Canada Makes Rural Immigration Programme Permanent to Attract Skilled Workers

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Summary:

Abuja, November 10, 2026 (GNA) –

Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab announced the decision on Monday, November 9, 2026, in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, saying the initiative would help smaller communities address persistent workforce shortages and support economic growth.

The programme will initially retain the 14 communities participating in the pilot, with plans to expand to additional locations in the future.

Under the arrangement, participating communities will identify priority occupations based on their local economic needs, while designated employers will recruit skilled foreign workers for positions they cannot fill locally.

The initiative will also connect newcomers and their families with community support services to encourage successful integration and long-term settlement.

The federal government has allocated 5,500 permanent residence admission spaces to the programme under its 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan.

Diab said the initiative reflected the government's recognition that smaller communities had different workforce requirements from major urban centres and needed targeted immigration policies to remain economically viable.

She added that the programme would support essential workers whose contributions were necessary for delivering services and driving economic development.

The permanent initiative builds on two previous programmes: the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot, which operated from 2019 to 2024, and the Rural Community Immigration Pilot, introduced in 2025.

According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, more than 2,800 employers participated in the earlier programme, resulting in over 12,500 candidates and their family members gaining admission to smaller Canadian communities.

Early results from the current pilot also showed that newcomers had helped address labour shortages in healthcare, education, sales and services.

Between January 2025 and August 2026, participating communities designated more than 1,950 employers facing persistent labour shortages. These employers subsequently issued over 4,700 job offers and community recommendations.

The 14 participating communities are located across Nova Scotia, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.

Meanwhile, the government said eligibility requirements for additional communities seeking to join the permanent programme would be announced separately.

It also identified the Provincial Nominee Programme and federal economic immigration pathways managed through Express Entry as alternative routes for skilled workers seeking permanent residence in Canada.