is absolutely room for a candidate with a job offer to bring family members. We’re going to make sure that we have a strong network to support the spouses finding jobs, to getting the kids into schools.”
According to Armstrong, a network of organizations, agencies, city departments and individuals in the community will help make Sudbury a welcoming place for newcomers who desire PR in Canada.