The Northwest Territories Nominee Program

Have you heard of the Northwest Territories? It is a Canadian territory situated in the northern region of the country. There are a lot of reasons why you should consider immigrating to the Northwest Territories. 

Let us talk about the incredible employment opportunities due to the highest median household income in Canada and Yellowknife, the capital, having the highest employment rate in Canada. 

According to reports in 2014, the Northwest Territories received about 114 new residents because it is a place where you can meet friendly people while maintaining your own traditional beliefs and practices as a newcomer. Owing to this fact, there are diverse cultural communities there.

The Northwest Territories have the highest per capita GDP of all Canadian territories because of the diverse natural resources they have, yet the population is relatively low. The territory controls a wide range of geographical resources such as diamonds, gold, and natural gas, little wonder it is attractive for Canadian immigration.

What do we mean by the Northwest Territories Provincial Nominee Program?

This Provincial Nominee Program is an immigration program coordinated on behalf of the  Northwest Territories in conjunction with Citizenship and Immigration Canada to accelerate the processing of permanent residency applications.

Furthermore, this program assists in strengthening the economy of the Northwest territories by attracting qualified individuals to fill critical labour shortages and add value to the business development, thereby improving the growth of their economy. Aside from this, this program can help employers employ and retain foreign workers who can make them and their families live permanently in Northwest Territories.

If the Northwest Territories you nominate, you can apply for permanent residency through Citizenship and Immigration Canada as part of the Provincial Nominee stream.  Interestingly, the processing of a nominee’s application for permanent residence through Citizenship and Immigration Canada is usually faster when compared to any other immigration class, and the Citizenship and Immigration Canada solely must make final decisions on the applications.

Successful applicants will be issued a Northwest Territories Nominee Certificate, which will fast-track the processing time for the Permanent Resident visa. There are three streams under the Northwest Territories Provincial Nominee Program, and you may be eligible under one of them.

The 4 Streams of the Northwest Territory Provincial Nominee Program.

You must be able to meet the criteria of at least one of the four categories below if you are interested in residing in Northwest Territories;

• The skilled Worker Stream
• Express Entry Stream
• Entrepreneur Business Stream
• Critical Impact Business Stream

The Skilled Worker Stream

The Skilled Worker Stream is an Employer Driven immigration program targeting eligible foreigners who can assist and fill up the skilled worker shortages in the Northwest Territories successfully. Because this stream is an employer-driven program, it is not out of place to say that the Northwest Territories employers must sponsor qualified applicants for permanent residency.

The basis of accepting applications in this category is an employment offer from an NWT employer in a skilled position (National Occupation Classification Skill Levels 0, A, or B).

What are the requirements for the Skilled Worker Category?

If you are the employee:

• You must have the needed certification or accreditation for that particular trade;
• You must obtain the licensing, registration, or territorial certification needed for the job where applicable. 
• You must be accepted by the Territorial body governing the trade/occupation or have a license.
• You must have the needed work experience for that particular occupation.
• You must not be a refugee claimant.

If you are the employer:

• You must be registered and have operated for a minimum of one year;
• You must prove that you have the past made efforts to recruit a Canadian citizen or PR for the job vacancy;
• You must be able to identify a potential nominee;
• You must be a registered business, industry association, or a local, municipal, First Nation, or Territorial government in the Northwest Territory that has been in operation for at least one year;
• You must show proof of efforts made to recruit both locally and nationally and also submit a summary of the results;
•  You must prove that the remuneration for the job is commensurate with local standards;
• You must be issued an LMO from HRSDC.

Also, the job:

• Must be for a full-time permanent position and a minimum of 30 hours weekly.
• The job must be categorised under a high skill level category.
• The offer must be following the NWT Employment Standards Act.
• Must provide a similar industry rate of pay

2) The Critical Impact Worker Stream

This stream aims to help Northwest Territories employers care for shortages in the critical labour that local or Canadian citizens/residents cannot fill. It was tailor-made for semi-skilled and unskilled workers in the National Occupational Classification Skill Levels C and D). As a skilled foreign worker, for you to apply under this stream, you must have worked for at least six months in the same position and must be following their temporary work permit.

What are the Requirements for the Critical Impact Worker Stream?

As an applicant, you;

• You must have obtained a temporary work permit and have worked for a minimum of 6 months in the same position.
• You must prove that you have enough financial or settlement support in the Northwest Territories.
• You must have the needed work experience for the job
• You must be able to communicate in the basic language of the workplace
• You must not be a refugee claimant

As an employer, you:

• Must have a job vacancy
• Ability to identify someone who is a potential nominee
• You must be interested in the workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission.
• You must show proof of efforts made to recruit locally and nationally and submit a summary of the results.
• You must be a registered business, industry association, or a local, municipal, First Nation, or Territorial government in the Northwest Territory that has been in operation for at least six months.
• You must be issued an LMO from HRSDC.

Also, the job must:

• Must be for a full-time permanent position and a minimum of 30 hours weekly.
• The job must be categorised under NOC skill levels C and D
• The offer must be following the NWT Employment Standards Act and be following the Worker’s Safety and Compensation Commission (WSCC)
• Must provide a similar industry rate of pay.

3) Self-employed Business Category

Do you wish to establish a business in the Northwest Territories? If yes, this stream is for you because the NTNP accepts applications from entrepreneurs and owner-operators of businesses under this stream. Irrespective that businesses in all economic sectors are permitted to apply, priority is given to any business that will launch a new product or a product that will add value to the Northwest Territories. 

If you must be eligible under this program, you must:

What are the Requirements for the Self-employed Business Stream?

• You must invest at least $300,000 equity into establishing or purchasing a business within the corporate boundaries of the capital (Yellowknife), NWT, or;
• You must invest at least $150,000 equity into establishing or purchasing a business outside the corporate boundaries of the capital (Yellowknife), NWT.
• You must have a personal net worth of a minimum of $500,000 if establishing or purchasing a business outside the corporate boundaries of the capital (Yellowknife), NWT.
• You must have a personal net worth of a minimum of $250,000 if establishing or purchasing a business outside the corporate boundaries of the capital (Yellowknife), NWT.
• You must have an extra $75,000 kept in a trust account and brought out when you complete the Performance Agreement based on a business proposal.
• You must show extensive knowledge and understanding of the Northwest Territories and their economy.
• You must have the needed education and experience on how to execute the business plan successfully.
• You must be able to show reasonable communicational skills that are appropriate to the NWT.

4) Express Entry Stream

This stream is basically for foreigners that have already been accepted into the Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s Express Entry Pool. This is to say that only candidates issued an Express Entry Profile Number and a valid job seeker code is qualified for this stream.

What are the requirements for this stream?  

• You must be qualified for at least one of the three federal economic immigration programs: Federal Skilled Worker,  Federal Skilled Trades, or Canadian Experience Class.
• You must meet all the requirements for the Skilled Worker Stream under the Northwest Territories Nominee Program.
• You must provide all the requirements for Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s Express Entry  Pool.

If a candidate meets the requirements above, an employer can apply to their northwest territories Express Entry System.

In conclusion, you can choose to apply through any of the streams explained above as long as you can meet the requirements attached to it.