NTNP Skilled Worker

The Skilled Worker stream of the Northwest Territories Nominee Programme (NTNP) allows employers to recruit skilled workers from abroad with the skills and experience needed to fill positions for which no qualified Canadian or permanent resident is available.

Overview

The NTNP Skilled Worker stream targets eligible foreign nationals who can help address skilled labour shortages in the Northwest Territories.

Applications are accepted under this stream from candidates who have received a full-time job offer in a skilled position (National Occupational Classification (NOC)skill level 0, A or B) from a Northwest Territories employer.

This category is an employer-driven process, meaning that Northwest Territories employers must sponsor eligible candidates for permanent residence.

Applicant requirements

To be eligible under the skilled worker stream of the employer-driven programme, a foreign national must:

• Intend to settle permanently in the Northwest Territories.
• Work in an occupation at Skill Level 0, A or B of the National 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.
  • Provide valid test results from 1 of the 3 accepted language tests, taken within 2 years of the date of application:
    • IELTS
    • CELPIP
    • TCF

Employer requirements

To be eligible under the employer-driven skilled worker programme, 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.
• Submit a copy of a positiveLabour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)fromEmployment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).
  • An LMIA is not required for the skilled worker stream, the Express Entry stream, or for foreign nationals holding an open work permit.
• Provide evidence of local and national advertising and a summary of the advertising results if nominating a foreign national without an LMIA.
  • 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.
• Offer a wage comparable to the industry, based on the current wages of the business’s workforce, the wage as advertised, and the wage stated in the LMIA.
• Comply with the LMIA agreement.

The process

Before applying on behalf of a skilled worker candidate, the Northwest Territories employer or an authorised representative must submit a complete application to the NTNP. The employer is responsible for providing all the required original documents or certified copies with the application, in English or French.

All applications must be sent by post or delivered in person to the NTNP. The NTNP will not assess incomplete applications, so prospective employers are encouraged to review the application checklist before submitting.

Once the application has been assessed, the NTNP will decide whether the foreign national is eligible for nomination. Complete applications may take up to 10 weeks from the date of receipt to be assessed.

If the application is approved, the nomination certificate is sent to the employer, the foreign national or the authorised representative. The nominee then has up to 6 months from the date of nomination to apply for Canadian permanent residence withImmigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Read more about the NTNP Skilled Worker stream on the Government of the Northwest Territories websitehere.