Yukon Immigration

On This Page, You Will Find:

• Yukon Nominee Program overview
• Skilled Worker and Critical Impact Worker streams
• Express Entry stream
• Yukon Business Nominee Program
• Employer eligibility and job offer rules
• 2026 allocation and intake dates
• How to apply
• Rural and Northern immigration pilots and Yukon
• Frequently asked questions

Yukon attracts newcomers through the Yukon Nominee Program (YNP), a territorial program that lets Yukon employers nominate foreign workers for Canadian permanent residence when they cannot find a qualified Canadian or permanent resident to fill a job. A separate Yukon Business Nominee Program (YBNP) supports foreign entrepreneurs who want to own and operate a business in the territory.

Both programs have changed substantially since 2018. The Yukon Nominee Program now runs on a competitive Expression of Interest (EOI) model rather than year-round direct applications, its nomination allocation was cut sharply in 2025 as part of federal reductions to provincial and territorial nominee levels, and the territory’s separate community-based pilot program has been discontinued. This page reflects the program as it operates for 2026.

Yukon Nominee Program Overview

The Yukon Nominee Program is an employer-driven program. The employer, not the foreign worker, submits the Expression of Interest and, if invited, the full application. If the Government of Yukon approves a nomination, the nominee can then apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for permanent residence.

The YNP has three streams:

• Skilled Worker stream – for management and higher-skill jobs (NOC TEER 0 to 3)
• Critical Impact Worker stream – for entry-level jobs (NOC TEER 4 and 5)
• Express Entry stream – for candidates already in the federal Express Entry pool

This is a simpler structure than the program used in previous years, which listed the Skilled Worker and Critical Impact Worker categories separately from Express Entry sub-streams for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program and the Canadian Experience Class. Those federal programs still apply, but they are now folded into the single Express Entry stream.

Skilled Worker and Critical Impact Worker Streams

The Skilled Worker stream covers positions classified as TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 under the National Occupational Classification. Foreign workers need at least 12 months of relevant work experience.

The Critical Impact Worker stream covers entry-level positions classified as TEER 4 or 5. Foreign workers need at least 6 months of relevant work experience.

Both streams require a minimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) score, tested through a designated agency within the past two years:

• CLB 6 for TEER 0 and 1 positions
• CLB 5 for TEER 2 and 3 positions
• CLB 4 for TEER 4 and 5 positions

Express Entry Stream

The Express Entry stream is for foreign nationals who already have a profile in IRCC’s Express Entry pool and meet the requirements of one of these federal programs:

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

Employers may use this stream for positions classified as TEER 0 to 3. A Yukon nomination adds 600 points to the candidate’s Comprehensive Ranking System score, which effectively guarantees an Invitation to Apply for permanent residence in a subsequent Express Entry round.

Yukon Business Nominee Program

The Yukon Business Nominee Program allows entrepreneurs to buy or start a business in Yukon, initially on a two-year work permit, before being nominated for permanent residence once the business is established. The core financial thresholds have not changed since the program’s earlier years, but applicants should confirm current requirements before applying. As of 2026, candidates must:

• Score at least 65 points on the program’s assessment grid
• Have a net worth of at least CAD $500,000, verified by a Yukon accounting firm
• Have at least CAD $300,000 in liquid assets, verified by a Yukon accounting firm
• Invest at least CAD $300,000 in capital investments in the business within the first two years
• Have at least 3 years of entrepreneurial or business management experience and 5 years of relevant work experience
• Hold at least a high school diploma
• Hold a position in the business classified as NOC TEER 0 or 1
• Meet a minimum language requirement of IELTS 6 in English or TEF Canada level 4 in French
• Not have already purchased or started the business at the time of application

The business itself must be new, or a purchase of an existing Yukon business, managed directly by the applicant, and fall within an approved strategic sector such as information technology, manufacturing, tourism, energy, mining, agriculture or cultural industries. Passive investments, real estate, retail and wholesale operations, restaurants, financial services and most professional services are not eligible.

