Step 2: Check yourself against the hard requirements

RCIP pathway · Step 2 of 5 · Updated 2026-08-06· Compiled from CEDC's official pages and FAQ

In one line: work experience, language, education and settlement funds all have to clear the bar — one miss and the application goes nowhere.

Points calculator

Offer in hand, don't rush the submission. Four requirements decide whether you are eligible to enter the pool at all:

Work experience: 1 year (1,560 hours)

At least 1 year within the last 3 years of full-time (or the part-time equivalent) related experience, backed by reference letters from previous employers. The TEER of that experience also has to line up with the TEER of the offer — this table is for looking up, not reading:

TEER matching and two exceptions4 rules

Offer at TEER 0/1 → experience must be TEER 0–3; offer at TEER 2/3 → experience must be TEER 1–4.
Offer at TEER 4 → experience must be TEER 2–4; offer at TEER 5 → experience must be in the same 5-digit NOC.
Healthcare exception: experience as a registered nurse (31301) also qualifies for an offer as a nurse aide (33102) or home support worker (44101).
Local graduate exemption: qualifying graduates of Lakehead University or Confederation College can skip this requirement (exact conditions per IRCC).

Language: banded by the offer's TEER

TEER 0/1 role → CLB/NCLC 6 minimum; TEER 2/3 → CLB 5; TEER 4/5 → CLB 4. All four abilities must meet the band.
Any IRCC-approved test (IELTS General, CELPIP and so on), and the result must be less than 2 years old when it reaches IRCC.

Education, funds and status

Education: secondary school or higher; foreign credentials need an ECA (WES and similar — start early, it takes weeks).
Settlement funds: roughly CAD 10,500 for a single applicant, rising with family size, per IRCC's current table; exempt if you are already working legally in Thunder Bay.
Work permit red line: applicants inside Canada need at least 4 months of validity left when the application reaches CEDC, and maintained status is not accepted. Extend first, then apply.
Statement of intent to settle: mandatory. Spell out why you plan to stay in Thunder Bay long term — CEDC is reading for whether you mean it.

All clear? Then work out your score — the points calculator follows the official grid and shows how far you are from the recent average of 88.67 and which line is cheapest to improve.

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Compiled by the lakebbs editorial team from CEDC's official pages and the RCIP FAQ (as of July 2026). Informational navigation only, not immigration legal advice; policy changes frequently, so verify with the official sources before you act.