The three regions participating in the federal Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP) have announced their 2026 priority sectors and occupations—with several overlaps.
To obtain permanent residence through the RCIP, candidates are required to have a job offer from an employer designated by the community, in an eligible occupation.
Assess your eligibility for the Rural Community Immigration Pilot
Your occupation’s TEER category–shown in the second digit of your National Occupational Classification (NOC) code–determines the language standards you must meet. More information to follow.
In this article, we examine the sectors and 25 occupations each region participating in the RCIP has chosen to prioritize in 2026.
Participating regions in Manitoba include:
- Altona/Rhineland;
- Brandon; and
- Steinbach.
You may still be eligible for consideration under the RCIP if you have a job offer in an occupation not on a region’s list of priority occupations.
Altona/Rhineland
The Altona/Rhineland region, which consists of the Town of Alton and surrounding Rural Municipality of Rhineland, has selected the sectors listed below as high priority in 2026:
- Education, law and social, community and government services;
- Sales and services;
- Trades, transport, and equipment operators;
- Natural resources and agriculture;
- Manufacturing and utilities; and
- Health.
The year prior, the Altona/Rhineland region had five priority sectors (the first five on the list), with the health sector being a new addition in 2026.
Below is the region’s list of 25 occupations (and associated NOCs) designated as high priority in 2026:
Eligible priority occupations
- Agricultural service contactors and farm supervisors (82030)
- Binding and finishing machine operators (94152)
- Cooks (63200)
- Customer service representatives – financial institutions (64400)
- Drafting technologists and technicians (22212)
- Early childhood educators and assistants (42202)
- Food service supervisors (62020)
- Heavy-duty equipment mechanics (72401)
- Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers (94141)
- Industrial painters, coaters and metal finishing process operators (94213)
- Labourers in food and beverage processing (95106)
- Livestock labourers (85100)
- Machinists and machining and tooling inspectors (72100)
- Material handlers (75101)
- Nurse aids, orderlies and patient service associates (33102)
- Other labourers in processing, manufacturing and utilities (95109)
- Printing press operators (73401)
- Process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing (94140)
- Mechanical assemblers and inspectors (94204)
- Metalworking and forging machine operators (94105)
- Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses (31301)
- Specialized livestock workers and farm machinery operators (84120)
- Supervisors, food and beverage processing (92012)
- Technical sales specialists - wholesale trade (62100)
- Welders and related machine operators (72106)
Altona/Rhineland has not published specifics on job offer wage requirements.
According to the official RCIP website for Altona and Rhineland, “recommendations will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis throughout the year.”
The region’s employers designated under the RCIP in 2026 can be found here; new employers will be added as they receive designation.
Brandon
In 2026, Manitoba’s second-largest city—located in southwestern Manitoba on the Assiniboine River—is prioritizing workers with job offers in the following high-priority sectors:
- Health;
- Trades, transport and equipment operators;
- Manufacturing and utilities;
- Natural and applied sciences;
- Education, law and social, community and government services; and
- Natural resources and agriculture.
The sectors selected by the city of Brandon this year largely mirror those chosen in 2025, with the only change in 2026 being the addition of a new sector: natural resources and agriculture.
To see which occupations Brandon is prioritizing under the RCIP in 2026, you can check the expandable list below.
Eligible priority occupations
- Agricultural service contractors and farm supervisors (82030)
- Automotive and heavy truck and equipment parts installers and servicers (74203)
- Automotive service technicians, truck and bus mechanics and mechanical repairers (72410)
- Carpenters (72310)
- Civil engineering technologists and technicians (22300)
- Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics (72400)
- Construction trades helpers and labourers (75110)
- Dental assistants and dental laboratory assistants (33100)
- Dental hygienists and dental therapists (32111)
- Dietitians and nutritionists (31121)
- *Early childhood educators and assistants (42202)
- Electrical and electronics engineers (21310)
- General practitioners and family physicians (31102)
- Heavy-duty equipment mechanics (72401)
- Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers (94141)
- Industrial instrument technicians and mechanics (22312)
- Machinists and machining and tooling inspectors (72100)
- Medical radiation technologists (32121)
- Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians (22301)
- Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates (33102)
- Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses (31301)
- Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine (31100)
- Specialists in surgery (31101)
- User support technicians (22221)
- Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics (72402)
General note: Occupations not listed above, that fall under priority sectors, may be considered if employers can demonstrate significant benefit to the community (e.g., a civil engineering position= significant economic benefit, or a dentist position= significant health benefit).
