Surrounded by mountains and lakes, Yukon shares a 1,210 km straight border with Alaska on the west. Out of all the provinces in Canada, it is known to be the smallest and least populated. As the population is relatively low, there are lots of opportunities for Canadian immigrants – both skilled and semi-skilled immigrants.
Yukon Provincial Nominee Program
The main immigration program is the Yukon Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) and the program has various categories:
Express Entry
Skilled Worker Program
Critical Impact Worker Program
Business Nominee Program
Yukon Community Pilot
Express Entry
Back in March 2015, Yukon introduced an Express Entry stream (YEE) to its existing immigration programs. This stream allows the province to nominate applicants who are already in Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) Express Entry pool and who have the necessary education, skilled work experience, language ability and other factors to help them migrate successfully into Yukon’s labour market communities. To submit a profile to the Express Entry pool, applicants must be eligible for at least one of the following three federal Economic programs:
Eligibility Requirements – Federal Skilled Worker Program
| Express Entry Profile | Required |
| Yukon Immigration Point System | At least 67 points |
| Job Offer | Required, full-time job in the province with a wage that meets industry standards |
| Level of Education | Minimum a high school Diploma |
| Work Experience | Required, at least one year of full-time skilled work experience. Occupation must be in the NOC level 0, A or B |
| Language Proficiency | CLB 7 or higher |
Eligibility Requirements – Federal Skilled Trades Program
| Express Entry Profile | Required |
| Yukon Immigration Point System | At least 67 points |
| Job Offer | Required, full-time job in the province with a wage that meets industry standards |
| Level of Education | No minimum |
| Work Experience | Required, at least two years of full-time work experience in a skilled trade occupation |
| Language Proficiency | CLB 5 for speaking and listening and CLB 4 for reading and writing |
Eligibility Requirements – Canadian Experience Class
| Express Entry Profile | Required |
| Yukon Immigration Point System | At least 67 points |
| Job Offer | Required, full-time job in the province with a wage that meets industry standards |
| Level of Education | No minimum |
| Work Experience | Required, at least one year of full-time Canadian skilled work experience in the last three years. Work experience is considered skilled if obtained in an occupation in the NOC level 0, A, or B |
| Language Proficiency | CLB 7 for work experience obtained at NOC level 0 or A and CLB 5 for work experience obtained at NOC level B |
Requirements for Employers
Employers must also meet the eligibility criteria:
- Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
- Business should be a registered business in Yukon and must have been operating in Yukon for at least one year or be a recognised government body in Yukon – first nation, municipal, territorial or federal
- If the business is a non-profit organisation, business must have been in operation for at least three years and have secured funding for at least one year following the application
- Must meet the minimum requirements of territorial labour standards
- Must prove that efforts were made to recruit a Canadian or permanent resident to fill the position prior to offering the position to a foreign worker by adverting the position for at least four weeks in at least two local and one national recruitment mediums. The advertisements must remain posted to actively seek qualified workers until the date YNP has issued a decision
Skilled Worker Program
If you received a job offer for a position included in the NOC level 0, A or B, and hold a valid Temporary Work Permit or Student visa (if you are already living in Canada at the time of application), employers may nominate you for permanent residence in Canada if you meet the following requirements:
| Express Entry Profile | Not required |
| Job Offer | Required, full-time job in the province with a wage that meets industry standards and the position offered must be at NOC level 0, A or B |
| Level of Education | Minimum a high school Diploma |
| Work Experience | Required, at least one year of full-time of related work experience |
| Language Proficiency | CLB 7 for applicants with a job offer at NOC level 0 or A and CLB 5 for applicants with a job offer at NOC level B |
Requirements for Employers
Employers must also meet the eligibility criteria:
- Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
- Business should be a registered business in Yukon and must have been operating in Yukon for at least one year
- If the business is a non-profit organisation, business must have been in operation for at least three years and have secured funding for at least one year following the application
