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North Bay & Area RCIP Monthly Statistics: January 2026

February 12, 2026

January marked the beginning of the second calendar year for the North Bay & Area Rural Community Immigration Pilot. As mentioned in our earlier updates, for January 2026 only, candidates could apply for a recommendation using the Priority Occupations and Sectors from 2025. Moving forward, all potential and interested candidates must meet the new eligibility criteria, announced earlier this month.

In January, the North Bay & Area RCIP program granted 21 candidates community recommendations. 21 applicants were successful this past month. Throughout the calendar year, we will utilize our remaining allocations to assist skilled workers and support our employers. There are currently 173 businesses designated.

Of the candidates successful in January, the average score was 90 points. The highest score was 101. Our numbers continue to highlight the quality of talent in both our candidate pool and communities.

The candidate and sector breakdown for community recommendations in January is as follows:

  • 5 successful candidates from Business, Finance, and Administration. 
  • 3 successful candidates from Health.
  • 5 successful candidates from Education, Law and Social, Community and Government Services.
  • 3 successful candidates from Sales and Service.
  • 5 successful candidates from Trades, Transportation, and Equipment Operators.

As mentioned in our previous update, all unsuccessful applications submitted in 2025 (including those from the January 2026 intake) have been removed from the candidate pool effective February 3, 2026. If an employer or candidate did not hear back from our team, they can assume that the application(s) were either not complete (and therefore, did not receive a review) or that they did not score as high as the others that were submitted. We want to remind all employers and candidates that RCIP is a highly competitive program. Submitting an application does not guarantee success.

We will continue to share monthly insights as the program progresses and develops further. Should you have any questions about the pilot, please review our website in detail or speak with your employer. Thank you!