Posted on November 26 2019

Take the Sault Ste. Marie RNIP route to Canada in 2020

By
Anshul Singhal
, Editor

Updated February 24 2024

Sault Ste. Marie has started accepting applications under the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP).

Located on the banks of the St. Marys River, Sault Ste. Marie is a city in the south-central region of the province of Ontario in Canada.

Incidentally, the city was named Sault Ste. Marie, that is “Rapids of Saint Mary”, way back in 1669 when the French established a Jesuit mission there.

By Mary here is meant Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. It is ‘Sainte’ and not ‘Saint’ in keeping with gender.

Sault Ste. Marie is a good place to settle down in. A rich historical tradition on one hand, and opportunities for adventure on the other, there is indeed a lot to do in Sault Ste. Marie.

Less stress, more living. The promise that Sault Ste. Marie holds.

The newly launched Sault Ste. Marie RNIP is a pathway that can get you Canadian PR through the community.

As per a News Release by the Government of Canada in June this year,

11 communities were selected to take part in the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP). These include –

*Community*	*Province*	*Details of Pilot*
Vernon	British Columbia	To be announced
West Kootenay (Trail, Castlegar, Rossland, Nelson),	British Columbia	To be announced
Thunder Bay	Ontario	From January 2, 2020. [For more details, visit the Official Website]
North Bay	Ontario	To be announced
Sault Ste. Marie	Ontario	Accepting applications. [Apply here.]
Timmins	Ontario	To be announced
Claresholm	Alberta	From January 2020
Sudbury	Ontario	To be announced
Gretna-Rhineland-Altona-Plum Coulee	Manitoba	Accepting applications. [Apply here.]
Brandon	Manitoba	From December 1, 2019
Moose Jaw	Saskatchewan	To be announced

Sault Ste. Marie offers a unique combination of natural and urban amenities.

The Sault Ste. Marie RNIP is specifically designed for supporting economic development and strengthening the local businesses so that they can effectively develop and retain a skilled workforce.

The Pilot is jointly being managed by –

The Sault Community Career Centre,
The Sault Ste. Marie Local Immigration Partnership,
FutureSSM, and
The Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corporation.

Why is a points-based system being used by Sault Ste. Marie for RNIP?

Sault Ste. Marie RNIP has a points-based system in place. Unlike the points-based eligibility for Express Entry, points to be calculated by Sault Ste. Marie Rare for prioritizing candidates. An applicant’s score will help in determining whether the applicant and the people accompanying him to Sault Ste. Marie will be able to –

Contribute to an existing or emerging requirement in the local economy,
Build up strong relationships with other community members, and
Enjoy the culture and lifestyle in Sault Ste. Marie.

Applicants that secure a higher score will be perceived to have a much better chance of integration into the local community and a greater likelihood of remaining in Sault Ste. Marie for the long term.

How many points are needed?

As of now, an applicant will have to secure a total of 70 or above for being considered on a priority basis for recommendation through Sault Ste. Marie RNIP.

How will the points be calculated?

The required 70 points will be calculated based on the criteria of –

*Criterion*	*Maximum Points to be Awarded*
CRITERION 1 – Job offer	55
CRITERION 2 – Age	6
CRITERION 3 – Work experience [in one of the priority NOC groups]	10
CRITERION 4 – Study at post-secondary level in Sault Ste. Marie	6
CRITERION 5 – Already a resident of Sault Ste. Marie	8
CRITERION 6 – Personal ties to established members of the community	10
CRITERION 7 – Visit to Sault Ste. Marie	8
CRITERION 8 – Knowledge of and interest in a Sault Ste. Marie activity	5
CRITERION 9 – Spouse or common law partner: Job offer or work experience	10
CRITERION 10 – Spouse or common law partner: English/French language skills	5

CRITERIA 1 – Job offer

For this, the applicant must have received a valid job offer in any of the priority groups as per the National Occupational Classification (NOC).

How do Canada’s NOC codes work?

Choosing the most suitable NOC Code is crucial. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the right NOC Code is selected in the application. An NOC Code can easily make or break any application, be it for Express Entry, Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), or even RNIP. Do keep in mind that it is the work experience that should match the NOC Code.

