A study by the Northern Policy Institute found that last year, the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) helped boost Thunder Bay’s economy beyond simply assisting foreign nationals in finding jobs and settling into their communities. The program offered 229 jobs to its applicants, generated 92 other jobs in the local economy, and a total of $11.6 million in wages. The RNIP is growing at a fast pace, welcoming 1,425 foreign nationals to gain permanent residence in Canada in the first half of 2023. The program’s effectiveness has led Ottawa to increase the number of foreign nationals allowed to immigrate to some of the communities in the program. The RNIP aims to recruit skilled immigrants to work in smaller communities with aging populations and labour shortages through the five-year program, which is expected to become a permanent immigration program soon.
