Northwest Territories

1) Northwest Territories Skilled Worker Program

In order to qualify under this program, the following criteria must be satisfied:

The Employer must:

• Have a job vacancy;
• Identify a potential nominee;
• Be a registered business, industry association or a local, municipal, First Nation or Territorial government in the NWT that has been registered and operational for a minimum of one year;
• Be in good standing with the Worker’s Safety and Compensation Commission (WSCC) and the NWT Employment Standards Office;
• Provide proof of local and national recruitment efforts and submit a summary of results;
• Obtain a positive HRSDC Service Canada Labour Market Opinion.

The offer of employment must:

• Be for a permanent full time position (minimum 30 hours per week);
• Be in an occupation that falls into high skill level occupation;
• Not conflict with existing collective bargaining agreements;
• Comply with the NWT Employment Standards Act;
• Provide a comparable industry rate of pay.

The Nominee must:

• Have the required certification or accreditation for the specific trade or occupation;
• If applicable, meet territorial certification, licensing or registration requirements of the job;
• Have the required work experience for the specific occupation;
• Provide proof of sufficient financial or settlement supports in the NWT;
• Be able to communicate in either English or French;
• Not be a refugee claimant.

2) Northwest Territories Express Entry Stream For Skilled Workers

The Northwest Territories Express Entry Stream For Skilled Workers is aimed at foreign nationals who have a profile in the federal Express Entry pool.

Employers and candidates must meet the same requirements as the Skilled Worker stream, but also meet the following requirements:

• Provide the Express Entry pool acceptance letter issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s Express Entry Pool.
• Provide a valid job seeker validation code.
• Maintain valid status the Express Entry pool throughout the application process.
• Meet the eligibility criteria for the Northwest Territories’ Skilled Worker stream.
• Have expressed interest in settling permanently in the Northwest Territories.

3) Northwest Territories Critical Impact Worker Program

In order to qualify under this program, the following criteria must be satisfied:

The Employer must:

• Have a job vacancy;
• Identify a potential nominee;
• Be a registered business, industry association or a local, municipal, First Nation or Territorial government in the NWT that has been registered and operational for a minimum of six months;
• Be in good standing with the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission;
• Provide proof of local and national recruitment efforts and submit a summary of results;
• Obtain a positive HRSDC Service Canada Labour Market Opinion.

The Employment contract must:

• Be for a permanent full time position (minimum 30 hours per week);
• Be in an occupation that falls into NOC skill levels C or D;
• Provide a comparable industry rate of pay;
• Be in good standing with the Worker’s Safety and Compensation Commission (WSCC) and the NWT Employment Standards Office.

The Nominee must:

• Have a temporary work permit and have worked in the same position for six months;
• Provide proof of sufficient financial or settlement supports in the NWT;
• Have the required work experience for the specific occupation;
• Be able to conduct basic communications in either English or French;
• Not be a refugee claimant.

4) Northwest Territories Business Stream

The Northwest Territories Business Stream is aimed at entrepreneurs with business expertise and investment capital, who wish to purchase or start a business in the region.

Northwest Territories Business Stream: Requirements

• Invest:
  • A minimum of $300,000 equity into starting or buying a business within the corporate boundaries of Yellowknife, NWT, or
  • A minimum of $150,000 equity into starting or buying a business outside of the corporate boundaries of Yellowknife, NWT.
• Have a personal net worth of:
  • At least $500,000 if starting or buying a business within the corporate boundaries of Yellowknife, NWT, or
  • At least $250,000 if starting or buying a business outside the corporate boundaries of Yellowknife, NWT.
• Demonstrate they own at least one third (33.3%) of the business they are starting or buying. Where the personal equity investment is at least $1 million the applicant may own less than one-third.
• Provide a good faith deposit of $75,000 to be held in trust and released upon satisfactory execution of the terms of the Business Performance Agreement; 
• Achieve Canadian Language Benchmark level 4 in English or the equivalent language level against the Niveaux de competence linquistique Canadiens (NCLC) in French. Recognized tests are IELTS and CELPIP for English and TEF for French.
• Demonstrate a reasonable knowledge and understanding of the NWT and its economy;
• Be able to demonstrate reasonable communication skills appropriate to conduct business in NWT;
• Have the necessary experience and education to successfully implement the business plan.
• Demonstrate sufficient financial resources to start and operate a business and support themselves and any dependents for the duration of the Business Performance Agreement
• Not have an active application with any other provincial or territorial nominee program; 
• Not have an active application with any other stream of the NWT Nominee Program.
• Not be a refugee claimant.

Northwest Territories Business Stream: Process

1. Self-Assessment and Initial Investigations
2. Further Investigations and Face-to-Face Interview(s)
3. Initiating the Application Process and Pre-Screening
4. Formal Application
5. Application Review
6. Approval and the Business Performance Agreement
7. Developing the Business
8. Nomination