RCIP September 2026 update: three communities closed, Timmins raises the bar, Pictou rewrites its grid
I re-checked all 14 RCIP communities at the end of September. Three are closed or full for 2026, two now need 79…
Rural Community Immigration Pilot · 2026 grids
Know your RCIP score before you apply.
Free eligibility checks and points calculators for all 14 RCIP communities — built from each community’s official 2026 scoring grid, with real minimums and recent cutoffs.
Sample scorecard
Greater Sudbury · ON
- Job offer — Health, RN+25
- Work experience — 3 years+20
- Language — CLB 8+20
- Education — Bachelor’s+20
- Intent to reside+10
- Community ties+7
Total
0 / 125
0125
Latest changes
What changed in September 2026
- West Kootenay, Sault Ste. Marie and Peace Liard are closed or full for the rest of 2026.
- Timmins now needs 79 points to enter its pool, the same bar as Sudbury.
- Pictou County rewrote its grid: every sector is now worth 15 points and occupations 2 to 10.
- Recent selection scores keep climbing: Sudbury 90, West Kootenay 93, North Okanagan-Shuswap 94.
- Moose Jaw has no room left for cooks or retail supervisors this year.
How it works
Three steps, honest answers, a real number
Every RCIP community scores candidates differently — some don’t score at all. We show you the actual bar you have to clear.
Pick your community
Your job offer decides your community. Each of the 14 has its own priority sectors, occupation lists and selection style.
Score yourself honestly
Work through the same grid the community uses — job offer, experience, language, education, intent and ties. Your total updates live.
Compare against the real bar
50 is the federal floor, but pools are competitive: Sudbury and Timmins won’t look at anything under 79, and recent draws have selected at 90 and above. See where you actually stand.
All 14 communities
Choose where your job offer is
Nine communities run points pools, four are first come, first served, and one reviews applications against a checklist. The model changes your strategy completely.
Ontario
Greater SudburyON
Points · pool entry 79 · recent ~90Open. Remaining 2026 intakes: September 28 to October 2, and November 2 to 6.
Calculate my score →North Bay & AreaON
Points · min 50 · recent ~91Open. Remaining 2026 intakes: October 18 to 24, and November 15 to 21.
Calculate my score →TimminsON
Points · pool entry 79Open. The last 2026 intake runs October 13 to 16.
Calculate my score →Sault Ste. MarieON
Checklist reviewClosed for 2026Closed for 2026. The August 17 to 23 intake was the last one this year, and the office says working through it will take several months.
See how selection works →Thunder BayON
Points · min 50 · recent ~89Open. Monthly draws continue, but retail salespersons (64100) are full for 2026.
Calculate my score →British Columbia
West KootenayBC
Points · min 50 · recent ~93Closed for 2026Closed for 2026. September was the final intake of the year. The next intake is in 2027 (dates not announced yet), and new employer designations are also closed.
Calculate my score →North Okanagan-ShuswapBC
Points · min 50 · recent ~94Open. Intake 4 (September 12 to 20) is decided on October 19; the last 2026 intake runs November 8 to 15.
Calculate my score →Peace Liard (Northeast BC)BC
Points · min 50Closed for 2026Full for 2026. 56 of its 60 recommendations were issued by June, and the final committee meeting in August was for discretionary candidates only. A fall intake happens only if IRCC grants extra allocations (a decision is expected around October 2026).
Calculate my score →Manitoba
SteinbachMB
First come, first servedOpen. The next intakes open October 1, November 2 and December 1.
See how selection works →Altona / RhinelandMB
First come, first servedOpen. Applications are accepted year-round, first come, first served.
See how selection works →BrandonMB
First come, first servedOpen. Brandon is accepting community recommendation applications.
See how selection works →
Before you start
The two numbers people forget
Language minimums are low — scoring well isn’t
You only need CLB 4 (TEER 4/5 jobs), CLB 5 (TEER 2/3) or CLB 6 (TEER 0/1) to qualify. But in points communities, every CLB band above the minimum adds 5 points — often the cheapest points you can buy with a test retake.
Settlement funds: $10,507 and up
A single applicant needs $10,507; a family of four needs $19,524 (IRCC table, July 2025). Already working in Canada on a valid permit? You’re exempt. The eligibility checker calculates your exact figure.
From the blog
Guides written from the actual grids
How to raise your RCIP score: 9 moves that actually add points
Most people leave 10 to 20 points on the table. The cheapest fixes, ranked by effort: language retakes, the 15 bonus points,…
All 14 RCIP communities in 2026: points, cutoffs, and how each one actually picks people
Nine points pools, four first-come queues, one checklist, and three communities already closed for 2026. Every grid re-checked in September: here is…
Quick answers
RCIP basics
What is the Rural Community Immigration Pilot?
RCIP is a Canadian permanent residence pathway launched in January 2025. Fourteen rural communities across six provinces recommend candidates who have a job offer from a locally designated employer and meet federal requirements. A community recommendation lets you apply to IRCC for permanent residence.
Do I need a job offer first?
Yes — everything starts with a full-time, permanent job offer from a designated employer inside one of the 14 communities. Without it there is nothing to score. Each community publishes its designated employer list on its official site.
Is 50 points enough?
Fifty is the federal minimum, with at least 10 points in each factor. But pools are competitive: Sudbury and Timmins only accept applications scoring 79 or more, Sudbury’s August 2026 draw bottomed out at 90, and Thunder Bay’s 2026 average successful score is 89.34. In first-come communities like Moose Jaw or Steinbach there are no points at all — speed and a complete file decide.
How accurate are these calculators?
They’re built from each community’s official 2026 scoring grid and IRCC’s published federal criteria, and we note the date on every page. Communities update their grids, so always confirm with the community before you apply. This site is educational — it isn’t immigration advice.
Will you cover PNP calculators too?
That’s the plan — RCIP first, Provincial Nominee Program calculators next. If there’s a program you want covered sooner, tell us through the contact page.