Regional Economic Development through Immigration (REDI) pilot program 2025

Effective January 17, 2025, the Ontario government has created the REDI pilot program to attract and retain 800 skilled workers to fill in-demand careers. This program is designed to improve rural and northern economies by increasing access to highly skilled immigration, such as Lanark, Leeds and Grenville, Sarnia-Lambton, and Thunder Bay, where skilled labor is in high demand for healthcare, technology, and skilled trades including construction. "Our government is growing rural and northern economies, putting into their hands the tools they need to future-proof on their own,” said David Piccini, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. "With REDI, we are enabling rural and northern businesses to attract the talent they need by providing a blueprint for targeted economic immigration that strengthens communities and drives our economic prosperity."The implementation of the REDI pilot through the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) prioritizes and accelerates skilled immigration aimed at filling in-demand labor shortages not currently met. REDI will include 200 additional nominations to the OINP Employer Job Offer streams for local economic development purposes in each of the four participating regions. Those internationally trained workers interested in applying for permanent residency under the REDI pilot and who have job offers from an Ontario employer for positions located in one of the pilot communities can visit the OINP website. 

"Programs like REDI will develop the skills to meet the unparalleled demand growing in small towns and communities across this province, and we continue to build an Ontario that is strong and prosperous in the rural sector." It has put forward investments as high as $1.4 billion through the Skills Development Fund Capital and Training Streams in partnership with local employers and has started training over one million local workers for careers in demand all over the province, which includes $250 million so far to train rural and northern workers. These new investments alongside REDI pilot initiatives signify how the government is building a better future for all Ontarians and ensuring that our province remains the best home to work and raise funds. The REDI pilot was selected on the basis of high demand for skills labor. The pilot will run for one year, commencing from January 2, 2025, to December 31, 2025.

REDI is modeled on the OINP's 2020 Regional Pilot that issued around 300 nominations through the OINP Employer Job Offer category. Communities taking part in the 2020 Regional Pilot include: Chatham-Kent, Cornwall, Belleville/Quinte West. Providing the opportunity for internationally trained newcomers to take up work in sectors at which they've trained could result in a $100 billion boost to the province's GDP within five years. Ontario plans to invest $100 million in 2024-25 in settlement and employment services to help newcomers learn either English or French, access job-ready training, and obtain careers. So far in 2023, through the OINP, the province nominated 2,045 health care workers including physicians,nurses and personal support workers(PSWs). Recently, Ontario has passed the Working for Workers Six Act, 2024 which expanded immigration pathways for self-employed physicians using the OINP, and introduced standards and enforcement mechanisms for immigration representatives who consult on OINP applications. 

Source :https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1005583/ontario-driving-rural-and-nor...