Last year, ten times more new permanent residents moved to small Canadian towns under the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP), which was created as a one-time pilot program than did during its first year in operation. In 2020, 50 permanent residents were admitted to Canada through the RNIP in its inaugural year. Last year, that increased by 1,010 percent, with 555 new permanent residents. Within the first four months of 2022, another 625 permanent immigrants arrived under the RNIP. If the current rate of immigration under the RNIP is maintained throughout the year, Canada will receive 1,875 new permanent residents this year, a 237.8 percent increase over last year’s figures.
