It aims to create a welcoming community by connecting newcomers with established members and settlement services. This pilot program provides small and remote communities in Ontario, Western Canada, and three territories with the opportunity to attract and retain foreign workers.

To qualify for this program, skilled workers must secure a job with an employer in one of the participating communities. If the community endorses the skilled worker and their application for permanent residency is successful, they can relocate to the community and continue to work and live there.

Skilled workers must meet the following requirements:

• 1 year of continuous work experience (at least 1,560 hours) in the past 3 years
• Must have a genuine job offer from one of the participating communities
• The job offer must be at the same skill level, 1 level above or 1 level below the NOC that applies to the work experience
• Must meet the minimum language requirement based on the NOC Category that applies to the job offer
  • NOC 0 and A: CLB 6
  • NOC B: CLB 5
  • NOC C and D: CLB 4
• Must have a Canadian high school diploma or an educational credential assessment report showing that they completed a foreign credential that is equal to Canadian secondary school
• Settlement funds
• Intention to live in the community

To be considered eligible to participate in the pilot, the community must meet certain criteria:

• Must have a population of 50,000 people or less and be located at least 75 km from the core of a Census Metropolitan Area or up to 200,000 people and be considered remote from other larger cities
• Be located in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Ontario, Saskatchewan and Yukon
• Have job opportunities
• Have an economic development plan
• Have a local economic development organization that can manage the pilot within the community
• Have the capacity to settle new immigrants in the community by having or developing:
  • Relationships with local or regional immigrant-serving organizations
  • Access to education, housing, transportation and health care
  • Opportunities to connect with newcomers