The Yukon Provincial Nomination Canadian Work Visa Program

Foreign workers that wish to move to Canada to live and work in the province of Yukon can apply for a fast tracked work visa under the Yukon provincial nomination program. The Yukon provincial nomination program targets immigrants that are interested in living and working in the province and grants them permanent resident status. While successful applicants are restricted to live and work only in the Yukon province, once they are a permanent resident of Canada for three years they are eligible for Canadian citizenship. Once Canadian citizenship is obtained, applicants can move and live and work anywhere in Canada.

The Yukon provincial nomination program offers two routes for applicants to apply under, the business or skilled worker routes. Some options even allow applicants to apply directly for themselves as opposed to needing to have an employer apply on their behalf. The Yukon provincial nomination program does not utilize a points based skills assessment when evaluating applicants. Family immigration is permitted with this visa.

The business route can be broken down into two categories: the entrepreneur and the self employed professional. To qualify as an entrepreneur, candidates must have a net worth of at least CDN $250,000 and be willing to invest at least CDN $150,000 to establish or purchase a business in the province. The candidate will need to have visited the province before and be able to demonstrate business skills and experience. To qualify as a self employed professional, candidates must be in a profession that has been identified as a skill shortage area and must meet certification requirements and be licensed if necessary. Candidates must have visited the province previously and have sufficient financial resources to support themselves and any dependents and the profession for at least six months. And candidates will need to have a detailed business plan.

The skilled worker route can be broken down into two categories: the skilled worker and the critical impact employee. To qualify as a skilled worker, candidates must be in a skill or trade that has been identified as a skills shortage area and be accredited or licensed if necessary. Candidates are also expected to be fluent in either English or French. To qualify as a critical impact employee, candidates will need to have an employer to sponsor the candidate and apply on their behalf. This category is targeted at employers in the province and allows them to recruit the necessary employees that are essential to their business. The employer must prove that the candidate would make a positive contribution to the province. This means that the employer must detail specific skills or experience that the applicant possesses that local candidates do not.