business


Information for

Businesses in the Claresholm Area

How can my business participate?

IRCC has extended the period of time that communities can issue recommendations under RNIP to July 31, 2024. As a result, we have received 17 more allocations. Please note that the pilot will sunset on August 31, 2024, which means candidates that receive Community Recommendation after Feb 29th, 2024 will have less than 6 months to apply for permanent residence and a work permit.

RNIP employees may make up to 50% of the current workforce of a given employer. Past RNIP employees who have transitioned to Permanent Residents are not included in this count. The Economic Development Committee reserves the right to adjust this cap based on labour needs on a case by case basis. These decisions will be made at the discretion of the Economic Development Committee.

Employers in Claresholm and within 25 kilometers of Claresholm can now recruit full-time permanent labour from anywhere in the world, using the Rural & Northern Immigration Pilot program. 

To administer the Pilot and ensure that the job offer from local employers are genuine for the purposes of the Pilot, employers must be approved by the Claresholm Economic Development Officer in advance of making an offer of employment to a foreign national under the RNIP program. 

An employer, or a consultant working on behalf of the employer, cannot request or accept any money from the candidate in exchange for providing a job offer or a job interview. As a candidate you do not need to pay an employer, if an employer is requesting money for a job offer or interview, please report this to eda@claresholm.ca. Learn about the use of a representative here

In order to be designated to participate in the Pilot in Claresholm the employer must:

  1. Be located within the boundaries of Claresholm and be eligible to issue genuine job offers as defined in the Ministerial Instructions;
  2. Demonstrate the company is an established employer with a minimum of four (4) years of operation;
  3. Demonstrate the company has been legally conducting business within Claresholm as defined in the Ministerial Instructions for a minimum of two (2) years, OR be a new business In Claresholm that has invested a minimum of $200,000 capital in the community;
  4. Demonstrate that the job is a genuine offer of employment in an occupation or industry sector that is in demand in the community, and that it has gone unfilled for a minimum of 21-days;
  5. Provide the Economic Development Officer proof that the job vacancy has been posted on Canada Job Bank and two (2) other places of the employers choosing, (min. 21-days).
  6. The wage advertised must meet or exceed the wage offered to the foreign national and must meet or exceed the Job Banks minimum wage for the corresponding NOC code.
  7. The job description must be consistent with the corresponding National Occupancy Classification (NOC) 2021 Version 1.0 code and job title.
  8. The employer, or a consultant working on behalf of the employer, must guarantee that no form of payment has been accepted or requested from the candidate in exchange for providing a job offer or a job interview.

Note: If the job offer is made to an existing employee by the current employer, the job posting requirement is not required, but proof of employment must be submitted with the application (i.e. Employment Contract or paystub).

For the integrity and success of the program, all participating employers are required to:

  1. Verify that each candidate meets the Federal Eligibility Criteria.
  2. Educate each candidate on the cost of living in Claresholm relative to their pay.
  3. Confirm that each candidate has intention to permanently reside in Claresholm.
  4. Provide each candidate with a 1-on-1 connection within their area of employment.
  5. Guarantee that each candidate has secured housing prior to their arrival.
  6. Agree that the job offer cannot be made to direct family members.
  7. Agree to sign an employer declaration for each candidate
  8. Confirm that no form of payment has been accepted or requested from the candidate in exchange for a job offer. 

To be eligible for the Claresholm RNIP and to be considered for Community Recommendation by the Claresholm Economic Development Committee, a candidate must:

  1. Meet all federal eligibility criteria related to language proficiency, education, and intent to reside, settlement funds as specified in the Ministerial Instructions, to demonstrate that they have the skill set required in the community and intention to reside in the community:
  2. Have received a genuine job offer from an eligible employer as established by the Claresholm Economic Development Committee; and,
  3. Have past work experience that is similar to duties and responsibilities required to effectively work in the job specified within their Offer of Employment, matches the work experience qualifications as outlined in Guide 0118 and aligns with the NOC Code of the Job Offer.
  4. Have an expressed desire to live in a rural community, written or verbal expression to permanently reside in Claresholm, and a willingness to contribute to the social, cultural, economic life of the community.

Once the employer completes all requirements to be eligible for Claresholm RNIP, they can contact the Claresholm Economic Development Officer (EDO) at edo@claresholm.ca to be approved as an eligible employer for the RNIP program. 

What is the process?

Once Employers have confirmed their and their candidates eligibility and completed the steps above they can hire a candidate or support existing employee through recommendation. Conduct normal hiring procedures and provide the selected employee with a completed IMM 5984 “Offer of Employment” form*. Instruct the employee to apply for RNIP Community Recommendation following the instructions found on the Information for Foreign Skilled Workers page. 

Please Note: The Economic Development Committee meets on the third Monday of each month, to be considered for Community Recommendation for a given month you must submit your COMPLETE application by 4:00 pm (MDT/GMT-6) on the previous Monday (the second Monday of each month). See the Document Checklist for what is required in a complete application. To access this document and the other forms mentioned on this page, please send an email to eda@claresholm.ca with the subject “REQUEST: RNIP Application Forms” along with a completed IMM 5984 Offer of Employment form, which can be found in Guide 0118

RNIP Process Overview for Employers:

  1. Employer completes all requirements to be eligible for Claresholm RNIP, including filling out he Employer Application form, and is recognized by the Claresholm Economic Development Officer (EDO) as part of the RNIP program. 
  2. Employers may select candidates through existing relationships, international or in-person applications, The Claresholm EDC intends to balance the number of out-of-country applicants with the many in-country temporary workers that also want to apply to the Claresholm RNIP. 
  3. Once Employers have confirmed their and their candidate’s eligibility and completed the steps above, they can hire a candidate or support existing employee through recommendation. Conduct normal hiring procedures and provide the selected employee with a completed IMM 5984 “Offer of Employment” form. Instruct the employee to apply for RNIP Community Recommendation following the instructions found on the Information for Foreign Skilled Workers page. Employers can find the documents they are required to fill out or provide on the Document Checklist.
  4. Candidate meets all Federal Eligibility Criteria, has gathered, and completed all information required to submit a complete RNIP Claresholm Application for Community Recommendation. Candidates submit their completed Application Package, must include the Offer of Employment, via email to the EDA.
  5. The EDO reviews the application and advises the candidate on any necessary updates.
  6. Once the application is complete the candidate will be invited to attend a scheduled Zoom Interview with EDA and EDC.
  7. EDO assesses prioritization points and brings all complete applications to the Economic Development Committee (EDC) for consideration. The EDC meets on the third Monday of each month. 
  8. EDC evaluates for Community Recommendation and will decide to approve, decline, or place the application on hold.
  9. EDO informs candidates of the decisions made by EDC and provides a Community Recommendation Form 1-2 business days.
  10. Candidate meets eligibility criteria and uses the Community Recommendation Form to apply for Permanent Residency with the RNIP online IRCC application portal.  As of September 23, 2022, it is now mandatory to apply online.
  11. Candidate is eligible to apply for a work permit after the application for Permanent Residency has been successfully submitted; no LMIA required to apply for Temporary Work Permit through RNIP Claresholm, but the employer must post this job on the IRCC Employer Portal and pay the $250 temporary work permit fee. 

Once IRCC has completed the application and decision-making process the candidate will be contacted directly and can begin making plans for travel to Claresholm.

Claresholm RNIP Employment Portal IRCC Eligibility Criteria