Yukon

Candidates who are eligible to enter the federal Express Entry pool and are interested in living and working in Yukon may apply to the Yukon Express Entry stream (YEE). Yukon added an Express Entry stream to its existing immigration programs in March 2015. This stream allows the province to nominate individuals 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 settle successfully and integrate into Yukon’s labour market and communities.

To enter the federal Express Entry pool, candidates must be eligible for one of the three federal economic immigration programs:

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

Candidates who meet all eligibility requirements of one of these three federal programs must begin by creating an Express Entry profile on the IRCC website. Based on the information the candidate submits, his or her profile will be scored and the top-ranking profiles will be invited to apply for permanent residence. Receiving a Provincial or Territorial Nomination will boost the candidate’s score by 600 points, greatly increasing his or her chance of being invited to apply for permanent residence.

Benefits of YEE

Benefit for Employers

The Express Entry system helps employers meet critical labour shortages with foreign skilled workers when they cannot find Canadians or permanent residents to fill openings for full-time, permanent jobs, despite reasonable recruitment efforts. Express Entry provides employers with greater flexibility than other immigration programs. With YEE, employers can take advantage of improvements to Canada’s Job Bank, an online search tool that matches prospective immigrants with Canadian employers and jobs based on their skills, knowledge and experience.

Employers who use YEE do not have to obtain a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) or pay for the foreign worker’s travel costs.

Benefit for Individuals

Express Entry helps eligible potential economic immigrants find permanent work in Yukon when employers cannot find Canadians or permanent residents to fill job openings. Applicants receive priority processing under Express Entry and most receive permanent residence within six months of verification of their completed application as a result.

Minimum Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for Yukon Express Entry, applicants must:

• Meet the requirements of one of the three federal economic immigration programs;
• Complete the online Express Entry application to receive a Profile Number and, if applicable, a Job Seeker Validation Code;
• Have sufficient settlement funds to support themselves and any accompanying family members in Canada;
  • The amount of money required is based on the size of the applicant’s family, as determined by IRCC.
• Have a valid job offer for permanent, full-time work from an eligible Yukon employer; and
• Have a genuine intention to live and work in Yukon.

YEE Application and Nomination Process

A valid offer of employment from an eligible Yukon employer will trigger a YNP Nomination for the Express Entry (EE) candidate and, subsequently, an Invitation to Apply (ITA) to IRCC for permanent residence.

There are 10 steps in the YEE application and nomination process. They are as follows:

1. The employer finds a suitable foreign skilled worker.
2. The employer offers the foreign national a job after demonstrating there is no Canadian or permanent resident available and/or suitable for the position.
3. The worker meets the requirements for one of the three federal economic immigration programs.
4. The worker completes an online application in IRCC’s EE system and enters the EE candidate pool. The worker obtains an EE Profile Number and, if applicable, a Job Seeker Validation Code.
5. The worker proves that he or she has sufficient settlement funds.
6. The employer and worker jointly complete and submit the Yukon Express Entry application form.
7. The worker receives an ITA from IRCC.
8. The worker provides all necessary documents to IRCC to complete the permanent residence application.
9. IRCC and Yukon’s Immigration Unit verify the worker’s documents.
10. The worker receives permanent residence.

Foreign business owners and entrepreneurs can apply to run their business in Yukon via the Business Nominee Program. Make sure you meet the following personal and business eligibility requirements before applying.

Personal eligibility

You must:

• Achieve a score of at least 65 points on the assessment grid.
• Have at least a high school education. If your business requires more education, you must also provide proof of these credentials.
• Have at least 3 years of entrepreneurial or business management experience;
• Have at least 5 years work experience that is relevant to your business;
• Not be a refugee or have an active request for refugee status with the Government of Canada;
• Have never been denied immigration by the Government of Canada;
• Have no active applications for any other provincial or territorial nominee program;
• Have a net worth of at least $500,000 CAD. You must also have documentation and verification by a Yukon accounting firm that you obtained it through legal means;
• Have a minimum of $300,000 in liquid assets. This includes things like cash, bonds and cash derivatives. You must also have documentation and verification by a Yukon accounting firm that you obtained it through legal means;
• Intend to permanently live in Yukon;
• Agree to live in Yukon with dependents, if applicable, while managing and investing in your own business in Yukon.
• Hold a position within your business of National Occupational Classification (NOC) 0 or A.
• Have not yet purchased or started your business in Yukon at the time of your application to the program.
• Show how you will invest at least $300,000 in capital investments for the business in the first 2 years.
  • This does not include any capital investments made before your acceptance into the Yukon Business Nominee Program.
  • Capital investments include purchases such as property or equipment. It does not include purchases such as a house, vehicles that are only partially for the business and operational or maintenance expenses.

Business eligibility

Your proposed business must:

• be a new business or a purchase of an existing Yukon business
• be managed by you
• not be a passive investment
• belong to any 1 of the following strategic 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

Your proposed business must not belong to 1 of the following ineligible sectors and activities:

• Passive investments
• Retail, wholesale operations, distribution operations
• Restaurants
• Financial services
• Business, consultation and personal services
• Most professional services
• Real estate
• Holding companies
• Gas stations

The Yukon Community Pilot (YCP) is a new stream of the Yukon Nominee Program. The YCP launched in 2020 and will run for 3 years.

If you have a valid nomination for permanent residence from Yukon, you may be eligible for a 2-year location-restricted open work permit under the YCP.

About the work permit

This work permit:

• lets you work for up to 3 different employers in 1 of the participating Yukon communities
• is valid for 2 years
• doesn’t need a Labour Market Impact Assessment

The participating communities are:

• Whitehorse
• Watson Lake
• Dawson City
• Haines Junction
• Carmacks
• Carcross

Work permit eligibility

To qualify for the work permit, you must:

• have 2 or 3 eligible job offers
• have a signed letter of support from the Government of Yukon
• meet the general requirements for a work permit

Job offer requirements

The jobs you’re offered must meet all these requirements:

• They must all be in the same participating Yukon community
• They must add up to at least 30 hours of work a week (equal to a full-time job)
• They must be non-seasonal
  • In general, this means you have consistent and regularly scheduled paid employment throughout the year
• The wage must meet or exceed the minimum wage
• Your experience must show that you can perform the duties of the jobs offered

Documents you need before you apply

Before you apply for a work permit, you need these documents to include in your application:

• a copy of the nomination letter from the Government of Yukon confirming that you’ve been nominated for permanent residence
• a signed letter of support from the Government of Yukon stating:
  • that the employers who are offering you the jobs need you to work in the community as soon as possible
  • that the job offers are genuine
  • the details of the job offers, including:
    • names of the employers
    • occupation
    • number of hours
    • job locations