Timmins, located in the northern part of Ontario, sees a record number of immigrants applying through the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot Program (RNIP).
The city doubled the number of newcomers thanks to the community’s ability to retain these immigrants. Noella Rinaldo, director of community economic development at the Timmins Economic Development Corporation (TEDC), says the city's record of retaining newcomers is encouraging.
Last year, Timmins received more than 120 applications and issued 106 community recommendations to candidates. There have been an increase from the 60 applications and 41 recommendations in 2020, when the program started midyear and the pandemic hit immigration hard.
Among the candidates accepted for the program, 33 percent took jobs in social, community, or government services, and 29% in sales or service positions in 2021. The RNIP in Timmins was launched at the end of April 2020, and 37% of its candidates are employed in healthcare and social assistance, 22% work in accommodation and food services, and 18 per cent work in retail.
RNIP provides skilled foreign workers with a pathway to permanent residence by creating a path for them to work and live in communities like Timmins where the benefits of economic immigration can be spread. This helps employers fill labour shortages as well as give foreign workers a path to permanent residence.