All You Need To Know About Yukon Provincial Nominee Program

Yukon can be best described as an area of high plateaus and mountains found on the north-western side of Canada. It is previously known as the Yukon Territory. 

To the East, Yukon shares boundaries with the Northwest Territories, British Columbia to the south, and the west with the United States state of Alaska. 

The Yukon Provincial Nominee Program (Yukon PNP) is available for immigrants who wish to immigrate to Yukon.

We cannot afford to talk about the province without mentioning its abundance of mineral wealth, less dense population, and large areas of unspoiled wilderness. 

More than two-thirds of the total population in Yukon reside in Whitehorse, and this is because Whitehorse is the capital city of Yukon. The remaining population is made up of both European and aboriginal descendants. According to reports, in 2019, 310 immigrant families made Yukon their new home by obtaining permanent residency through the Yukon Provincial Nominee Program.     

What Is the Yukon Provincial Nomination Program? 

Irrespective of the fact that Yukon is very sparsely populated, there are many opportunities for skilled and semi-skilled immigrants to call it home.   

The main Yukon immigration program is the Yukon Provincial Nominee Program. There are different categories under which an individual may qualify for immigration in the Yukon Provincial Nominee program, they include:

The Yukon province operates through these five Streams:

Express Entry

Skilled Worker Program

Critical Impact Worker Program

Business Nominee Program

Yukon Community Pilot

Express Entry

The Yukon Express Entry Stream avails candidates who not only wish to enter the federal Express Entry pool and are interested in living and working in Yukon but have an active Express Entry profile and has obtained a job offer from a Yukon employee the opportunity to apply for a provincial nomination from the province. The Express Entry stream was introduced in Yukon in March 2015 alongside other existing immigration programs. What the stream does is to permit the province to nominate persons who are already in Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) Express Entry pool and who have the required education, professional work experience, language ability, and other needed requirements that will not only help them settle but add value into Yukon’s labour market and communities. 

Requirements for immigrating under this category are:

• You must meet the requirements of at least one out of the three federal economic immigration programs;
• You must complete the online Express Entry application to be issued a profile number and a Job Seeker Validation Code  if applicable;
• You must have enough funds to support yourself and any family member accompanying you upon arriving in Canada;
• You must have a legitimate job offer for permanent, full-time work from an eligible Yukon employer.
• You must convince them that you have a genuine intention to reside and work in Yukon.

Skilled Worker Program 

In this stream, foreigners who have professional work experience and a valid job offer for a position in the National Occupational Classification (NOC) A, 0, or B categories from a Yukon employer can be issued a provincial nomination. Once a candidate receives a provincial nomination from this stream, the applicant can directly apply for Canadian permanent residence from  Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Requirements for immigrating under this category are:

• You must have a student visa or a valid Temporary Work Permit (TWP), which was issued by recognised authorities if you are already residing in Canada as at the time of application;
• You must not be a visitor or someone who claims refugee status;
• You must have a job offer from an eligible Yukon employer, i.e. employer must meet all the necessary criteria for nomination;
• You must be able to present proof of work experience or education that qualifies you for the position;
• As for the program requirement, you must be able to present proof of education credentials, and if you graduated from a non-Canadian school, then you will be required to have an Education Credential Assessment (ECA);
• You must meet the language criteria required to correctly fulfil the duties of your position.
• You must have the intention to reside and work in the province;
• You have to send in your permanent residence application within 3-6 months of your employment starting date;
• You are required to have at least 12 months of relevant work experience in a full-time position within the previous ten years before applying.

Yukon Critical Impact Worker

If you are a qualified worker with semi-skilled work experience and a valid job offer from a Yukon employer, the Yukon Critical Impact Worker stream avails you the opportunity to obtain a provincial nomination. Once a candidate receives a provincial nomination from this stream, the applicant can fulfil the duties of your position correctly directly apply for Canadian permanent residence from  Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Aside from the aforementioned requirements, if you are applying under the Critical Impact Worker, you need to do the following:  

• You must have worked for the same employer that is offering the permanent position on a valid work permit for at least six months before the application or gets at least a score of 55 points on the Yukon Nominee Program Pre-Assessment points grid;
• You are required to have at least 6 months of relevant work experience in a full-time position within the previous ten years before applying.

Yukon Community Pilot

This stream is a bit different from others. The Yukon Community Pilot permits an applicant with a provincial nomination issued by the government of Yukon to work two or three jobs concurrently to become a permanent resident under the YPNP. This requirement states that you must work in an occupation for a minimum of 30 hours weekly. Furthermore, the jobs must be non-seasonal and must be located in one of the following participating communities:   

Whitehorse

Watson Lake

Dawson City

Haines Junction

Carmacks

Car cross

Business Nominee Program

As a foreign entrepreneur, do you have intentions of running your own business in Yukon? If yes, then the Business Nominee Program is perfect for you. Before you delve into that, you must first ensure that both you and your intended business meet a comprehensive list of requirements.  

To, apply for this stream, you will have to meet all of the personal eligibility requirements below; 

• You must obtain at least 65 points on the assessment grid;
• You must have either a Canadian high school diploma or the equivalent;
• You must further your education if your business requires further education;
• You must have at least three years of business management or entrepreneurial experience;
• You must have acquired a minimum of five years of experience that is relevant to your business;
• You must not be a refugee or seeking refugee status in Canada;
• The Canadian government must have never denied your immigration status in the past;
• Ensure that you do not have any active applications for any other immigration streams or programs;
• You must have at least a net worth of CAN$500,000, and also obtain a letter from an accounting firm based in Yukon to prove the wealth was amassed by legal means;
• You must have the Intentions of settling, residing, and operating your business in Yukon permanently;
• You must hold a position in your business that is categorised under the NOC 0 or A identifications;
• You are yet to engage in the buying or launching of a new business at the time of your application; and
• Through a business plan, you must prove your intentions of investing a minimum of CAN$300,000 in your business within two years.

In addition to the requirements as mentioned earlier, your proposed business must:

• You may not be a passive investor; therefore, the new business or buying an existing business is to be managed by you. 

Do you fit into any of the already described sectors? Suppose yes, and you desire to immigrate to Canada through the Yukon Provincial Nominee Program. In that case, you should sign up right away and start your application for a Canadian visa, and don’t forget to get great Canadian immigration advice from professionals if need be.