RCIP: These are the occupations British Columbia regions are prioritizing for PR

The three regions in British Columbia that are participating in the Rural Community Immigration (RCIP) have released the sectors and occupations they will be prioritizing in 2026.

Foreign nationals whose job offers align with the workforce needs of a BC community can use this pilot as a pathway to permanent residence (PR).

Assess your eligibility for the Rural Community Immigration Pilot

Occupations carry differing language requirements based on the TEER they fall under, which can be found in the second digit of your National Occupational Classification (NOC) code. More on this below.

This article explores the sectors and occupations that each participating region in British Columbia is prioritizing under the RCIP in 2026.

Participating British Columbia Regions include:

North Okanagan-Shuswap;
Peace Liard; and
West Kootenay.

North Okanagan-Shuswap

The North Okanagan-Shuswap region—located in the southern interior of British Columbia—is prioritizing these sectors 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
Business, finance and administration.

Its 2026 selection remains largely the same as last year’s, except for the newly included business, finance and administration sector.

You can find the list of occupations that the North Okanagan-Shuswap region is prioritizing under the RCIP in 2026 below.

Eligible priority occupations

Accounting and related clerks (14200)
Accounting technicians and bookkeepers (12200)
*Administrative officers (13100)
Bakers (63202)
Automotive service technicians, truck and bus mechanics and mechanical repairers (7241)
Banking, insurance, and other financial clerks (14201)
Carpenters (72310)
Construction trades helper (75110)
Dental assistant and dental laboratory assistants (33100)
**Early childhood educators and assistants (42202)
Executive housekeepers (62021)
Heating, refrigeration, and air conditioning mechanics (72402)
Industrial and manufacturing engineers (21321)
Legal administrative assistants (13111)
Light duty cleaners (65310)
Manufacturing managers (90010)
Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations (33101)
Nurse aides, orderlies, and patient service associates (33102)
Pharmacy technicians (32124)
Plastic products assemblers, finishers and inspectors (94212)
Process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing (94140)
Restaurant and food service managers (60030)
Retail sales supervisor (62010)
Social and community service workers (42201)
Transport truck drivers (73300)

*Individuals must have a degree in business or public administration to be considered.

**Applications for assistant roles will not be accepted.

To qualify, you must be provided with a minimum wage of $22 per hour, though the minimum wage per hour for priority occupations listed ranges from $22-$35.54.

You can view North Okanagan-Shuswap's list of designated employers here. This list will be updated monthly.

Peace Liard

The Peace Liard region, situated in the northeastern corner of British Columbia, will be prioritizing worker recruitment in the following six sectors throughout 2026:

Education, law and social, community and government services;
Trades, transport and equipment operators;
Sales and service; and
Natural resources and agriculture;
Health; and
Business, finance and administration.

Health and business, finance and administration sectors are newly prioritized sectors this year. Last year, the Peace Liard region prioritized the first four sectors on the list, as well as the natural and applied sciences sector—now absent.

You can find the 25 occupations (and their associated NOCs) being prioritized by Peace Liard under the RCIP in 2026 below.

Eligible priority occupations

Accommodation service managers (60031)
Accounting technicians and bookkeepers (12200)
Administrative assistants (13110)
Administrative officers (13100)
Aircraft mechanics and aircraft inspectors (72404)
Air pilots, flight engineers and flying instructors (72600)
Automotive service technicians, truck and bus mechanics and mechanic repairers (72410)
Cashiers (65100)
Social and community service workers (42201)
Computer network and web technicians (22220)
Cooks (63200)
Early childhood educators and assistants (42202)
Food service supervisors (62020)
Hotel front desk clerks (64314)
General building maintenance workers and building superintendents (73201)
General office support workers (14100)
Information systems specialists (21222)
Light duty cleaners (65310)
Other assisting occupations in support of health services (33109)
Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants (33103)
Restaurant and food service managers (60030)
Retail and wholesale trade managers (60020)
Retail sales supervisors (62010)
Storekeepers and partspersons (14401)
*Transport truck drivers (73300)

*Only local transport truck drivers will be considered.

