NTNP Employer Driven Program

The Employer Driven Program of the NTNP enables employers to recruit skilled workers from abroad with the necessary skills and experience to fill positions for which there are no qualified Canadians or Permanent Residents available.

There are three streams under the NTNP Employer Driven Program: the Critical Impact Worker Stream, the Skilled Worker Stream, and Northwest Territories' Express Entry Stream.

This page will provide details on:

• The Employer Driven Streams
• Minimum Eligibility Criteria

The Streams

Critical Impact Worker Stream

This stream was created to assist Northwest Territories (NWT) employers address critical labour shortages that cannot be filled by local or Canadian residents. It is specifically designed to target workers in semi-skilled and unskilled occupations (National Occupational Classification Skill Levels C and D). In order to apply under this stream, foreign skilled workers must have worked in the same position for a minimum six months and must be in compliance with their temporary foreign worker permit.

Skilled Worker Stream

This stream of the NTNP Employer Driven immigration program targets qualified foreign nationals who can successfully assist with skilled worker shortages in the Northwest Territories. Applications are accepted under this stream from candidates who have received an offer of employment in a skilled position (National Occupational Classification Skill Levels 0, A, or B) from an NWT employer. This category is an employer-driven process, meaning that NWT employers must sponsor eligible applicants for permanent residency.

Northwest Territories' Express Entry Stream

This stream is aligned with the federal Express Entry immigration selection system to help address labour market shortages in the Northwest Territories through the recruitment of foreign nationals. Only those who have been accepted into the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) Express Entry pool may apply to this stream. This stream allows eligible applicants to receive priority processing of both their NTNP application and, if nominated, their permanent residence application. Applicants to this stream, therefore, benefit from significantly reduced application processing times.

Candidates must be eligible for one of the federal economic immigration programs in order to enter the Express Entry pool:

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

Once all eligibility criteria have been met, the employer may submit an application to the Northwest Territories’ Express Entry System. Successful applicants will receive Canadian permanent resident status.

Minimum Eligibility Criteria

Minimum Requirements for Employers

In order to be eligible under the Employer Driven Program, employers must:

• Be a registered business, industry association, or a local, municipal, First Nation or Territorial Government, in the Northwest Territories;
• Have been registered and operational for at least six months;
• Be in good standing with the Northwest Territories’ Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission and the Northwest Territories’ Employment Standards office;
• Extend an offer of employment to the foreign national for a permanent, full-time position (minimum 30 hours per week);
• Provide an employment contract that is consistent with the territories' Employment Standards Act;
  • The employment contract must not be in conflict with any existing collective bargaining agreements.
• Submit a copy of a positive Employment and Social Development Canada’s Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), if applicable;
  • An LMIA is not needed for the Skilled Worker Stream, Express Entry System, or for foreign nationals with open work permits.
• Provide proof of local and national advertising and a summary of advertising results if nominating a foreign national without an LMIA;
  • The summary of results must include a list of all application forms received in response to the advertised position and list reasons for refusal of employment.
• Provide a comparable industry rate of pay based on the businesses’ existing workforce rate-of-pay, rate-of-pay as advertised, and rate-of-pay in the LMIA ; and
• Adhere to the LMIA agreement.

Minimum Requirements for Applicants

To be considered eligible under the Employer Driven Program, foreign nationals must:

• Have legal status to work and hold a valid work permit, if currently residing in Canada;
• Intend to settle permanently in the Northwest Territories;
• Have the required certification or accreditation for the occupation based on the employer’s requirements;
• Meet NWT certification, licensing, or registration requirements of the job, if applicable;
• Submit the following documentation in original, or certified true copies (must be a clear, readable copy), translated into English or French:
  • Passport;
  • Birth certificate;
  • Marriage certificate; and
  • Birth certificate(s) and passport(s) for dependent(s).
• Demonstrate sufficient settlement funds to establish themselves and any dependents in the Northwest Territories; and
  • Applicants must submit certified bank statements in their name or an official letter issued by a bank, translated into English or French and notarized, as proof of settlement funds.
• Provide results from one of the following three approved language tests taken within two years of submitting an application:
  • The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) General Training;
  • The Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP-General); or
  • The Test d’Évaluation de Français (to test proficiency in French).

Additional Requirements for Critical Impact Workers

In addition, to be eligible as a critical worker under the Critical Impact Worker Stream, applicants must:

• Have worked for no less than six months in a National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill level C or D occupation in the same position;
• Be in compliance with their temporary foreign worker permit; and
• Achieve a minimum language test score of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 4 across all four competencies (listening, speaking, reading, and writing), in either English or French.

Additional Requirements for Skilled Workers

In order to be eligible under the Skilled Worker Stream, foreign nationals must meet the following additional criteria:

• Work in a NOC Skill Level 0, A, or B occupation;
• Have the formal education and/or specialized training required for the specific position;
• Have the work experience required by the employer as outlined in the job description and/or job advertisement; and
• Be able to sufficiently communicate in either English or French.

Additional Requirements for Express Entry

In order to apply under the Northwest Territories' Express Entry Stream, candidates must:

• Be eligible for one of the three federal economic immigration programs: Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trades, or Canadian Experience Class;
• Meet the criteria for the Skilled Worker Stream (see above) under the NTNP Employer Driven Program; and
• Have expressed interest in immigrating to the Northwest Territories.