Education and actual job title are not important. To be able to prove that an applicant has indeed selected the right NOC Code, the applicant will be required to supply supporting documents to support their claim. For this, the employment reference letter (to be provided by the applicant’s employer) will be important.

NOC Codes are unique 4-digit codes that uniquely identify an occupation from the other. In the NOC Code, the first digit is for the Skill Type. Ten Skill Types – from 0 to 9 – are there.

*Skill Type*	*For*
0	Management occupations
1	Business, finance, and administration occupations
2	Natural and applied sciences and related occupations
3	Health occupations
4	Occupations in education, law and social, community and government services
5	Occupations in art, culture, recreation and sport
6	Sales and service occupations
7	Trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations
8	Natural resources, agriculture and related production occupations
9	Occupations in manufacturing and utilities

The second digit translates to the Skill Level. Each of the 4 Skill Levels have 2 digits. Do keep in mind that unless a 0 is there at the beginning of the NOC Code, the second digit will refer to the Skill Level. If there is a 0 in the beginning, that will be a managerial position. All managerial positions have an NOC Code beginning with 0. In such cases, the second digit will denote the Skill Type.

*Skill Level*	*Second Digit in NOC*	*Education Level*
Skill Level A	0 and 1	Occupations with this code usually require university education.
Skill Level B	2 and 3	Usually, a college education or apprenticeship training is required.
Skill Level C	4 and 5	Secondary school and/or occupation-specific training are usually needed.
Skill Level D	6 and 7	On-the-job training is usually provided.

What are the priority NOC groups that Sault Ste. Marie RNIP is targeting?

Sault Ste. Marie has shortlisted the following as priority NOC groups for RNIP –

*NOC Code*	*Description*
NOC 11..	Professional occupations in business and finance.
NOC 21..	Professional occupations in natural and applied sciences.
NOC 30..	Professional occupations in nursing
NOC 31..	Professional occupations in health (except nursing).
NOC 40..	Professional occupations in education services.
NOC 74..	Other installers, servicers, repairers and material handlers.
NOC 75..	Transport and heavy equipment operation and related maintenance occupations.
NOC 76..	Trades helpers, construction labourers and related occupations.
NOC 22..	Technical occupations related to natural and applied sciences.
NOC 32..	Technical occupations in health.
NOC 34	Assisting occupations in support of health services.
NOC 44..	Care providers and educational, legal and public protection support occupations.
NOC 72..	Industrial, electrical and construction trades.
NOC 75..	Transport and heavy equipment operation and related maintenance occupations.
NOC 76..	Trades helpers, construction labourers and related occupations.
NOC 92..	Processing, manufacturing and utilities supervisors and central control operators.
NOC 94..	Processing and manufacturing machine operators and related production workers.
NOC 95..	Assemblers in manufacturing.
NOC 96..	Labourers in processing, manufacturing and utilities.
NOC 07.. and 09..	Middle management occupations in trades, transportation, production and utilities.
NOC 6321	Chefs.

Those applicants that have a job offer not in the list above-mentioned will be considered for Sault Ste. Marie RNIP at the discretion of the Community Recommendation Committee.

CRITERION 2 – Age

The age of the applicant on the date of submission of the application will fetch points as below -

*Age*	*Points*
18 years to 36 years	6
37 years to 47 years	3
48 years and above	0

CRITERION 3 – Work experience [in one of the priority NOC groups]

*Work Experience*	*Maximum Points to be Awarded*
2 years	2
3 years	4
4 years	6
5 years	8
6+ years	10
BONUS: A least 1 year of uninterrupted full-time work experience in Sault Ste. Marie within past 5 years	8

CRITERION 4 –

Study at post-secondary level in Sault Ste. Marie

If the applicant has studied at a post-secondary institution in the community –

*Studied at a post-secondary institution in Sault Ste. Marie*	*Maximum Points to be Awarded*
2+ years within the past 5 years	6
1 year within the past 5 years	3

CRITERION 5 –

Already a resident of Sault Ste. Marie

The following points will be awarded as per this criterion –

	*Maximum Points to be Awarded*
Owns property in Sault Ste. Marie and lives in that same property	8
Leases property in Sault Ste. Marie and lives in that same property	4

Do keep in mind that proof of ownership – in the form of bank letter or mortgage statement –might be required.

