11 Canadian communities that have been selected to take part in new Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot

The pilot is designed to help smaller rural and remote communities attract foreign workers of various skill levels and provide them with permanent residence.

Canada’s rural communities employ over four million Canadians and account for almost 30 per cent of the national GDP, according to figures provided by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

The pilot’s goal is to help these communities counter labour market shortages caused by declining birth rates, rising retirement rates and the out-migration of youth to more populated areas of Canada.

The 11 communities named on June 14 are located in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.