NTNP Express Entry

The Northwest Territories operates the NTNP Express Entry stream, which uses the federal immigration selection system to help address labour shortages by recruiting foreign nationals.

NTNP Express Entry overview

Successful applicants receive Canadian permanent resident status. The NTNP Express Entry stream is aligned with the federal government’s Express Entry system. The stream falls under theNorthwest Territories Nominee Programme (NTNP)and allows eligible applicants to have both their NTNP application and their permanent residence application processed on a priority basis.

The NTNP Express Entry stream is one of the NTNP’s 3 employer-driven streams, offering foreign nationals a pathway to permanent residence in Canada.

NTNP Express Entry applicants must be eligible for one of the federal economic immigration programmes in order to enter the Express Entry pool:

• Federal Skilled Worker Programme (FSWP)
• Federal Skilled Trades Programme (FSTP)
• Canadian Experience Class (CEC)

The federal economic immigration programmes require applicants to meet the mandatory language proficiency levels and to demonstrate sufficient funds to support themselves and their family on arrival in Canada. Applicants eligible under the Federal Skilled Worker Programme (FSWP) are also required to submit the results of anEducational Credential Assessment (ECA).

Requirements for NTNP Express Entry applicants

To apply under the skilled worker programme in the NTNP Express Entry stream, an applicant must:

• Be eligible for 1 of the 3 federal economic immigration programmes: the Federal Skilled Worker Programme (FSWP), the Federal Skilled Trades Programme (FSTP) or the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).
• Meet the criteria for theskilled worker programmeunder the NTNP employer-driven programme.
• Provide a letter of acceptance issued byImmigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)from the Express Entry pool.
• Provide the Express Entry profile number and job seeker validation code issued by IRCC’s Express Entry pool.
• Demonstrate an interest in immigrating to the Northwest Territories.

In addition to the above requirements, foreign nationals applying under the skilled worker programme must:

• Intend to settle permanently in the Northwest Territories.
• Work in an occupation at Skill Level 0, A or B of theNational Occupational Classification (NOC).
• Have legal status to work and hold a valid work permit if they are currently resident in Canada.
• Hold the certification or recognition required for the occupation based on the job description, the job advertisement (if any) and the NOC employment requirements.
  • Employers in non-regulated occupations are responsible for ensuring that the applicant meets occupational standards and has the work experience required to carry out the duties of the occupation. Applicants must also have at least one year of full-time work experience in the occupation for which they are nominated.
• Hold the formal education and/or professional training, certification, licence or registration for the specific position required by the Government of the Northwest Territories;
  • Applicants who completed their education outside Canada must have their educational credentials assessed for comparison with Canadian education standards by obtaining an ECA from an organisation designated by the Government of Canada.
• Must have applied for a position advertised by an employer in the Northwest Territories, or through local or national job advertising. In their application, the foreign national must demonstrate how they applied for the position and that they meet the education and employment requirements of the position (if responding to an advertisement placed by a Northwest Territories employer).
• Be able to communicate adequately in English and/or French.
• Submit the following documents as originals or certified copies (which must be clear, legible copies), translated into English or French:
  • A valid work permit.
  • Passport (biographical data page only).
  • Birth certificate.
  • Marriage certificate or declaration of common-law relationship.
  • Birth certificate and passport of any dependant(s).
• Proof of a valid, full-time, permanent job offer demonstrating the capacity to establish economically in the Northwest Territories.
• Meet the minimum language requirement by demonstrating the ability to communicate in 1 of Canada’s 2 official languages, English or French. The minimum language requirement comprises:
  • Achieving levelCanadian Language Benchmark (CLB)6 for NOC 0 and A, or CLB 5 for NOC B, in English or French across all four categories of listening, speaking, reading and writing.
  • Providing valid test results from 1 of the 3 accepted language tests, taken within 2 years of the date of application:
    • IELTS
    • CELPIP
    • TCF

Requirements for NTNP Express Entry employers

To be eligible under the Northwest Territories’ NTNP Express Entry stream, an employer must:

• Be a business, industry association, or local, municipal, First Nation or territorial government registered in the Northwest Territories.
• Be in good standing with the Northwest Territories Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission and the Northwest Territories Employment Standards Office.
  • Employers subject to the Northwest Territories Employment Standards Act are required to submit additional documents and to comply with the guidelines set out by the Northwest Territories Nominee Programme (NTNP).
• Have been registered and in continuous full-time operation for at least 1 year before applying.
• Make a job offer to the foreign national for a full-time, permanent position (a minimum of 37.5 hours per week).
• Provide an employment contract consistent with the Northwest Territories Employment Standards Act.
  • The employment contract must not conflict with any collective agreement in force.
• The NWT employer must submit a detailed job description for the position, including:
  • The job title.
  • The language requirement of the position – English or French, or one of the other official languages of the Northwest Territories (any other language may be treated only as an asset).
  • The main duties of the position.
  • The education and work experience requirements of the position.
  • Any occupational certification required for the position (including any certification or recognition required).
• Research and identify the appropriate NOC code for the position on the basis of its education requirements, work experience requirements and job duties.
• Submit a positiveLabour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)or evidence of job advertising for the position. The employer must comply with the LMIA agreement if recruiting a foreign national on the basis of a positive LMIA.
• If nominating a foreign national without an LMIA, the employer is required to provide evidence of local, national or industry (optional) advertising, together with a summary of the results of that advertising.
  • In the job advertisement, the employer is required to include the application process, the job requirements and the wage for the position.

Job advertising requirements and summary of results for NTNP Express Entry

Employers under NTNP Express Entry must have made local, national and industry (optional) recruitment efforts, and these must have been carried out within the 6 months immediately preceding the application.

Local advertising for NTNP Express Entry:

• Advertising on 2 Northwest Territories local news-sharing platforms, where the position is advertised for 30 consecutive days, such as the NWT News North online classifieds.
• Jobs North EDGE.
• A Northwest Territories local newspaper (for example, the Yellowknifer if the position is in Yellowknife, or the Hub if the position is in Hay River).

The advertisement should be placed at least once a week for 4 consecutive weeks. As evidence of this advertising, the NTNP accepts only 1 of the following 2 options:

• The original or a copy of the newspaper pages for each day the position was advertised
• The original or a copy of the newspaper page for 1 day on which the position was advertised, together with an invoice showing that the advertisement ran for the required period.

National advertising for NTNP Express Entry:

• Advertising on the Government of Canada’sJobBankfor at least 30 consecutive days.

Industry advertising (optional) for NTNP Express Entry:

• Advertising on 1 industry job board for a minimum of 30 consecutive days.

The summary of results must include a list of all applications received in response to the advertised position and set out the reasons for rejecting each candidate. The employer must also provide an explanation setting out why the selected candidate is the best fit for the position.

Read more about NTNP Express Entry on the Government of the Northwest Territories websitehere.