Immigrate To The Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories has one small city, arctic islands, rugged northern landscapes, forests, rivers, lakes and a climate that features brief warm summers and long cold winters. Because of its extreme northern location, during the summer months, parts of the NWT will experience continual daylight hours, while during the winter, the population will experience continual darkness. The NWT is sparsely populated, with the majority of the population being Aboriginal. The NWT’s economy is connected to mining gold and diamonds, and the oil & gas industry. The cost of housing in the NWT is generally lower than other Provinces in Canada, but the purchase of supplies can be very costly, and travel of any distance often requires an airlift.
Northwest Territories Nominee Program
Immigrate Northwest Territories PNP offers four streams through which applicants who intend to live in the Northwest Territories can apply for Permanent Residence. You can either establish a business in NWT, or you can find an employer in the NWT who wants to hire you. To qualify on the basis of a job offer, you need to be working inside Canada, with a valid work permit, before you apply.
Program Details
1. Entry Level / Semi-Skilled Occupations
The Entry Level / Semi-Skilled Occupations program allows qualified employers to nominate foreign nationals who are working in entry level positions (NOC C & D) after a minimum period of 6 months.
Applicant criteria:
- you have worked full-time in the position for 6 months on a valid work permit
- you meet the NOC requirements for your position including work experience, and licensing requirements
- you achieved a min CLB 4 on a valid language test
- you have an Educational Credential Assessment to prove your level of foreign education matches the requirements for your NOC code
- you have sufficient settlement funds to establish in NWT
Employer criteria:
- must be a registered business or government body that has operated on a year-round basis, in the Northwest Territories, for a min of one year
- must be registered with the Worker’s Safety and Compensation Commission and be in compliance with the Employment Standards Act
- must first advertise for the position per program requirements, or obtain an LMIA
- must offer a wage rate that is comparable to industry standards
2. Skilled Workers
The Skilled Worker stream allows qualified employers to nominate foreign nationals who have work experience in a skilled position (NOC 0, A or B).
Applicant criteria:
- you have a valid work permit
- you have a job offer for a permanent full-time position in a NOC 0, A or B occupation
- you have a min of one-year experience in the position that is offered
- you meet the NOC requirements for your position including work experience, and licensing requirements
- you achieved a min CLB 7 on a valid language test if your job offer is NOC 0 or A, and a min CLB 5 for NOC B positions
- you have an Educational Credential Assessment to verify foreign education
- you have sufficient settlement funds to establish in NWT
Employer criteria:
- must be a registered business or government body that has operated on a year-round basis, in the Northwest Territories, for a min of one year
- must be registered with the Worker’s Safety and Compensation Commission and be in compliance with the Employment Standards Act
- must first advertise for the position per program requirements, or obtain an LMIA
- must offer a wage rate that is comparable to industry standards
3. NWT Express Entry
The Express Entry stream enables skilled workers to apply for Provincial Nomination when they have an active Express Entry profile and they meet the criteria of the Skilled Worker stream of the NWT Nominee program. Applying through this stream will enable the foreign national to gain Permanent Residence much more quickly than applying through the regular Skilled Workers stream.
4. Business Stream
Note: At the time of writing (March 2021) the Business Stream has paused its intake of applications until further notice
The Business Stream of Immigrate NWT is designed for those with business management experience who wish to establish business operations in the Northwest Territories. Foreign nationals can qualify by establishing, purchasing or investing in an existing business in the NWT. You must intend to actively manage the day-to-day operations of the business.
Applicant criteria:
- you will invest a min of CAD $300,000 into a business in Yellowknife, or a min of CAD $150,000 into a business outside of Yellowknife
- you can demonstrate a personal net worth of a min CAD $500,000 if you are planning to operate a business in Yellowknife, or a min CAD $250,000 if you are planning to operate outside of Yellowknife
- you will own at least 1/3 of the business; unless you are investing $1 million or more
- you achieved a min of CLB 4 on a valid language test
- you demonstrate sufficient knowledge, experience, education and financial resources to successfully start and operate the business
- you do not have any other active applications for Provincial Nomination
- you have made a trip to the Northwest Territories to explore business opportunities, and had an interview with program staff
