The submission window
West Kootenay opened its September 2026 Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP) intake for community-recommendation applications at 10:00 a.m. Pacific time on September 2. Complete applications had to be submitted by 4:00 p.m. Pacific time on September 7.
The candidate does not submit the community application. The employer submits it. A designated West Kootenay employer completes the recommendation application once the employer and the candidate have prepared the required documents.
What the June intake showed
The community's update gives these figures for the June 2026 intake: 281 applications received, about 120 top-scoring applications assessed, and 70 candidates approved for a community recommendation. The lowest score that was assessed in June was 91 points.
The update does not publish a minimum score or a number of recommendations for September. If more applications arrive than can be assessed, only the top-scoring applications are assessed, and the Steering Committee then decides on recommendations based on the strength of each application and regional workforce needs and priorities. The June figures describe a past intake and do not predict the September result.
Applications from the June pool
Applications that were not approved in June remain in the recommendation pool for the September 2026 intake. Being in the pool does not guarantee that an application will be assessed or receive a recommendation.
An employer may withdraw a June application and submit a new one for the same candidate during the September intake. Before doing so, the employer should confirm that it still has applications available under its 2026 annual application cap. To withdraw, the employer emails the RCIP address given in the community's update with the subject line "Withdraw application" and the names of the employer and the candidate.
Who can be recommended
The community recommends candidates who have a job offer from a designated employer and who meet the eligibility and work experience requirements published on the West Kootenay RCIP website. Check those pages, and the intake update itself, before the employer submits anything, because the community can change its intake rules between intakes.
A community recommendation is not permanent residence
Selection by the community is one step of the RCIP. A recommended candidate must still apply for permanent residence with IRCC and meet all federal eligibility, documentation and admissibility requirements.