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Rural Community Immigration Pilot announces West Kootenay priority sectors

Employers encouraged to apply for designation to recommend candidates
ferraro-foods
Ferraro Foods was a participating employer in the West Kootenay Rural & Northern Immigration Pilot.

Community Futures Central Kootenay (CFCK) has announced the launch of the West Kootenay Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP).

The new initiative of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) offers a pathway to permanent residency for newcomers who want to settle long-term in the West Kootenay region while helping to fill key job vacancies that support the local economy.

The program covers the entire Regional District of Central Kootenay and most of the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary.
 
RCIP builds on the West Kootenay Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot, which ran from 2020 to 2024. That program supported 256 local employers in hiring employees for over 650 hard-to-fill positions.

CFCK says the new program is structured differently, but still has the same focus.
 
“RCIP is a vital tool for helping local businesses tackle persistent labour shortages,” says Andrea Wilkey, Executive Director of Community Futures Central Kootenay. “By connecting employers with skilled newcomers who are eager to build their lives here, we’re strengthening our regional economy and ensuring businesses have the workforce they need to thrive.”
 
Based on input from a steering committee that includes leaders from economic development, education, and the non-profit sector, several employment sectors have been identified as regional priorities due to critical labour shortages.

Priority sectors for the new program are: health, education, law, social services, community services, government services, sales/service, trades, transport, equipment operation, manufacturing and utilities.
 
To participate in RCIP, employers must first become designated before they can submit applications for candidates to receive a community recommendation for permanent residency. Designation confirms that employers are committed to fair recruitment practices and prepared to support newcomers in their transition to living and working in the region.

Once enough employers have been designated, RCIP will begin accepting candidate recommendations. 

Implementation of the pilot in the West Kootenay is made possible through funding support from Selkirk College, the Regional District of Central Kootenay, the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary, and the Société de développement économique de la Colombie-Britannique.

For more information about RCIP visit: www.westkootenayimmigration.ca.



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