New Provincial Nominee Program announced for faster Canadian immigration to Northwest Territories

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has announced that the Northwest Territorieswill now have its own provincial nominee program (PNP) as part of an immigration agreement with the Canadian government.

The three-year pilot program, which will allow the Northwest Territories to nominate individuals to immigrate to and settle in the territories, came into effect today.

“This pilot initiative will better extend and strengthen the benefits of immigration for the Northwest Territories and allow it to bring in the immigrantsit needs faster,” Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Canada Minister Jason Kenney said. CIC and the Northwest Territories expect the Northwest Territories Nominee Program (NTNP) to increase immigration to the territories to fill critical labour shortages and promote business development in the province.

“This program will allow us to encourage the migration of skilled workers to the Northwest Territories,” Northwest Territories Education, Culture andEmployment Minister Lafferty said. “Foreign workers can assist us in building a strong, balanced and diversified economy that will benefit allNortherners.”

There are four categories under the NTNP:

Skilled Worker;
Critical Impact Worker (Service and Hospitality Sector Occupations);
Entrepreneur Business; and
Self-Employed Business

Candidates nominated by the Northwest Territories will have to submit their files to federal immigration authorities for approval and issuance of theirCanadian immigration (permanent residency) visas, but CIC says that it will process these applications on a priority basis, as it does in the case of existing Provincial Nominee Programs and the Yukon Nominee Program.“Provincial nominee programs are an important part of our government’s focus on ensuring that our immigration system aligns with labour market needs,”Kenney said.