In order to be considered for the RNIP, potential candidates must meet the following federal criteria as well as requirements established by the participating community where they are hoping to settle. The federal criteria are:
- Have a recommendation from one of the designated communities
- Have one year of continuous work experience in the past three years (a minimum of 1,560 hours)
- Have graduated from a publicly funded post-secondary institution in the recommending community
- Have a genuine job offer to work in one of the designated communities
- Meet the language threshold for the NOC skill type/level of the job being offered