Canada arranges for settlement of immigrants in Yukon communities

The Government of Canada has decided to help Yukon communities to hire and retain immigration candidates with the help of open work permits. Foreign workers who have a Yukon nomination alongside job offers from a maximum of three employers in certain Yukon communities will qualify to receive an open work permit.

Role of the pilot:

The Yukon Community Pilot (YCP), launched in January 2020,is a stream in the Yukon Nominee Program (YNP), and it will run for three years. Six targeted Yukon communities can use this pilot to attract immigrants and provide them with a permanent settlement.

Yukon is a territory in northwestern Canada that has a low population and an active labor market. The diverse market requires employers to hire seasonal workers in the absence of skilled full-time workers.

Foreign nationals will be given an open work permit that is exempt from Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). The permit will be valid for a specific community, and not just a single employer.

The pilot involves the following communities:

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

Eligibility criteria

Candidates who want to be eligible for an open work permit should have a valid nomination for permanent residence from Yukon. They should also have a few job offers from up to three employers based in any of the participating Yukon Territory communities.

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) emphasized that the job offers for an individual should be in the same community, but they do not have to be only from one employer.