Yukon

Program Eligibility

All three streams have employer as the applicant and hence, are dependent on finding an employer to apply for you. The employer and the nominee need to meet the eligibility criteria to apply for the Yukon Nominee Program:

Employer Eligibility:

• The employer must be a permanent resident of Canada;
• Before the employer applies to the program, their business should be:
  • a registered Yukon business with an office located in Yukon for at least a year
  • an industry association with an office located in Yukon for at least a year
  • a municipal, First Nation or territorial government for at least a year
  • a non-profit organization for at least 3 years, with funding of at least a year in the following year of the application
• have valid current licenses as required and applicable federally, territorially and municipally;
• have a registered business operating for at least a year on a full-time basis;
• businesses operating any of the businesses such as real estate, small bed and breakfasts with less than 10 rooms and so on, are not allowed.

Nominee eligibility:

To apply to the Skilled Worker or Critical Impact Worker programs: –

• if in Canada when applying, have a valid Temporary Work Permit or student visa;
• not on a refugee, visitor or under implied status
• have a job offer in Yukon, meeting the economic and other nomination criterias;
• have proof of work experience that qualifies you for the job:
  • Critical Impact Worker Program: Over the 10-year period before the date of your Yukon Nominee Program application, have at least 6 months of full-time relevant work experience
  • Skilled Worker Program: Over the 10-year period before the date of your Yukon Nominee Program application, have at least 12 months of full-time relevant work experience
• meet the language requirements for the position
• within 3 to 6 months of starting work, intends to live in Yukon and apply for permanent residency to the Government of Canada.

Note: For express entry, the nominee should also meet the requirements of one of the federal economic immigration programs in addition to the requirements listed above.

The federal economic programs are as follows:

• Federal Skilled Worker Program
• Federal Skilled Trades Program
• Canadian Experience Class

Express Entry:

Express Entry is for employers hiring for the position that falls in the National Occupational Classification (NOC) A, 0 or B categories, can apply to the Express Entry Stream.

Pre-requisite:

• The employer needs to find a qualified foreign worker and offer a job, using either of the following ways:
  1. Using Canada’s Job Bank
  2. Using the Express Entry stream of the Yukon Nominee Program
• The employer also needs to establish that there are no qualified Canadians or permanent residents who can fill in the position.
• The foreign worker must meet the requirements for one of the Express Entry Economic Immigration programs-
  • Federal Skilled Worker Program
  • Federal Skilled Trades Program
  • Canadian Experience Class

Requirements:

• The foreign worker needs to enter the candidate pool by creating an Express Entry profile. The foreign will then receive an Express Entry Profile Number and, if applicable, a Job Seeker Validation Code.
• As determined by the federal government based on the size of the family, the foreign worker needs to prove they have sufficient amount of money to support their family.
• The foreign worker and the employer need to complete the Yukon Express Entry application.
• Then the foreign worker provides the Yukon province with completed application and any other required documents.
• The foreign worker then receives an invitation for permanent residence by the federal government.
• Any additional documents such as a medical report or a criminal record needs to be provided by the foreign worker to the federal government to complete the permanent residence application.

Processing time:

The Yukon province works with the federal government to assess and verify the foreign worker’s document. The foreign worker usually receives PR within – 6 months.

The Skilled Worker and the Critical Impact Worker Program:

This program is for employers hiring for the position that falls in the National Occupational Classification (NOC) A, 0 or B categories, can apply to the Skilled Worker Stream and to the Critical Impact Worker stream if the position falls in the C or D NOC categories.

Requirements:

• The foreign workers with their employers complete the Yukon Nominee Program application ensuring the following:
  1. Foreign worker’s language tests are recent and less than 2 years old
  2. Supporting documents are certified and true copies. Any document in a language other than English or French, should come with a certified translation
  3. All application fields need to be completed and using ‘N/A’ for fields not applicable
• The application with the supporting then needs to be submitted either in person or via email.

Processing:

• The applications are processed on a first-come first-served basis. You hear back from the Yukon province within- 12 to 14 weeks.
• Once the application is processed by the Yukon Province, the federal Government reviews it. The foreign worker and his/her accompanying family members need to meet federal requirements for living and working in Canada. This process takes extra time and is separate from the program application.
• The worker maintains a valid work permit and temporary resident status while the application is assessed and hence, can continue to work in Canada.

Skilled worker program:

Requirements:

