Canada has made its Rural Community Immigration Programme permanent in a move aimed at attracting and retaining skilled foreign workers in smaller communities struggling with persistent labour shortages.

The Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Lena Metlege Diab, announced the decision on Monday, November 9, 2026, in Pictou County, Nova Scotia.

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According to a statement published on the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada website, the programme will initially retain the 14 communities currently participating in the pilot, with plans to admit additional communities in the future.

The employer- and community-led initiative is designed to connect skilled newcomers and their families with employers and local support networks, encouraging them to settle permanently in rural parts of the country.

Announcing the transition, Diab said the government recognised the importance of rural communities to Canada’s economy and the difficulties they face in recruiting workers.

She explained that the permanent programme would help smaller communities attract essential workers needed to provide services and support economic development.

The minister added that a uniform immigration approach could not adequately address the different needs of rural communities, making tailored pathways necessary for sustainable immigration.

Under Canada’s 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan, 5,500 admission spaces have been allocated to the permanent programme.

The government said the initiative would complement its broader immigration strategy, which includes stabilising admissions, reducing the temporary resident population and retaining skilled workers already contributing to local communities.

The programme builds on the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot, which operated between 2019 and 2024, and the Rural Community Immigration Pilot, introduced in 2025.

According to IRCC, more than 2,800 employers participated in the earlier initiative, resulting in the admission of over 12,500 candidates and their family members into smaller and rural Canadian communities.

The department also reported positive early results from the current programme, with newcomers helping to address labour shortages in sectors such as healthcare, education, sales and services during 2025 and 2026.

Between January 2025 and August 2026, participating communities vetted and designated more than 1,950 trusted employers experiencing labour shortages that could not be filled locally.

These employers subsequently issued more than 4,700 job offers and community recommendations.

Canada’s Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Sean Fraser, said the programme had helped businesses in Pictou County retain workers while encouraging newcomers to establish permanent lives in the community.

He said making the initiative permanent would give businesses a reliable option when they could not find suitable workers locally and allow immigrant families to continue building their lives in the area.

Similarly, the Secretary of State for Rural Development, Buckley Belanger, said the programme acknowledged the distinct workforce requirements of rural, northern and remote communities.

He noted that targeted immigration pathways could help fill vacancies where available Canadian workers were insufficient to meet employers’ needs.

The Chief Executive Officer of Pictou County Partnership, Jason Guidry, also said the initiative had strengthened the local workforce, supported business expansion and helped welcome new residents.

Meanwhile, IRCC said details of the eligibility requirements for additional communities interested in joining the permanent programme would be provided in a separate announcement.

The department identified the Provincial Nominee Program and federal economic immigration pathways managed through Express Entry as other options available to skilled foreign workers seeking permanent residence in Canada.