CRITERION 6 –

Personal ties to established members of the community

To claim points under this criterion, the applicant must have personal ties to established members of the community. As proof, a letter of support (from the community member so identified by the applicant) will have to be submitted. The letter of support will have to clearly identify the relationship as well as the nature and the duration of the relationship. Do note that only 1 letter of reference can be submitted.

Points to be awarded will be –

	*Maximum Points to be Awarded*
Immediate family member[sibling/child/parent] – who is a Canadian PR or citizen of Canada and has been living within Sault Ste. Marie for at least 1 year	10
Extended family member [uncle/aunt/cousin/grandparent/niece/nephew], friend, or representative of established community organization that is a Canadian PR or citizen of Canada and has been living within Sault Ste. Marie for at least 1 year	5

CRITERION 7 –

Visit to Sault Ste. Marie

As per this criterion –

	*Maximum Points to be Awarded*
Applicant to have visited Sault Ste. Marie for a minimum of 5 nights in the past 3 years and met at least 2 employers [in their specific line of work] during their visit.	8

Do keep in mind that contact information of employers met and receipts for hotel stay in Sault Ste. Marie might be required.

CRITERION 8 –

Knowledge of and interest in a Sault Ste. Marie activity

	*Maximum Points to be Awarded*
To have authentic knowledge of and interest in a lifestyle/cultural/recreational activity found in Sault Ste. Marie	5

CRITERION 9 –

Spouse or common law partner: Job offer or work experience

	*Maximum Points to be Awarded*
Applicant’s spouse or common law partner has valid job offer in any priority NOC groups above-mentioned OR	10
Applicant’s spouse or common law partner has minimum 2 years’ work experience [continuous, full time] in any of the priority NOC groups.	5

CRITERION 10 –

Spouse or common law partner: English/French language skills

	*Maximum Points to be Awarded*
Spouse or common law partner to have English/French language skills exceeding CLB/NLCC 5 in all categories.	5

While CLB stands for Canadian Language Benchmarks and is for assessing the English language, NCLC is for Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens and Is for the French language. Do note that the language test results must be less than 2 years’ old at the time of applying for RNIP.

Which language tests are accepted for RNIP ? For the purpose of RNIP, test results will be accepted only from the designated tests of –

*Name of Test*	*Language Tested*
Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) Accepted – CELPIP General Not accepted – CELPIP General-LS	English
International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Accepted – IELTS General Training Not accepted – IELTS Academic	English
TEF Canada: Test d’évaluation de français (TEF)	French
TCF Canada : Test de connaissance du français	French

What is the step-by-step process for applying?

STEP 1: Ensure that you meet the federal eligibility requirements as laid down by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

STEP 2: Get a full-time permanent employment in Sault Ste. Marie.

You can either already be employed or have a valid job offer. You will have to ensure that your employer duly fills out the RNIP Offer of Employment Form. Do keep in mind that you will be required to upload this form when you apply online.

STEP 3: Find out if you match the specific Community Requirements by Sault Ste. Marie.

STEP 4: Download and fill up Form IMM 5911E.

STEP 5: Submit form here.

STEP 6: A RNIP Coordinator from Sault Ste. Marie will ask you for further documentation (copies only). To be submitted via e-mail. By documentation here is meant – resume, educational credentials, language test results, etc.

STEP 7: Your application will be reviewed by the Community Recommendation Committee. If you do meet the RNIP requirements, you will be e-mailed a nomination letter from the Community Recommendation Committee.

STEP 8: Once you have the nomination letter, you can apply directly to IRCC for Canada PR. Further review will be done by IRCC.

STEP 9: You get your Canadian PR.

STEP 10: Move to Sault Ste. Marie with your family.

Quick facts: