The boundaries of the Community are shown on the map. They include the
- City of Vernon
- City of Salmon Arm
- City of Armstrong
- City of Enderby
- District of Lake Country / Oyama
- District of Coldstream
- District of Sicamous
- Township of Spallumcheen
- Village of Lumby
- Village of Chase
- Okanagan Indian Band
- Splatsin First Nation
- Adams Lake Indian Band
- Neskonlith Indian Band
- Skwlax Little Shuswap Lake Band
The area excludes the census subdivision of Kelowna (City), as defined by Statistics Canada and the Sun Peaks Resort area.
To become eligible to hire foreign worker under RNIP program, the employer:
- must be based in the Community and the employee must do most of their duties within the Community as described in “Definitions” below.
- must not receive any form of payment in exchange for a job offer.
- and the job posting must meet the federal eligibility criteria as described in the Ministerial Instructions.
- must prove their efforts to hire a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident before hiring a foreign worker.
- Employers must go through a required training session about settlement, eligibility, and program integrity before posting a job through RNIP.
- Employers must comply with information sharing arrangement with IRCC and in referring employee to VDICSS upon arrival.
The operation of business:
Businesses must have operated in Canada for five years with two of those years being in the Community (as described in Definitions).
Business Investment Exemption:
Businesses that have not operated in Canada for five years with two of those years being in the Community will be eligible if they:
- are the product of a new investment of over $100,000.00 or more in the Community (excluding residential property) as described in Definitions (below) AND
- have operated in Canada for at least the last 2 years, AND
- have a physical business location within the Community that they have operated at least 6 months, AND
- Consent to a site visit by the RNIP Coordinator, AND
- Consent to a mandatory interview conducted by the RNIP Coordinator, AND
- Consent to the submission of all required Business Investment Documents (as defined in definitions).
Required Documents, if you are applying for the Business Investment Exemption:
- VCRF-005 Business Investment Exemption
- Proof of Investment (such as mortgage, rental agreement, other capital cost)
- Proof of Operation in Canada (such as financial statements, CRA business filings, GST number, WorkSafe BC)
- Proof of expanding into community (such as thorough business plan, business license)
Regardless of where you are hiring the foreign worker from, tips, bonuses and commissions are not considered part of the wage.
Applicants from the community:
Applicants who are currently, and have been working, studying, and/or living for at least the last 6 months in the Community, will be exempt from the Community specific wage criteria of 23 dollars an hour if their offered wage is between 18 to 22.99 dollars and they get at least 30 points under the Community’s Comprehensive Ranking System.
Note that only up to 75 per cent (%) of annual recommendations will be available for this exemption.
Applicants residing out of community boundaries:
If you are offering a job in our community to someone who lives beyond the boundaries of our community as described in item 1, the wage offered must meet or exceed 23 dollars an hour. The wage must also be above or within the range of wages for that particular occupation, as defined in the Federal Job Bank, and for similar jobs in the region as per the Ministerial Instructions.
RNIP Vernon-North Okanagan Comprehensive Ranking System
Priorities – Up to 100 points
|
i. |
Candidate’s Language |
Max Points |
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a. For each Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) score above the necessary language requirement and the required CLB level for specific occupations (as described in the Ministerial Instructions); candidates will receive two points with a cap of ten points. |
10 |
|
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ii |
Family in the Community |
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a. Candidates will receive six points for each adult immediate family member residing in the Community (as described in the Definitions) for at least 6 months prior to applying for recommendation, with a cap of twelve points. |
12 |
|
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b. Candidates will receive one point for every adult extended family member residing in the Community (as described in the Definitions) for at least 6 months prior to applying for recommendation with a cap of two points. |
2 |
|
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iii. |
Previous travel to the Community – Cumulative |
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a. Candidates will receive three points for travel to the community (as described in the Definitions) with a stay of 1 week or more. The travel must have occurred 1 year prior to the candidates application submission. |
3 |
|
|
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||
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iv |
Time residing and Residential Property Ownership in the Community |
|
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a. Candidates who have resided in the community for at least one 6-month continuous period within the last 5 years will receive eight points. The applicant must supply the address of the residence they resided at during their time in the Community. |
8 |
|
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b. Applicants who own residential property in the Community and purchased the property prior to the launch of RNIP (February 1st, 2020) will receive two points. |
2 |
|
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v. |
Work and/or Study in the Community and Appropriate Authorization |
|
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a. Applicants who have a previous job (within the last 5 years) or current job with a business in the Community and worked in that position for at least one 6-month continuous period, will receive thirteen points. |
13 |
|
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b. Applicants who have previously, or are currently, studying in the Community for at least two of the last 5 years will receive ten points. |
10 |
|
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vi. |
Candidates spouse/Common-Law Partner |
|
