A West Kootenay rural immigration pilot program is getting a permanent place in Canada’s immigration system, but the number of workers it can help is expected to remain largely unchanged.
The federal government announced Nov. 9 that the Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP) will become a permanent program in the new year.
The West Kootenay is one of 14 participating communities that will automatically continue under the new program.
The region has been part of federal rural immigration initiatives since 2020, when the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) launched. That program ran until 2024, before being replaced by the current Rural Community Immigration Pilot in 2025.
Andrea Wilkey, executive director of Community Futures Central Kootenay, which administers the program, said the announcement provides some certainty for local employers looking to retain foreign workers.
“It’s pretty exciting for our region. We’re gonna continue to recommend employees for permanent residency and retain them in our region for our local workforce.”
The region started 2026 with 200 community recommendations available and received another 10 from the federal government later in the year.
Wilkey expects the allocation to remain around that level under the permanent program.
“We expect moving forward to stay around that 200 number, which in this day’s immigration context, we feel pretty fortunate to be able to recommend that many people for our region,” said Wilkey.
While Ottawa has indicated plans to expand the program to additional communities, Wilkey doesn’t anticipate that happening in the immediate future.
Her understanding is that the existing 14 communities will remain in place for now, given the current downward pressure on immigration numbers.
When expansion does happen, she expects communities will need to demonstrate local labour needs and their ability to welcome and support newcomers.
“We had to submit an application, demonstrate that our community had the need for the pilot. Also demonstrate that our community can be a welcoming community for new Canadians, and that we would provide supports to retain them in our community,” explained Wilkey. “Those are some of the things that the federal government looked at when choosing communities to be a part of the pilot.”
Wilkey also responded to community concerns about the program, specifically whether the West Kootenays has enough housing and health-care capacity to support newcomers.
Wilkey said there’s a common misconception about how the program works, noting most participants are already living and working in the region.
“The reality on the ground is most of these people, if not all, are already living here and working here. So 80 per cent of them have gone to Selkirk College and most of the people that we’re providing recommendations for are already living and working in the community,” she said.
“So really the program allows employers that have a really great employee to retain them by recommending them for permanent residency in Canada.”
Wilkey said the program has been particularly valuable for childcare centres and employers in the trades.
“Early childhood educators are key, some of our trades have appreciated the opportunity to retain plumbers, truck drivers, that kind of thing. So it gives employers security that, if they have a great staff person who doesn’t have permanent residency, that they’re gonna be able to keep them,” said Wilkey.
“It also puts our part of the country on people’s radar when deciding where to live. People are thinking about the West Kootenay because it is a pathway to permanent residency.”
However, making the program permanent does not resolve some of the challenges facing its local delivery. Wilkey said the federal government doesn’t provide funding to participating communities to administer the program.
“For the last seven years we’ve been reliant on grants,” she said. “But it’s really been cobbled together.”
Community Futures has relied on funding from the Regional District of Central Kootenay, Columbia Basin Trust and other partners to cover staffing and operating costs.
Wilkey said the organization continues to look for long-term funding commitments to ensure the program can keep operating.
Demand also continues to exceed the number of available recommendations, which Wilkey said means some employers and prospective applicants have been turned away.
“We have had employers and candidates disappointed. The demand for the program far exceeds the available spaces. So unfortunately we’ve had to say no to people, which is always hard to do.”
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