A Government of Northwest Territories (GNWT) report on its immigration strategy between 2017 and 2022 highlights the successes and improved outcomes of Canada immigration in the Northwest Territories (NWT).
“Having a diverse range of skills is crucial for businesses in different sectors to effectively deliver services and promote economic growth in the Northwest Territories,” added Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment Caroline Wawzonek.
“The immigration streams we offer play a vital role in helping employers in the Northwest Territories (NWT) and Canada access skilled workers from other countries and these streams also contribute to attracting foreign investment to the NWT.”
Released earlier this month, the report focuses on the Strategy’s aims of growing and enhancing immigration, assisting employers in meeting critical workforce needs, and increasing investment in the NWT.
Towards these aims, the Strategy includes five goals, eight objectives, and eighteen actions to assist in constructing a skilled workforce and diverse economy in the NWT; these were to be accompanied by the Strategy being able to set the direction for immigration programs, policies, and services.
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The final report measures success in advancing and implementing the objectives of the Strategy, in accordance with the Strategy’s Performance Measurement Plan.
A few highlights from the report are as follows, assessing the different goals highlighted above:
1. The first goal of the Strategy was to attract foreigners to the NWT whose skills are aligned with the current workforce needs.
It succeeded in achieving the same, indicated by the steady increase in applications received and approved between 2017 and 2022. The Employer-Driven Stream approved more than 363 nominees in the same period.
An increase in the total number of Nominee Program applications received and approved for all streams of the program was also witnessed. Applications received increased from 61 in 2018 to 142 in 2022, while applications approved increased from 28 in 2018 to 105 in 2022.
Francophone applications also increased. While one francophone application was approved in 2018, seven were approved in 2022.
In 2022, the GNWT launched a new francophone stream to increase the labor pool for bilingual workers within all National Occupation Classification skill levels.
2. Attracting foreign investment to benefit the economy was the second goal of the Strategy.
The Northwest Territories Nominee Program (NTNP) – which is designed to allow the NWT to provide an immigration pathway to foreign nationals with skills, education, and necessary work experience – attracted foreign investment to the NWT, indicated by approval of applicants to the Business Stream from 2017 to 2022.
A monetary amount of little more than $4.5 million was invested by foreigners via the NTNP, leading to a total of 17 nominees settling in Yellowknife and Hay River with their families.
3. The third goal was to support and be responsive to settlement and integration needs, which the GNWT achieved by being active members in many NWT settlement and integration forums and by creating resources for NWT newcomers.
4. Supporting the workforce by educating foreigners and NWT employers on workers’ rights and responsibilities was the Strategy’s next goal.
The government of the NWT was successful in this regard, as shown by a survey. Prior to using the program, 38 percent of respondents felt they were aware of workplace rights – a figure that increased to 59 percent after their participation in or contact with the program.
5. The last goal was to consolidate administrative efforts between ECE and ITI.
The GNWT took the actions necessary to consolidate the administrative efforts of ECE and ITI, most notably by launching a joint online application portal in 2020.
Other actions included a joint communication plan to promote the program and ensuring that program guidelines are consistent between the streams and “complement each other.”
The Strategy’s actions were designed, according to the report, to fill NWT’s labor market needs that are unfillable by Canadians, promote regional population growth, and increase the business services available to residents of the NWT.
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The Strategy was also a blueprint to further enhancing and developing the NWT’s immigration programs and services as the NTNP is vital for NWT immigration activities.
ECE leads the NTNP and administers the Employer-Driven and Francophone Streams while ITI administers the Business Stream.
According to the report, the GNWT is in recognition of immigration’s benefits to grow the economy of the NWT. The Government thus continues to support the skills development and employment needs of Northwest Territories’ residents.
“The GNWT continues to support employers in meeting their workforce needs,” said Minister of Education, Culture and Education, R.J. Simpson.
“In addition to supporting the training and skills development of Northerners, we view immigration and the Northwest Territories Nominee Program as a tool to assist employers in filling workforce gaps when Canadians and Permanent Resident workers are not available, and as a way to support economic development in the NWT.”
The Northwest Territories Nominee Program
The NTNP It is the GNWT’s only immigration program, and is delivered by both the departments of Education, Culture, and Employment (ECE) and Industry, Tourism, and Investment (ITI).
Immigrating through it requires either
- The opening, purchasing, or investing in a business in the NWT; or
- Having a job offer from an NWT employer
Opening, purchasing, or investing in a business in the NWT requires application for the Business Stream. If applicants already have a job offer from an NWT employer, their pathway is through the Employer-Driven Stream.
The program is a form of Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) for workers who have the skills, education, and work experience to contribute to the economy of a specific province or territory, want to live in said province, and want to become a Canada permanent resident.
Just like other PNPs, the NTNP also focuses on fueling Canada’s rural development and attracting immigrants away from popular and settled Canadian metropolises such as Vancouver, Toronto, and Calgary.