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a. Applicants who have a spouse currently employed in the Community under the following North American Industry Classification (NAIC) codes will receive eight points: |
8 |
|
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b. Applicants whose accompanying spouse is not currently employed in the Community under the NAIC codes listed above, but have previous foreign employment for at least one 6-month continuous period in one of these industries, will receive five points. |
5 |
|
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vii. |
Work Experience |
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a. Applicants will receive one point for every year of additional relevant work experience in a related profession exceeding the 12 months required by the Ministerial Instructions. The amount of points an applicant can receive will be capped at ten points. |
10 |
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viii. |
Applicant’s Age |
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a. Applicants who are 25 years old and under will receive three points. |
3 |
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b. Applicants who are between the ages of 26 and 38 will receive five points. |
5 |
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c. Applicants who are between the ages of 39 and 49 will receive four points. |
4 |
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d. Applicants who are 50 years old or older you will receive three points. |
3 |
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ix. |
Wage |
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a. A job offer that exceeds the minimum of $23 per hour will receive one point for every additional $1 per hour, with a cap of twelve points. |
12 |
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x. |
Drivers Licence |
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a. Applicants who have a Canadian drivers licence or permit will receive two points |
2 |
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b. Applicants without a Canadian drivers licence or permit will receive one point if they have a valid foreign drivers licence or permit. |
1 |
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Operational Considerations and Additional Information
Start date
The committee began accepting candidates for recommendation on February 1, 2020 and the last month the committee shall issue a recommendation is February 2024. The pilot will officially end in August 2024 to allow for a 6 month validity period for the recommendations.
Intake Period
Applicants who meet the federal and community eligibility criteria will be placed into a candidate pool. The committee will accept applicants until 8 days prior to the monthly Committee meeting. The committee will offer a recommendation to those candidates who best fit the Community criteria. The committee may consider up to 26 applicants per intake period. Applicants who were not considered for recommendation will be placed back into the candidate pool.
Recommendations
The Community has been awarded 300 recommendations for each remaining year of the pilot. The committee will make up to 75% of the annual recommendations available to those applicants who do not meet the Community wage criteria, as described in Employer Filter 9. This exemption will be granted to applicants who have been offered a job in the Community with a wage between $18.00 and $22.99 and meet or exceed 30 points under Vernon’s Comprehensive Ranking System (VCRS).
Only two recommendations will be granted to the candidate for the duration of the pilot.
An employer may request up to 6 candidates to be recommended by the committee per calendar year with the exception of preferred NOC codes.
Should the program be extended beyond its original expiry date, an employer may request up to 6 candidates to be recommended by the committee per calendar year with the exception of preferred NOC codes.
The following NOC codes are exempt from the employer cap. All other NOC codes will be included in the yearly employer cap.
- 3012 Registered nurses
- 3211 Medical Lab Tech
- 3212 Medical Lab Technicians and pathologists’ assistants
- 3233 Licensed practical nurses
- 3413 Nurse aides, orderlies, and patient service associates
- 4214 Early childhood educators and assistants
- 7241 Electricians
- 7251 Plumbers
- 7271 Carpenters
- 7272 Cabinetmakers
- 7283 Tile setters
- 7391 Roofers and Shinglers
- 7313 Heating, refrigeration, and air conditioning mechanics
The applications submitted in full through the NorthStar candidate profile will be added to the list of candidates, prioritizing in the following order:
- Preferred NOC codes,
- First-come-first-serve basis, depending on the date the full application was received
Interviews
Applicants who apply from outside Canada must be available for a 15 to 30 minute video conference interview. Applicants who are currently in the Community may be required to attend an in-person interview at the discretion of the committee.
NEW DEFINITIONS EFFECTIVE JULY 1 2021:
Required Business Investment Documents are the documents requested by the coordinator during the business investment eligibility assessment. These documents include, but are not limited to, the following
- A thorough Business Plan
- 2 years of financial statements or CRA business fillings
- WorkSafeBC certificate of good standing or the equivalent from another province
- Proof of business insurance
- Business License
- GST Number
- Proof of business investment (lease or purchase of physical business location, other capital costs)
Business is defined by the ownership. A business for the program purposes is considered a corporation, partnership and sole proprietor.
Examples:
- If a corporation owns different companies or organizations, the corporation as an owner is limited to 6 recommended candidates per year and not the organizations/companies owned by the corporation
- Each partnership is considered a separate business
- Sole proprietor can run different organizations/companies but the limit of 6 recommended candidates is tied to the sole proprietor.
Operation of Business means the physical business location within the community is carrying out the day-to-day operations of the business. The main duties of the employees are being performed from the business location and business is participating in its stated industry.
Physical Business Location is a permanent property, or a portion of a property, located in the community which functions solely as a business.
The Community is defined by the geographical boundaries listed on the map above.