To qualify, the wage provided in your job offer must meet or exceed the Job Bank’s minimum wage for your NOC, based on the northeast BC region.

You may view the list of designated employers in the Peace Liard region here.

West Kootenay

West Kootenay, a mountainous region in southeastern British Columbia, has deemed the six sectors listed to be of priority in 2026:

Health;
Education, law and social, community and government services;
Sales and service;
Trades, transport and equipment operators;
Manufacturing and utilities; and
Business, finance and administration.

The business, finance and administration sector is a new inclusion this year, with all other priority sectors selected remaining the same as those selected in 2025.

West Kootenay is prioritizing workers in the following 25 occupations for selection under the RCIP in 2026:

Eligible priority occupations

Accounting technicians and bookkeepers (12200)
Administrative assistants (13110)
Automotive service technicians, truck and bus mechanics and mechanical repairers (72410)
Bakers (63202)
Chefs (62200)
Construction millwright and industrial mechanics (72400)
*Construction trades helpers and labourers (75110)
Cooks (63200)
Early childhood educators and assistants (42202)
Financial auditors and accountants (11100)
*Food and beverage servers (65200)
**Home support workers, caregivers and related occupations (44101)
Hotel front desk clerks (64314)
Insurance agents and brokers (63100)
Licensed practical nurses (32101)
***Material handlers (75101)
Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates (33102)
****Other labourers in processing, manufacturing and utilities (95109
Painters and decorators (except interior decorators) (73112)
Process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing (94140)
Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses (31301)
Restaurant and food service managers (60030)
Retail and wholesale trade managers (60020)
Social and community service workers (42201)
*****Transport truck drivers (73300)

General note: Fast food franchises, law firms, and gas stations are not eligible under the West Kootenay RCIP—with certain exceptions applying for the latter.

*To be eligible under this occupation, your work experience must be in the same NOC code.

**Private households are not eligible to be designated employers, meaning job offers for work in private households does not count for consideration under the RCIP. Accepted job titled include “Home support worker.”

***To be eligible under this occupation, your work experience must be in the same NOC code, and accepted job titles include 1) Forklift operator, 2) Forklift truck operator, 3) Labourer-material handling, 4) material handler-manufacturing and warehousing.

****To be eligible under this occupation, your work experience must be in the same NOC code, and accepted job titles include “General labourer – manufacturing.”

*****For this NOC, at least 75% or more of one’s driving/job duties must occur within the West Kootenay RCIP region.

These 2025 priority occupations/NOCs were removed this year, but employers wishing to hire a candidate in these secondary occupations may still be considered if they have a strong application under the points system:

General office support workers (14100)
Career development practitioners and career counsellors (except education) (41321)
Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations (65201)
Light duty cleaners (65310)
Carpenters (72310)
Heavy-duty equipment mechanics (72401)
Other trades helpers and labourers (75119)

To qualify, your job offer must pay at least $21 per hour, or the job bank median wage for the occupation (whichever is higher).

You can find the list of West Kootenay’s designated employers under the RCIP in 2026 here.

About the RCIP

The Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP), established in 2025, provides foreign nationals with a pathway to permanent residence (PR) while helping 14 rural communities outside Quebec address labour shortages.

Each community designates employers to hire workers in priority sectors and occupations decided on by the community.

Candidates must hold a job offer from a designated employer and secure a community recommendation before applying to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for PR.

Individuals also need relevant work experience, appropriate language skills, recognized educational credentials, and sufficient settlement funds to qualify:

Work experience: At least one year (1,560 hours) of related work experience within the last three years.

Language proficiency: Individuals with TEER 0–1 job offers must meet a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 6, those with TEER 2–3 job offers need to show a CLB 5, and TEER 4–5 job offer-holders require a CLB 4.

Educational credential: Have a Canadian credential or the foreign equivalent—if the latter, you must have a valid Educational Credential Assessment.

Settlement funds: Sufficient funds to support yourself and your family, which ranges from $10,507 for a single applicant to $27,806 for a family of seven.

Assess your eligibility for the Rural Community Immigration Pilot