- Must prove that efforts were made to recruit a Canadian or permanent resident to fill the position prior to offering the position to a foreign worker by adverting the position for at least four weeks in at least two local and one national recruitment mediums
Critical Impact Worker Program
If you received a job offer for a position included in the NOC level C or D and hold a valid Temporary Work Permit or Student visa (if you are already living in Canada at the time of application), employers may nominate you for permanent residence in Canada if you meet the following requirements:
| Express Entry Profile | Not required |
| Job Offer | Required, full-time job in the province with a wage that meets industry standards and the position offered must be at NOC level C or D |
| Level of Education | Minimum a high school Diploma |
| Work Experience | Required, at least six months of full-time of related work experience |
| Language Proficiency | CLB 4 or higher |
Business Nominee Program
If you have at least three years of entrepreneurial or business management experience and have five years of business experience related to your future business in Yukon, you may be able to apply for a permanent residency after a two-year work permit from the IRCC if the proposed business is in one of the following industries (strategic Sectors):
- Information Technology
- Manufacturing
- Value-Added Processing
- Forestry
- Tourism Products, Attractions, Services and Facilities
- Energy
- Mining or Mineral Development
- Agriculture
- Cultural Industries
- Film or Video Production
If the business belongs to any of the following industries, it will be considered as an Ineligible Sector:
- Passive Investments
- Retail, Wholesale or Distribution Operations
- Restaurants
- Financial Services
- Business, Consultation and Personal Services
- Most Professional Services
- Real Estate
- Holding Companies
- Gas Stations
Business owners and entrepreneurs will need to meet the following requirements to be eligible to apply for this business immigration program:
| Express Entry Profile | Not required |
| Yukon Business Nominee Points | At least 65 points (see below) |
| Job Offer | Not required |
| Level of Education | Minimum a high school Diploma |
| Work Experience | Required, at least three years of entrepreneurial or business management experience and 5 years of related work experience |
| Language Proficiency | CLB 4 or higher |
| Investment | Required, must demonstrate personal net worth of at least CAD$500,000 and be able to show a minimum of CAD$300,000 in liquid assets.
A minimum of CAD$300,000 capital investments must be invested for the business in the first 2 years |
Yukon Business Nominee Assessment Grid
| Factors | Maximum Points |
| Investment Value | 12 |
| Liquid Assets | 8 |
| Prior Visits | 8 |
| Entrepreneurial and/or Management Experience | 10 |
| Education | 20 |
| Personal Net Worth | 8 |
| Age | 10 |
| Language | 12 |
| Work Experience | 10 |
| Location of Proposed Business | 5 |
| PASS MARK | 65 |
Yukon Community Pilot
The Yukon Community Pilot (YCP) is a new stream launched in 2020 and will run for three years, Yukon will issue invitations to skilled workers through this program in effort to fill gaps in the job market and top tier skilled workers. If you have a valid nomination for permanent residence from Yukon, you may be granted with a two-year location-restricted open work permit.
To qualify for the work permit, you must meet the following requirements:
- Have 2-3 job offers that are non-seasonal and they must add up to at least 30 hours of work a week (equivalent to a full-time job)
- Wage must meet or exceed the minimum wage
- Your experience must show that you can perform the duties of the job offered
- Sign a letter of support from the Government of Yukon
- Meet the general requirements for a work permit
Once your work permit has been approved, you can work for up to three different employers in one of the participating Yukon communities:
- Whitehorse
- Watson Lake
- Dawson City
- Haines Junction
- Carmacks
- Carcross
Kunal Thakur
Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant R#519955
Kunal Thakur is a passionate Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC), holding close to two decades of immigration experience, during which he has successfully guided thousands of immigrants in their immigration journey. He is quick in responding to client queries and would always give his clients the right advice. Kunal also brings immense value in all his talks and discourses on immigration and when not in front of his laptop reading and analysing client cases he could be seen exploring new places and trying new things. Kunal is currently based in Adelaide, Australia. You can book a time with him here.
RCIC: R519955