• Applicant’s work experience and education should satisfy the job requirements as specified in the National Occupational Classification (NOC).
• The applicant should also provide proof of education/credentials. The minimum education requirement is high school.
• The applicant should be able to demonstrate at least a year of work experience related to the position being nominated for, in the Skilled worker stream.
• Applicants should also provide results from a language proficiency test. IELTS General Training or CELPIP General for English and TEF for French are the accepted tests.
• Skilled Worker Category (Skill Level O and A)
  Minimum scores are required in each category (Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking) by foreign national seeking employment in Skill level O or A. These scores are:
  • International English Language Testing Score (IELTS):
    • 6 for IELTS-General Training test in each of the four categories (listening, speaking, reading and writing)
  • Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP):
    • 7 for CELPIP-General Tests in each of the four categories (listening, speaking, reading and writing)
  • Test d’évaluation du Français (TEF) (to test proficiency in French):
    • 4 for TEF in each of the four categories (listening, speaking, reading and writing)
• Skilled Worker Category (Skill Level B)
  Minimum scores are required in each category (Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking) by foreign national seeking employment in Skill level B. These scores are:
  • International English Language Testing Score (IELTS):
    • 5 for IELTS-General Training test in each of the four categories (listening, speaking, reading and writing)
  • Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP):
    • 5 for CELPIP-General Tests in each of the four categories (listening, speaking, reading and writing)
  • Test d’évaluation du Français (TEF) (to test proficiency in French):
    • 3 for TEF in each of the four categories (listening, speaking, reading and writing)
• Foreign nationals residing in Canada must maintain a valid work permit status throughout the YNP application process. Nominees under implied status are not eligible to apply
• Foreign nationals on study permit need to provide:
  • Proof of one year of study for certificate programs
  • Proof of two years of study for diploma or Bachelor programs
  • Students enrolled in the ESL program Yukon College must have completed level 8 of the ESL program

Critical Impact worker program

Requirements:

• Applicant’s work experience and education should satisfy the job requirements as specified in the National Occupational Classification (NOC).
• The applicant should also provide proof of education/credentials. The minimum education requirement is high school.
• The applicant should be able to demonstrate at least six months of work experience related to the position being nominated for, in the Skilled worker stream.
• Applicants should also provide results from a language proficiency test. IELTS General Training or CELPIP General for English and TEF for French are the accepted tests
• Minimum scores are required in each category (Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking) by foreign national seeking employment in Skill level C or D. These scores are:
  • International English Language Testing Score (IELTS):
    • 4 for IELTS-General Training test in each of the four categories (listening, speaking, reading and writing)
  • Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP):
    • 4 for CELPIP-General Tests in each of the four categories (listening, speaking, reading and writing)
  • Test d’évaluation du Français (TEF) (to test proficiency in French):
    • 3 for TEF in each of the four categories (listening, speaking, reading and writing)
• Foreign nationals residing in Canada must maintain a valid work permit status throughout the YNP application process. Nominees under implied status are not eligible to apply
• Foreign nationals on study permit need to provide:
  • Proof of one year of study for certificate programs
  • Proof of two years of study for diploma or Bachelor programs
  • Students enrolled in the ESL program Yukon College must have completed level 8 of the ESL program.

Business Nominee Program:

This program is for foreign nationals who want to live in Yukon and own and operate a business that would make a significant contribution to the community. The business must be in one of the eligible sectors identified by YNP. Please consult their website or contact our office to determine if your plan is eligible.

The foreign business owners and entrepreneurs need to meet the following personal and business requirements before applying:

Personal eligibility:

The foreign business owner or entrepreneur must:

• Have a score of at least 65 points on the assessment grid (YNP has created a Nominee Assessment Grid to assign applicants points based on ten categories: Business Resources, Liquid assets, Personal Net Worth, Age, Prior Visits, Education and Training, Entrepreneur and Business Experience, Work Experience, Language Ability and Location of proposed business.)
• Unless the business requires more education, have at least a high school education and provide proof
• Have entrepreneurial or business management experience of at least 3 years
• Have relevant business experience (related to your business) of 5 years
• Not have a refugee status or a request for refugee status with the Government of Canada
• Not have any refusal in immigration by the Government of Canada
• Have no other active applications in any other provincial or territorial nominee program
• Be able to show a net worth of at least $500,000 CAD, with documentation and verification by a Yukon accounting firm
• Be able to show a minimum of $300,000 in liquid assets such as cash, bonds and cash derivatives, with documentation and verification by a Yukon accounting firm
• Have intention of permanently living in Yukon
• Consent to live in Yukon with dependents while managing and investing in your own business in Yukon, if applicable.
• Have a position within your business of National Occupational Classification (NOC) O or A
• Have not started or purchased the business in Yukon at the time of the application
• Be able to show how you will invest at least $300,000 in capital investments for the business in the first 2 years
  • Not including any capital investments made before the Yukon Nominee Program acceptance
  • Purchases such as property or equipment are included in Capital investments. Operational or maintenance expenses or expenses such as house, vehicles that are only partially for the business is not included.

Business eligibility:

The proposed business must comply with the following:

• It must be a new business or a purchased existing Yukon business
• It must be managed by the foreign national
• It should not be a passive investment
• It should belong to one of the following sectors:
  • Information technology
  • Manufacturing
  • Value-added processing
  • Forestry
  • Tourism products, attractions, services and facilities
  • Energy
  • Mining or mineral development
  • Agriculture
  • Cultural industries
  • Film and video production
• It should NOT belong to any of the following sectors:
  • Passive investments
  • Retail, wholesale operations, distribution operations
  • Restaurants
  • Financial services
  • Business, consultation and personal services
  • Most professional services
  • Real estate
  • Holding companies
  • Gas stations

Applicants who are approved as a Nominee receive a two-year work permit. During this time the Nominee establishes themselves, their family and their business in Yukon. At set deadlines throughout the two years specific documentation must be provided to YNP regarding the business operations and applicant’s residency obligations in Yukon. If these requirements are met, the Nominee will receive final approval for support of their permanent residence application.