Canada Announces Northwest Territories Nominee Program for fast track immigration

So far, most immigrants shunned North West Territories and as a result of which these areas in Canada could not grow at the pace rest of Canada, as Alberta/ Ontario was growing.

To boost the development of these areas, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Canada (CIMC) Minister Jason Kenney, along with his Territorial counterparts, announced the new Northwest Territories Nominee Program (NTNP). This program would help the Northwest Territories to fulfill their labor market and community needs by welcoming more immigrants to settle and work in its principal city, Yellowknife and other areas of the Territories.

An interested immigrant has the option to qualify under two employment schemes; the Skilled Worker stream and the Critical Impact Worker stream, or under two business categories: the Entrepreneur and the Self-Employed.

Under the Skilled Workers stream, an interested immigrant applicant can be nominated by a Northwest Territories employer when he is not able to fill a vacancy with a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident. The applicant must fulfill the requirements as defined in the National Occupation Classification (NOC) for Skilled, Professional or Managerial occupation workers.

Under the Critical Impact Workers stream, again, the immigrant applicant requires a permanent, full-time job offer from a Northwest Territories employer who has been unable to hire a Canadian citizen or permanent resident for the position. However, this job offer must be in a semi-skilled hospitality or service industry position. Under this stream, the applicants must have worked in the Northwest Territories on a Temporary Work Permit in that same position for at least six months.

The applicants under any of the stream can not be refugee claimants and the remuneration and working conditions of the employment offered to them should correspond to local and national standards.

Applicants interested to apply under the Entrepreneur Business category applicants may start or purchase a new or existing Northwest Territories business and can apply to immigrate under this category. They must meet a personal net worth requirement and invest a minimum amount in their planned business.

The amount of investment to be made under this category of immigration varies depending on whether the planned business is located in Yellowknife or elsewhere in the Northwest Territories.

Under the Self-Employed Business category, an immigrant applicant must be from profession or occupation that has been listed as a skill shortage in the Northwest Territories. Applicants must submit a detailed business plan for the business or practice, and show awareness of the social, economic and environmental conditions of the Northwest Territories.

Once the nomination from the Northwest Territories is received by the interested immigrant applicants, nominees must submit their application to federal immigration authorities for approval and issuance of Permanent Resident visas.

These applications for immigration visas would be processed on a priority basis at the federal level to ensure that they receive their visas as quickly as possible.