The community of Vernon eases RNIP requirements

As per the Vernon and North Okanagan Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot [RNIP], “effective December 1, 2020, the wage criteria and ranking points will change.”

 

Vernon is one of the 11 communities participating in Canada’s Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot [RNIP].

 

A community-driven initiative, the RNIP is specifically designed for spreading the benefits of economic immigration to the smaller communities in Canada. This is to be done through the creation of a path for Canadian permanent residence for skilled foreign workers intending to live and work in any of the participating communities.

 

Communities participating in the RNIP

Community	Province	Status
Brandon	Manitoba	Accepting applications
Claresholm	Alberta	Accepting applications
Altona/Rhineland	Manitoba	Accepting applications
Moose Jaw	Saskatchewan	To be launched
North Bay	Ontario	Accepting applications
Sault Ste. Marie	Ontario	Accepting applications
Sudbury	Ontario	Accepting applications
Thunder Bay	Ontario	Accepting applications
Timmins	Ontario	Accepting applications
Vernon	British Columbia	Accepting applications
West Kootenay	British Columbia	Accepting applications

 

A welcoming city of 42,000+ inhabitants, Vernon is located in North Okanagan.

 

According to Statistics Canada, the region demarcated as the RNIP region in Vernon community includes – “City of Vernon, District of Lake Country, District of Coldstream, City of Armstrong, Township of Spallumcheen, City of Enderby, Village of Lumby and several unincorporated areas within the North Okanagan, Columbia Shuswap, Central Okanagan and Thompson Nicola Regional Districts, excluding the census subdivision of Kelowna [City]”.

 

With the latest announcement on December 1, Vernon has made it easier for candidates to be selected under the RNIP. With the new changes, various requirements have been eased, allowing employers to hire more employees.

 

Changes introduced on December 1, 2020

The changes have been made in the RNIP Vernon-North Okanagan Comprehensive Ranking System as well as the minimum wage requirements.

 

[I] Minimum wage

Beginning December 1, 2020, “the wage must be 23 dollars an hour or more”. Earlier, the stipulation was that for most jobs, “the wage must be 25 dollars an hour or more”.

 

Applicants that are currently within the community – and have been working, studying, and/or living for a minimum of 6 months – will be exempt from the specific wage criteria [of 23 dollars an hour], provided, however, that their present wage is between 18 to 22.99 dollars, and they secure at least 30 points under the ranking system of the community.

 

Earlier only up to 27% of the annual recommendations for the community were to be available for the exemption. From December 1, “up to 75 per cent of annual recommendations will be available for this wage exemption”.

 

[II] Changes in the points under the Vernon’s Comprehensive Ranking System [VCRS]

 

Characteristics	Details	Maximum points
Candidate’s Language	2 points [with a cap of 10 points] for each Canadian Language Benchmark [CLB] score above the necessary language requirement [of CLB 5] and the required CLB level for specific occupations.	10
Family in the Community	2 points [with a cap of 8 points] for each adult immediate family member residing in the Community for at least 6 months before applying for recommendation. W.e.f. December 1, 2020 to change to 3 points per family member with a cap of 9 points.	8
	1 point [with a cap of 4 points] for every adult extended family member residing in the Community for at least 6 months before applying for recommendation. W.e.f. effective December 1, 2020 this will change to a cap of 2 points.	4
Previous travel to the Community – Cumulative	2 points for travel to the Community with a stay of less than 3 months combined. The travel must have occurred at least 1 year prior to the launch of RNIP in the Community and within the last 5 years.	2
	5 points for those with cumulative stay in the Community of over 3 months within the last 5 years and before the launch of the RNIP in the community.	5
Time residing and Residential Property Ownership in the Community	8 points for those having resided in the community for at least one 6-month continuous period within the last 5 years.	8
	2 points for applicants that own residential property in the Community and purchased the property before the launch of RNIP [February 1st, 2020]	2
Work and/or Study in the Community and Appropriate Authorization	10 points for those with a previous job [within the last 5 years] or current job with a business in the Community and worked in that position for at least one 6-month continuous period. W.e.f. December 1, 2020 this point will change to a 15 points.	10
	6 points for those that have previously, or are currently, studying in the Community for at least 2 of the last 5 years. W.e.f. December 1, 2020 this will change to 10 points.	6
Candidates spouse/Common-Law Partner	8 points for applicants who have a spouse currently employed in the Community under the following North American Industry Classification [NAIC] codes – NAIC 11, NAIC 21, NAIC 22, NAIC 23, NAIC 31-33, NAIC 41, NAIC 44-45, NAIC 48-49, NAIC 51, NAIC 52, NAIC 53, NAIC 54, NAIC 55, NAIC 56, NAIC 61, NAIC 62, NAIC 71, NAIC 72, NAIC 81, NAIC 91.	8
	3 points for applicants whose accompanying spouse is not currently employed in the Community under the NAIC codes listed above, but have previous foreign employment for at least one 6-month continuous period in one of these industries.	3
Work experience	Capped at 15 points, applicants will receive 1 point for every year of additional relevant work experience in a related profession exceeding the 12 months required. W.e.f. December 1, 2020 this will change to a cap of 10 points.	15
Applicant’s Age	2 points for applicants 25 years old and under. W.e.f. December 1, 2020 this point allocation will change to 3.	2
	7 points for applicants between the ages of 26 and 38. W.e.f. December 1, 2020 this point allocation will change to 5.	7
	5 points for applicants between the ages of 39 and 49. W.e.f. December 1, 2020 this point allocation will change to 4.	5
	4 points for applicants 50 years old or older. W.e.f. December 1, 2020 this point allocation will change to 3.	4
Wage	Capped at 15 points, a job offer that exceeds the minimum of $25 per hour will receive 1 point for every additional $1 per hour. W.e.f. December 1, 2020 the amount will change to $23 and the point cap will change to 12.	15
Drivers Licence	2 points for applicants who have a Canadian drivers licence or permit.	2
	1 point for applicants without a Canadian drivers licence or permit but with a valid foreign drivers licence or permit.	1
Maximum points		100

 

Launched in February 2020, the RNIP program for Vernon-North Okanagan has received 21 applications so far. Of these, 19 have been accepted.

 

While starting out with a conservative approach for ensuring that the community could successfully manage potential demand in the local labour market, the community is easing certain requirements for allowing the local economy to grow and thrive.

 

If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit, Invest or Migrate to Canada, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Company.

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