Here are the foreign nationals Claresholm is prioritizing for permanent residence under the RCIP

Claresholm has released its updated list of priority sectors (one new), occupations (eight new) and designated employers for the Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP) for 2026.

Foreign nationals with a job offer from a designated Claresholm employer in a priority sector or occupation can pursue permanent residence (PR) through this rural immigration pathway—provided they meet all other eligibility requirements.

Claresholm, situated in southern Alberta about 1.5 hours away from Calgary, is participating in the RCIP with a 25-kilometre boundary that includes the hamlet of Granum and Stavely.

Assess your eligibility for the Rural Community Immigration Pilot

The town of Claresholm has the same number of allocations for the RCIP in 2026 as it did the year prior: 30. To meet its allocation, three allocations per month will be issued, with intake periods running from the first of each month to the second last Tuesday of each month.

This article will cover Claresholm's priority sectors and occupations for this year, as well as any changes compared to last.

Which sectors is Claresholm prioritizing in 2026?

The town of Claresholm is prioritizing the recruitment of workers across the following six sectors under the RCIP in 2026:

• Health;
• Manufacturing and utilities;
• Trades, transport and equipment operators;
• Education, law and social, community and government services;
• Natural resources and agriculture; and
• *Sales and service.

These have been listed in order of priority, with Claresholm issuing more points to individuals with a job offer in a higher priority sector (e.g., health) compared to lower priority sectors (e.g., sales and service) through its RCIP candidate scoring system.

Last year, Claresholm prioritized five sectors, which included all the above-listed selections except for Trades, transport, and equipment operators—this is a new addition in 2026.

* The sales and service sector will be allotted no more than six allocations this year.

Which occupations is Claresholm prioritizing in 2026?

Workers in the 25 occupations listed below will receive priority consideration during Claresholm’s candidate selection process under the RCIP.

Bolded occupations represent new priority occupations this year; all other National Occupational Classification (NOC) codes (unbolded) were prioritized by Claresholm in 2025 as well.

Occupation	NOC code
Administrative assistants	13110
Administrative officers	13100
Aerospace engineers	21390
Air pilots, flight engineers and flying instructors	72600
Aircraft assemblers and aircraft assembly inspectors	93200
Aircraft mechanics and aircraft inspectors	72404
Carpenters	72310
Chemical technologist and technicians	22100
Concrete finishers	73100
Contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers	72014
*Cooks	63200
Engineering managers	20010
Labourers in food and beverage processing	95106
Licensed practical nurses	32101
Machining tool operators	94106
Meat cutters and fishmongers – retail and wholesale	65202
Mechanical engineering technologist and technicians	22301
Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates	33102
Occupational health and safety specialists	22232
Other trades helpers and labourers	75119
Process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing	94140
Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses	31301
Specialized livestock workers and farm machinery operators	84120
Supervisors, furniture and fixtures manufacturing	92022
Woodworking machine operators	94124

*This occupation is being considered under the health sector and the sales and service sector, though for the latter, it can only be used by the full-service restaurant subsector (i.e., sit-down restaurants, not fast-food establishments, food trucks, takeout-only locations, or quick service businesses).

Only workers with job offers in certain NOCs listed above receive points under Claresholm’s RCIP candidate sector, including:

• Nurse aides, orderlies, and patient service associates (33102);
• Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurse (31301);
• Licensed practical nurses (32101);
• Administrative officers (13100); and
• Air pilots, flight engineers, and flying instructors (72600).

Foreign nationals can qualify under the RCIP only if their job offer wage is within the Job Bank wage range for that occupation, or above it.

The list of employers designated by Claresholm can be found on the town’s designated RCIP web page, though only one employer is reportedly hiring at this time.

About the Rural Community Immigration Pilot - Claresholm

To be considered under the RCIP, foreign nationals must secure a job offer in a priority sector/occupation, and that offer must come from an employer designated by the participating community—Claresholm, in this case.

Once a job offer is issued, the employer recommends the worker to the community. If the recommendation is approved, they can apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for PR.

Candidates will be assessed by Claresholm through the community’s RCIP scoring grid, assigned a score, and their recommendation will be entered into an application pool.

You can find a comprehensive breakdown of Claresholm's RCIP scoring grid here.

In addition to having a qualifying job offer, individuals must also meet other eligibility requirements pertaining to:

• Work experience — Minimum one year of related work experience within the past year.
  • TEER 0/1 job offer: work experience in TEER 0–3.
  • TEER 2 job offer: work experience in TEER 1–4.
  • TEER 3/4 job offer: work experience in TEER 2–4.
  • TEER 5 job offer: work experience in the same five-digit NOC.
• Language proficiency — dependent on one’s job offer.
  • TEER 0/1 job offer: CLB 6.
  • TEER 2/3 job offer: CLB 5.
  • TEER 4/5 job offer: CLB 4.
• Educational credential — Canadian credential or foreign equivalent.
  • Foreign credentials must be accompanied by an Educational Credential Assessment.
• Settlement funds — Enough funds for you (and your family, if applicable) to settle in the community.

To be considered, foreign nationals must show a “strong intention” to reside in Claresholm.

Assess your eligibility for the Rural Community Immigration Pilot