Canada increased the fund requirements for rural immigration for PR by over 30%

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has increased the financial benchmark for immigrants who are applying through the rural program. The increased threshold applies to the two rural immigration programs, the Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP) and the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot (FCIP). On 29 July 2029, the minimum funds required for immigrants who are applying for permanent residency through this program have increased by over 30%. These changes in the fund threshold would significantly affect the immigrants who are planning to settle in rural communities across Canada.

The new requirements state that the applicant must have a minimum fund of 10,507 CAD to settle as a Permanent resident. This fund has been increased from the initial fund requirement of 7,963 CAD, which is an increase of 2,544 CAD; this number marks an increase of 31.94%. This increased financial threshold applies to all immigrants, irrespective of settling with dependents or settling alone. For instance, if a family of two requires 13,080 CAD and the family of four is required to show the fund of 19,524 CAD. There is a huge jump when compared to the previous threshold, where the two family members required to have funds of 9,692 CAD and the family of four required 15,056 CAD. If the family of more than seven members is seeking Permanent residence, the additional fund requirement has also increased to 2,831 CAD from 1,869 CAD for every family member. This financial requirement applies to both the programs of RCIP and FCIP.

While calculating the financial requirement for the family members, firstly, the primary applicant must include themselves, then their spouse or common-law partner and their dependent children, if applicable. Even if the dependents can be permanent residents or Canadian citizens, which also includes the dependent does not accompany the primary applicant to Canada. With these rules, IRCC wants to ensure that the applicant has the financial ability to support the entire family for the future settlement process, if they are not immigrating with them presently.

The RCIP and FCIP are the programs implemented in early 2025 to address the labour demand in the rural and francophone communities outside of Quebec. These programs aim to fill the community with foreign skilled employers wanting to settle as permanent residents (PR), and also local employers can connect with them. The applicant must be a skilled foreign professional with a valid job offer from a designated employer. They must receive an endorsement from the local economic development organisation. The applicant must also fulfil the other factors like education, work experience and language proficiency apart from the fund and settlement requirement. When it comes to the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot, the applicants must have French proficiency. This is the major objective of Canada’s goal to increase the French population in minor-language communities.

After fulfilling all the requirements, the applicant must submit the application to the federal government. They can also apply for a work permit to legally work in the community while waiting PR decision. The applicant can use this opportunity, as there are 14 RCIP communities and 6 FCIP communities, each of which is presently the priority sector to apply for occupations and serve the local economy.

These programs fulfil the labour shortage for rural and francophone communities while creating a pathway for the immigrants to Permanent residency and long-term settlement.