Overview

The Yukon Nominee Program (YNP) is an employer driven Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). It aims to attract immigrants to Yukon that can help address labour market needs.   The YNP consists of five separate categories that candidates may qualify under. In all the categories a job offer from a Yukon employer is required. The five categories are:

·         Express Entry

·         Critical Impact Worker

·         Skilled Worker

·         Yukon Business Nominee

·         Yukon Community Program

Yukon Express Entry (YEE)

The Yukon Express Entry stream was established in 2015. It is aligned with the Federal Express Entry system. Applicants are required to create an Express Entry profile and be eligible under one of the three Federal Express Entry categories. Those are the Federal Skilled Worker (FSW), Federal Skilled Trades (FST) and Canadian Experience Class (CEC) categories.  Employers can apply to the Express Entry stream to hire a foreign worker and extend a job offer to candidates in the Express Entry pool. If the candidate receives provincial nomination from Yukon, this can increase the candidates score in Express Entry by 600 points and lead to an invitation to apply for permanent residence (PR) from the federal department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

The application and nomination process for the Yukon Express Entry category is an 11-step process and it includes:

1.      Employer locates a qualified foreign worker.

2.      Employer can prove there is no qualified Canadian or permanent resident available for the position.

3.      Foreign worker meets the eligibility for one of the three Express Entry federal economic immigration programs.

4.      Foreign worker enters the Express Entry (EE) pool by creating an EE profile and receives an EE Profile Number, and, if applicable, a Job Seeker Validation Code.

5.      The foreign worker proves he/she meets the settlement funds requirement.

6.      The foreign worker and employer complete the Yukon EE Application.

7.      Foreign Worker provides a completed application and provides all required supporting documents.

8.      The IRCC invites the foreign national to apply for permanent residence (PR) through EE.

9.      Foreign Worker provides all documentation required by the IRCC to process the application (criminal record check, medical report, etc.)

10.  The IRCC And Yukon’s Immigration Department work together to verify the worker’s documents.

11.  The foreign worker receives permanent residence (PR).

Critical Impact Worker Program

Yukon’s Critical Impact Worker stream attracts foreign workers with experience in semi-skilled occupations and a job offer from an eligible Yukon employer, to apply for provincial nomination. The program aims to fill in-demand occupations in Yukon. The occupations in this stream fall under TEER 4 and 5.

The requirements for applicants include:

·         Minimum 6-months of full-time relevant work experience.

·         Minimum education of a high school diploma, or Canadian equivalency (ECA)

·         If a higher education level is required for the NOC position, applicant will need to meet that requirement.

·         Minimum language level of CLB 4

Skilled Worker Program

Yukon’s Skilled Worker Program allows employers to recruit foreign national with work experience in skilled occupations (TEER 0, 1, 2, and 3) giving them the opportunity to apply for provincial nomination and Canadian permanent residence.

The eligibility criteria for applicants are split into two categories, divided by TEER’s, the criteria are as follows:

Criteria for Skilled Worker in TEER 0 and 1

·         Minimum 12 months of relevant full-time work experience.

·         Minimum education of a high school diploma, or Canadian equivalent (ECA)

·         If a higher education level is required for the NOC position, applicant will need to meet that requirement.

·         Minimum language level of CLB 7

Criteria for Skilled Worker in TEER 2 and 3

·         Minimum 12 months of relevant full-time work experience.

·         Minimum education of a high school diploma, or Canadian equivalent (ECA)

·         If a higher education level is required for the NOC position, applicant will need to meet that requirement.

·         Minimum language level of CLB 5

Yukon Business Nominee Program (YBNP)

The Yukon Business Nominee Program (YBNP) aims to attract entrepreneurs and individuals with business experience to make a significant contribution to the community by starting a new business, partnering with an existing business, or purchasing and operating an established business in Yukon.

Applicants are required to meet eligibility criteria to qualify. The eligibility criteria for applicants includes:

·         Score at least 65 points on the assessment grid provided by Yukon.

·         Minimum high school diploma, unless the business requires a higher level of education

·         Minimum three years of experience as an entrepreneur or business management

·         Minimum 5 years experience working in an occupation relevant to the business.

·         Must not be a refugee or have an application open for refugee status in Canada.

·         Cannot have any active application with another province or territory under a PNP program.

·         Never been denied immigration by the Canadian government.

·         Minimum net worth requirement of $500,000.

·         Minimum of $300,000 in liquid assets, verified by a Yukon accounting firm.

·         Have intent to live in the territory of Yukon.

·         Agree to reside in the territory of Yukon with your dependents, if applicable, during the time you manage and invest in your own business in the Yukon.

·         You must hold a position in your business in NOC TEER 1, or 2.

·         Having not already purchased or started a business in Yukon, at the time of application.

Furthermore, applicants are required to submit a business plan. Applicant must invest at least $300,000 in capital investments for the business, in the first 2 years of operation and show how they plan to this. Moreover, there is a list of Business Eligibility that businesses are required to meet and there is a list of ineligible sectors and activities that are prohibited from the Yukon Business Nominee Program (YPNP).

Yukon Community Pilot (YCP)

The Yukon Community pilot is a newly added stream under the Yukon Nominee Program. It was launched in 2020 and is currently set to run until June 2025. It aims to address labour market and economic needs of the territory of Yukon. Only applicants with a valid nomination for permanent residence from Yukon qualify. YCP allows candidates to be given a 2-year open work permit restricted to the territory of Yukon.

The work permit would allow applicants to work for up to three separate employers in 1 of the participating communities in Yukon. To be eligible applicants must meet the following requirements:

·         Have two or three job offers (must meet job offer requirements).

·         Applicants must meet the general requirements for a work permit.

·         Need to have a letter of support from the Government of Yukon

Applicants are required to submit documents with their application including a copy of their nomination letter from the Government of Yukon and a signed letter from the Government of Yukon that states the employers that are offering employment to the applicant need the applicant to work in the community as soon as possible. The signed letter also needs to state that the job offers are genuine, include the details of the job offers, include the employer’s names, occupation type, number of hours and job locations.