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BC’s West Kootenay Unveils Employers for Rural PR Pathway under RCIP

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BC’s West Kootenay Unveils Employers for Rural PR Pathway under RCIP

The West Kootenay region in southeastern B.C. has officially published its list of designated employers under the Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP), offering foreign workers a direct pathway to permanent residence in select rural communities including Nelson, Castlegar, Trail, Kaslo, Nakusp, Creston, and others

Why the Designated Employer List Matters

Only job offers from these officially designated employers—in five priority sectors—qualify candidates for a community recommendation under the RCIP. Employers must be approved, offer eligible positions, and support newcomer settlement to maintain their status

Priority Sectors & Eligible Occupations

West Kootenay RCIP supports employment in these five key sectors:

  • Health
  • Education, law, social & community services
  • Sales & service
  • Trades, transport & equipment operators
  • Manufacturing & utilities

Eligible occupations include 19 NOC codes such as:

  • Carpenters, cooks, early childhood educators, health care aides
  • Transport truck drivers (≥ 75% duties within the West Kootenay region)
  • Heavy-duty equipment mechanics, material handlers, painters, social/community service workers, office support staff, and more, each with CLB language level requirements of 4–6 .

Sample List of Designated Employers by Sector

According to the official listing last updated July 23, 2025, designated employers include:

Health sector:

  • Ancron Medical Services (Nelson)
  • CareCorp (Mountain Lake Village, Nelson)
  • Castleview Care Centre (Castlegar)
  • Misha Zibin Society (Grand Forks)
  • Trail Association for Community Living

Education & Community Services:

  • Blueberry Creek Community School (Castlegar)
  • Brent Kennedy Learning Centre (South Slocan)
  • Community Connections Support Services (Trail/Nelson)
  • Four Winds Daycare, Golden Bears Children’s Centre (Rossland), Kootenay Family Place, Songbird Early Learning Centre (Nelson), Silly Monkeys Childcare (Castlegar), and more

Sales, Retail, Food & Accommodation:

  • Boston Pizza (Castlegar), Kootenay Tamil Kitchen (Nelson, Creston), Ashley Furniture (Trail), Ainsworth Hot Springs Resort, The Adventure Hotel, Kootenay Co‑op Grocery, El Taco, Ferraro Foods, Mainstreet Diner, and others across Nelson, Trail, Castlegar, Creston, Grand Forks, Slocan, Rossland

Trades, Transport & Equipment Operators:

  • A3 Plumbing (Nelson), Ace Couriers (Castlegar/Grand Forks), Martech Electrical Systems (Castlegar), Paradise Painters (Nelson), The Sutherland Group (Salmo), Valor Painting (Nelson), and more

Manufacturing & Utilities:

  • Kalesnikoff Lumber (Thrums), Kalesnikoff Mass Timber (Castlegar), Spearhead (Nelson), Nelson Naturals, KC Recycling (Trail), Treasure Life Flour Mills (Creston), Popov Leather and others

Eligibility & How the RCIP Works

To be eligible for permanent residence via the West Kootenay RCIP:

  1. You must receive a full‑time, permanent job offer from one of the designated employers listed above.
  2. The job must belong to a priority sector and eligible occupation.
  3. You must meet other RCIP criteria:
    • Minimum 1,560 hours of work experience in the past 3 years (or be a local graduate without experience)
    • Required language proficiency (CLB levels 4–6 depending on occupation)
    • Equivalent education credentials and proof of settlement funds if not already in Canada

Applicants not yet living in West Kootenay must relocate permanently if recommended by the community.

Application Timeline & Community Limit

  • Employer designation applications launched in June 2025, followed by community recommendation applications in early July, with the RCIP portal now accepting applications as of July 21, 2025
  • Each designated employer can recommend max 3 candidates/year if they have 1–65 employees, or up to 6 candidates if 66+ staff

With its first official list of designated employers now live, the West Kootenay RCIP offers foreign professionals and workers across key sectors a promising route to permanent residence in rural B.C. If you hold a job offer from one of these employers in an eligible occupation, consider applying through this employer‑driven pilot.

Stay updated via the official West Kootenay RCIP site for new employer listings and detailed application instructions. And remember: never contact designated employers directly unless you’re replying to a public job ad.

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