*The city of Brandon notes that under this NOC code, only the following positions are eligible:
- Child Care Assistant;
- Early Childhood Educator II (ECE II); and
- Early Childhood Educator III (ECE III).
To qualify under the RCIP, a job offer must feature a wage that meets or exceeds the Canada Job Bank’s minimum wage for that specific NOC code.
You can view the list of Brandon-based employers designated under the RCIP in 2026 here, which will be updated regularly.
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Steinbach
The fast-growing city of Steinbach, tucked away in southeastern Manitoba, has selected six sectors to be prioritized under the RCIP in 2026:
- Health;
- Education, law and social, community and government services;
- Sales and service;
- Trades, transport and equipment operators;
- Manufacturing and utilities; and
- Natural resources and agriculture.
Steinbach’s 2026 priority sectors closely match those of the previous year, with the inclusion of natural resources and agriculture being the only change.
You can view the 25 occupations (and associated NOCs) Steinbach is prioritizing under the RCIP in 2026 below.
Eligible priority occupations
- Accounting and related clerks (14200)
- Aircraft mechanics and aircraft inspectors (72404)
- Auto body collision, refinishing and glass technicians and damage repair estimators (72411)
- Automotive service technicians, truck and bus mechanics and mechanical repairers (72410)
- Civil engineers (21300)
- Construction estimators (22303)
- Dental assistants and dental laboratory assistants (33100)
- Drafting technologists and technicians (22212)
- Early childhood educators and assistants (42202)
- Food service supervisors (62020)
- General building maintenance workers and building superintendents (73201)
- *Heavy-duty equipment mechanics (72401)
- Home support workers, caregivers and related occupations (44101)
- Insurance adjusters and claims examiners (12201)
- Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates (33102)
- Pharmacist (31120)
- Professional occupations in advertising, marketing and public relations (11202)
- Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses (31301)
- Residential and commercial installers and servicers (73200)
- Roofers and shinglers (73110)
- **Software engineers and designers (21231)
- Specialized livestock workers and farm machinery operators (84120)
- Public and environmental health and safety professionals (21120)
- Welders and related machine operators (72106)
- Woodworking machine operators (94124)
*Under this NOC, specifically agricultural equipment technicians are being sought.
**Under this NOC, specifically software and IT project managers are being sought.
Steinbach has not released information regarding job offer wage requirements.
Click here to view the list of designated employers under the RCIP in 2026.
Who is eligible under the RCIP?
The Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP) is a five-year pilot launched in 2025 (set to expire in 2030). It assists rural communities outside Quebec in addressing labour shortages.
There are 14 participating communities, each of which can select up to six priority sectors and 25 priority occupations to help fill gaps in the labour market.
This is an employer-led PR pathway, meaning candidates must have a job offer from an employer designated by the community in order to qualify.
The employer recommends you to the community, and if approved, you may apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada for PR.
Beyond a job offer, candidates must also meet other eligibility criteria related to:
Work experience: A minimum of one year (1,560 hours) of related work experience within the last three years.
Education: Have a Canadian credential or foreign equivalent. An Educational Credential Assessment is required if the latter.
Language proficiency: Demonstrate language proficiency based on the TEER of your job offer:
- TEER 0–1: CLB 6
- TEER 2–3: CLB 5
- TEER 4–5: CLB 4
Proof of funds: Provide proof of sufficient funds to support yourself and your family—from $10,507 for a single applicant to $27,806 for a family of seven.
Candidates are expected to demonstrate an intent to reside in the community.
Assess your eligibility for the Rural Community Immigration Pilot