Yukon nominee candidates now eligible for work permits
On Wednesday, October 1st, Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced a new temporary plan to help candidates in the Yukon Nominee Program (YNP). This plan will provide work permits to up to 215 people, allowing them to keep working legally in Yukon while they wait for their permanent residence applications to be processed. This change is important for many workers, making sure they can stay employed while they go through the process.
What are the eligibility requirements for applicants?
To be eligible for these work permits, foreign nationals must:
- Be working legally for a Yukon employer.
- Have applied to the Yukon Nominee Program (YNP).
- Have support from the Government of Yukon.
- Show that they are likely to get permanent residency in 2025 or 2026.
- Meet all other program requirements.
Find out if you are eligible to get in Canada →
Yukon immigration options
If you want to move to Yukon, you can choose from these five options:
1. Yukon Express Entry (YEE)
This program is for skilled workers from other countries who have a valid job offer for permanent, full-time work in Yukon. Employers in Yukon can look for candidates in the Express Entry pool when they can’t find Canadian citizens or permanent residents to fill jobs.
2. Skilled Worker
This program is for skilled workers from other countries who are sponsored by a Yukon employer to get Canadian permanent residency. You must be working in a job classified as NOC Skill Level 0, A, or B.
3. Critical Impact Worker
This program is for the low-skilled workers involved in the occupations with high demands. There are no requirements for being in Yukon when applying, but you have to have a valid job offer from a Yukon employer.
4. Business Nominee
Self-employment program designed for anybody with prior business experience and interest in owning, investing, or starting a business in Yukon. Any business requires a significant level of investment, which you need to be willing to make towards your own business.
5. Yukon Community Pilot
This pilot program allows nominated individuals to get a special work permit that lets them work for multiple employers in certain Yukon communities. It is set to run from January 2020 to June 2023.
Part of IRCC’s bigger plan
This temporary plan for Yukon is part of a larger effort by IRCC. In September, IRCC introduced a temporary policy to give open work permits to some candidates in the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).
The goal of this policy is to help provinces fill job needs and to make it easier for temporary residents to become permanent residents. It also supports IRCC’s aim to lower the number of temporary residents in Canada, reducing it from 6.5% to 5% by 2027.
Before offering this plan to Yukon, IRCC had already put similar measures in place for the Alberta and Manitoba Provincial Nominee Programs.
Reduction of Temporary Resident Programs
On September 18th, Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced some changes to reduce the number of temporary residents in Canada. Over the next three years, these changes are expected to result in:
- 300,000 fewer study permit holders
- 175,000 fewer post-graduation work permits (PGWPs)
- 150,000 fewer spousal work permits
Upcoming Immigration Levels Plan
The Levels Plan will be posted in IRCC on November 1st and features the immigration’s immigration plan for the coming year and the expected targets for the following two years. The government has hinted that major changes are coming. This year’s Levels Plan will also be the first to include targets for temporary resident levels.
The recent announcement by Immigration Minister Marc Miller is a big win for Yukon Nominee Program candidates, allowing up to 215 eligible individuals to get temporary work permits while they wait for their permanent residency applications. This plan assists in fulfilling the requirement for jobs within Yukon and aids in the conversion of temporary residents into permanent inhabitants. Such changes are encouraging and provide hope for aspiration for temporary residents as the government plans to unveil its annual Levels Plan, which has some modifications for such individuals as they look forward to permanent residence in Yukon.
