The five regions from Ontario are a part of the Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP). They have released their key industries and job roles for 2026.
There is a criterion for Foreign workers who get a job offer. It should match the local area job requirements, for which they can apply for permanent residence (PR) through this program.
This article explains the key sectors and job roles being considered by each region in Ontario participating in the Rural Community Immigration Pilot.
The areas which are participating in this include:
- Thunder Bay
- North Bay
- Sault Ste. Marie
- Sudbury
- Timmins
Thunder Bay
For the year 2026, the Thunder Bay territory has put a strong focus on hiring highly skilled foreign workers across several key industries.
- Business, finance and administration
- Health
- Education, law and social, community, and government services
- Sales and service
- Trades, transport, and equipment operators
- Manufacturing and utilities
In addition, production and utility services were also added.
The region has allocated 25 specific job roles that would be considered under this program. They are given below with NOC codes:
Eligible priority jobs :
- Administrative assistants (13110)
- Aircraft mechanics and inspectors (72404)
- Automotive service technicians, truck and bus mechanics, and mechanical repairers (72410)
- Bakers (63202)
- Construction trades helpers and labourers (75110)
- Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics (72400)
- Contractors and supervisors, electrical trades and telecommunication occupations (72011)
- Cooks (63200)
- Dental assistants and dental laboratory assistants (33100)
- Early childhood educators and assistants (42202)
- General office support workers (14100)
- Home support workers, caregivers and related occupations (44101)
- Hotel front desk clerks (64314)
- Licensed practical nurses (32101)
- Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates (33102)
- Payroll administrators (13102)
- Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants (33103)
- Professional occupations in advertising, marketing and public relations (11202)
- Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses (31301)
- Retail salespersons and visual merchandisers (64100)
- Social and community service workers (42201)
- Sawmill machine operators (94120)
- Security guards and related security service occupations (64410)
- Other services supervisors (62029)
- Transport truck drivers (73300)
North Bay
In 2026, North Bay located in Northwestern Ontario is giving priority in the following industries:
- Business, finance and administration
- Health
- Education, law and social, community and government services
- Sales and service
- Trades, transport and equipment operators
- Natural and applied sciences.
Natural and Applied Sciences is a new sector introduced in 2026.
In the list below, you can find 25 main job positions and their NOCs in North Bay being prioritized under the RCIP this year, according to February 3, 2026:
Eligible priority jobs
- Accounting technicians and bookkeepers (12200)
- Administrative assistants (13110)
- Aircraft mechanics and aircraft inspectors (72404)
- Automotive service technicians, truck and bus mechanics and mechanical repairers (72410)
- Civil engineers (21300)
- Computer network and web technicians (22220)
- Construction trade helpers and labourers (75110)
- Dental assistants and dental laboratory assistants (33100)
- Electricians (except industrial and power system) (72200)
- Electrical and electronics engineers (21310)
- Early childhood educators and assistants (42202)
- Financial advisors (11102)
- Financial auditors and accountants (11100)
- Home support workers, caregivers and related occupations (44101)
- Licensed practical nurses (32101)
- Machinists and machining and tooling inspectors (72100)
- Nurse aides, orderlies and patient services associates (33102)
- Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants (33103)
- Chemical plant machine operators (94110)
- Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses (31301)
- Security guards and related security service occupations (64410)
- Shippers and receivers (14400)
- Social and community service workers (42201)
- Software developers and programmers (21232)
- Welders and related machine operators (72106)
Currently, there is no available public list which shows that the employers have been approved under the RCIP for the city of North Bay.
Sault Ste. Marie
In 2026, Sault Ste. Marie has put a strong focus on hiring employees who have job offers in the following six sectors under the Rural Community Immigration Pilot :
- Health
- Education
- Law and social
- Community and government services
- Business, finance and administration
- Trades, transport and equipment operators
- Manufacturing and utilities
- Natural and applied sciences
The areas that have been given more priority recently include:
- Natural and applied sciences
- Business, finance, and administration
Sales and service points are not available in the list this year.
In the list below, you can find 25 main job positions and their NOCs chosen by Sault Ste. Marie the Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP) for 2026:
- Accounting and related clerks (14200)
- Administrative officers (13100)
- Aircraft assemblers and aircraft assembly inspectors (93200)
- Aircraft mechanics and aircraft inspectors (72404)
- Automotive service technicians, truck and bus mechanics and mechanical repairers (72410)
- Computer network and web technicians (22220)
- Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics (72400)
- Dental assistants and dental laboratory assistants (33100)
- Early childhood educators and assistants (42202)
- Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians (22310)
- Engineering managers (20010)
- Financial advisors (11102)
- Financial auditors and accountants (11100)
- Other products assemblers, finishers and inspectors (94219)
- General practitioners and family physicians (31102)
- Industrial and manufacturing engineers (21321)
- Licensed practical nurses (32101)
- Machinists and machining and tooling inspectors (72100)
- Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians (22301)
- Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates (33102)
- Machine operators of other metal products (94107)
- Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses (31301)
- Social and community service workers (42201)
- Other trades helpers and labourers (75119)
- Bus drivers, subway operators and other transit operators (73301)
Sudbury
In 2026, Sudbury is the most highly populated city in Northern Ontario, which focuses on six areas listed under RCIP :
- Business, finance and administration
- Health
- Education, law and social, community and government services
- Trades, transport and equipment operators
- Natural and applied sciences
- Natural resources and agriculture.
