Claresholm announces priority sectors and occupations for new PR pathway

The town of Claresholm has revealed its priority sectors and occupations for the Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP).

The town is located in southern Alberta, and it’s participating in the RCIP with a 25 kilometres boundary that includes the hamlet of Granum and the town of Stavely.

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The RCIP is an employer-driven pilot. That means foreign nationals need a job offer from a designated employer in the community — and an endorsement from said community — to be eligible for permanent residence (PR).

Every community participating in the RCIP is allowed to nominate five priority sectors.

Claresholm’s priority sectors and occupations

Sector	Occupation Title	NOC Code
Agriculture	Specialized Livestock Workers and Farm Machinery Operators	84120
Health Care	Cooks	63200
	Licensed Practical Nurses	32101
	Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates	33102
	Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses	31301
Law & Education	Administrative Officers	13100
	Early childhood educators and assistants	42202
	Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants	43100
	Air pilots, flight engineers and flying instructors	72600
Manufacturing & Utilities	Administrative Assistants	13110
	Aerospace Engineers	21390
	Aircraft Assemblers and Aircraft Assembly Inspectors	93200
	Aircraft instrument, electrical and avionics mechanics, technicians and inspectors	22313
	Aircraft Mechanics and aircraft inspectors	72404
	Carpenters	72310
	Concrete Finishers	73100
	Construction Trades Helpers and labourers	75110
	Crane Operators	72500
	Engineering Managers	20010
	Ironworkers	72105
	Labourers in food and beverage processing	95106
	Process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing	94140
	Meat cutters and fishmongers – retail and wholesale	65202
Sales & Services	Chefs	62200
	Food Service Supervisors	62020

Claresholm has been allocated 30 slots in total for 2025. To manage demand, three slots will be distributed each month, with any remaining slots allocated toward the end of the year.

The community has also capped allocations going to the Sales and Service industry at five for the year.

Significance of the priority sectors and occupations

To be eligible for the RCIP, foreign nationals must have a job offer in a listed occupation from one of the designated employers in the community.

Only employers within priority sectors can get designated.

This means that foreign nationals interested in this PR pathway will need to get an eligible job offer from a designated business, or from an employer in the priority sectors and occupations that meet designation requirements (and then gets designated).

Beyond this, the foreign national has to meet other criteria regarding work experience, language proficiency, educational qualifications, and settlement funds.

About the RCIP

The RCIP is a five-year pilot program launched by the federal government in 2025 to help employers in rural communities meet labour market needs.

Canada regularly runs immigration pilots to address regional or occupational labour shortages and encourage growth in specific sectors or areas. If successful, these initiatives could become permanent in the future.

As of time of writing, a number communities participating in the RCIP and FCIP have revealed their priority sectors. These are:

• Timmins;
• Brandon;
• Sault Ste. Marie;
• Thunder Bay;
• North Okanagan-Shuswap; and
• North Bay.

A total of 14 communities are participating in the RCIP. Others are expected to reveal their priority sectors, occupations, and designated employers in the coming months.

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