The new addition to the sector this year was only Business, finance, and administration.
In this city, in limited cases, the applicants may be considered for this sector even though they were present in the priority sector
In the list below, you can find 25 chosen job positions and their NOCs selected by Greater Sudbury under the Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP) for 2026:
- Auto body collision, refinishing and glass technicians and damage repair estimators (72411)
- Automotive and heavy truck and equipment parts installers and servicers (74203)
- Automotive service technicians, truck and bus mechanics, and mechanical repairers (72410)
- Chemical technologists and technicians (22100)
- Civil engineering technologists and technicians (22300)
- Construction estimators (22303)
- Construction managers (70010)
- Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics (72400)
- Dental assistants and dental laboratory assistants (33100)
- Early childhood educators and assistants (42202)
- Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians (22310)
- General practitioners and family physicians (31102)
- Heavy-duty equipment mechanics (72401)
- Home support workers, caregivers, and related occupations (44101)
- Instructors of persons with disabilities (42203)
- Licensed practical nurses (32101)
- Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians (22301)
- Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations (33101)
- Mining engineers (21330)
- Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates (33102)
- Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment (32109)
- Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses (31301)
- Social and community service workers (42201)
- Transport truck drivers (73300)
- Welders and related machine operators (72106)
Timmins
The industries on which Timmins has focused under RCIP in 2026 are similar to those of the past year.
- Health
- Education, law and social, community and government services
- Trades, transport and equipment operators
- Natural resources and agriculture
- Manufacturing and utilities
When comparing the data with last year, Timmins had removed business, finance and administration under its RCIP priority sectors. It added production and utility services.
This is the only city in Ontario which has 5 priority sectors under the Rural Community Immigration Pilot. Whereas all others have gone up from five to six industries in 2026.
The list below has 25 specific occupations by Timmins, which is prioritizing under RCIP this year, 2026.
- Accounting technicians and bookkeepers (12200)
- Administrative assistants (13110)
- Animal health technologists and veterinary technicians (32104)
- Automotive and heavy truck and equipment parts installers and servicers (74203)
- Automotive service technicians, truck and bus mechanics and mechanical repairers (72410)
- Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics (72400)
- Construction trades helpers and labourers (75110)
- Early childhood educators and assistants (42202)
- Electricians (except industrial and power system) (72200)
- Geological and mineral technologists and technicians (22101)
- Health information management occupations (12111)
- Heavy equipment operators (73400)
- Heavy-duty equipment mechanics (72401)
- Home support workers, caregivers and related occupations (44101)
- Labourers in wood, pulp and paper processing (95103)
- Licensed practical nurses (32101)
- Machinists and machining and tooling inspectors (72100)
- Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations (33101)
- Mining engineers (21330)
- Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates (33102)
- Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses (31301)
- Social and community service workers (42201)
- Transport truck drivers (73300)
- Underground mine service and support workers (84100)
- Welders and related machine operators (72106)
Understanding the RCIP Program
The Rural Community Immigration Pilot program began in the year of 2025 as a part of the national permanent residence program. It was initiated with the main goal to help certain people in rural areas outside Quebec facing worker shortages.
This initiative had a total of 14 communities. These communities allow you to choose suitable employers. They are assigned to hire foreign workers for specific industries and job positions based on local labour needs.
So, a Foreign worker must be placed with a job by officially getting selected by an employer to be qualified. Then that employer will submit a recommendation to the community for the worker. If it gets approved, the worker is allowed to apply for permanent residence with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
Having a job letter in a priority sector or occupation alone is not enough for foreign workers
They must have one year of work experience (i.e., 1,560 hours) of related work-based experience in the last three years
- Job offer in TEER 0 or 1: work experience can be in TEER 0–3.
- Job offer in TEER 2: work experience can be in TEER 1–4.
- Job offer in TEER 4 of 3: work experience can be in TEER 2–2.
- Job offer in TEER 5: work experience must be in the same five-digit NOC code.
- Should have a relevant language-based requirement
- Job offer in TEER 0 or 1: Minimum of CLB 6.
- Job offer in TEER 2 or 3: Minimum of CLB 5.
- Job offer in TEER 4 or 5: Minimum of CLB 4.
- Should have a certificate obtained from Canada or a similar foreign qualification
If a worker has completed their education outside Canada, they are expected to have an Educational Credential Assessment.
- Have enough money to support themself to pay for the family expenses in the city.
How Croyez Immigration Supports Applicants Under the RCIP
Croyez Immigration will support the applicants in every way possible under the Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP) process. We help in checking the :
- Eligibility criterias
- Cross-check job letters from approved employers
- Help in preparing proper documents
With proper guidance and knowledge about the updated immigration rules, we at Croyez Immigration can guide the applicants to complete their RCIP process smoothly.