Applications that meet the eligibility criteria and score threshold enter a pool of candidates for six months. Selected applicants are invited to Yukon for an interview before a final decision is made. The Government of Yukon reports a processing time of roughly 12 to 14 weeks for the initial application review.

Employer Eligibility and Job Offer Rules

Yukon employers must demonstrate they tried and failed to hire a Canadian citizen or permanent resident for the position. To participate, an employer must:

• Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, or a legally established Yukon business, industry association, municipal or First Nation government, or non-profit organization operating in Yukon for the required minimum period (generally at least 1 year, or 2 years for non-profits)
• Hold all licences required under federal, territorial and municipal law
• Offer a genuine, full-time, permanent position

Certain business types cannot participate, including small bed-and-breakfasts, hobby farms, home-based businesses, taxi companies and businesses already owned by an active Yukon business nominee. The foreign worker must have a guaranteed job offer from an eligible Yukon employer and meet the education, experience and language requirements of the stream being used.

2026 Allocation and Intake Status

Provincial and territorial nominee allocations were reduced across Canada under recent federal immigration levels plans. Yukon was not exempt: in January 2025, IRCC informed the territory that its nomination allocation for 2025 would be cut by 50 per cent, to 215, down from the 2024 level. The Government of Yukon later received an additional 67 allocations, bringing the 2025 total to 282 nominations; Yukon ultimately nominated 312 individuals for permanent residence that year.

For 2026, IRCC confirmed a maximum allocation of 282 nominations for the Yukon Nominee Program – matching the restored 2025 total, but still below pre-2025 levels. The Government of Yukon expects significantly more applications than available spots and ranks Expressions of Interest against annual priorities rather than processing them on a first-come, first-served basis.

The program runs two Expression of Interest intake windows per year rather than accepting applications continuously. Both 2026 windows have already closed as of this writing:

• Intake 1: January 19 to January 30, 2026
• Intake 2: July 6 to July 17, 2026

Employers and workers should watch the Government of Yukon’s immigration pages for the announcement of 2027 intake dates; applications and Expressions of Interest are not carried forward between intake periods.

2026 priorities for scoring Expressions of Interest are:

• Regulated health care professionals
• Employers located in rural Yukon (outside Whitehorse)
• Foreign nationals who have lived and worked in Yukon for at least one year
• Yukon University graduates
• Francophone or French-speaking candidates
• Recipients of a Temporary Measure Letter of Support issued in 2024 or 2025

How to Apply

The application process generally follows these steps:

1. The employer advertises the position locally and nationally and is unable to hire a qualified Canadian or permanent resident.
2. The employer offers the position to an eligible foreign worker.
3. The employer submits an Expression of Interest during an open intake window, including basic information about the business and the candidate.
4. The Government of Yukon scores all EOIs against that year’s priorities and invites the highest-scoring employers to submit a full application.
5. The employer submits the complete application with supporting documents before the stated deadline.
6. If approved, the employer, nominee and Government of Yukon sign a Tripartite Agreement.
7. If the nominee is outside Canada, they apply for a work permit and travel to Yukon; if already in Canada, they may be eligible for a work permit tied to the nomination.
8. The nominee must apply to IRCC for permanent residence within six months of the nomination being approved.

Employers and nominees are not required to hire an immigration representative, though many choose to do so given the complexity of the EOI scoring system.

Rural and Northern Immigration Pilots and Yukon

Two federal community-based pilots are sometimes confused with Yukon’s own programs. The original Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot ended in 2024 and was replaced by the Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP), which designates 14 participating communities across several provinces. Based on the current list of participating communities published by IRCC, no Yukon community is included in the RCIP; applicants interested in Yukon should confirm the current community list directly on canada.ca before assuming eligibility, since the pilot is provincial rather than territorial in scope.

Yukon also ran its own territorial Yukon Community Pilot (YCP) between January 2020 and June 30, 2025, covering Whitehorse, Watson Lake, Dawson City, Haines Junction, Carmacks and Carcross. The YCP allowed a nominee’s work permit to be tied to a community rather than a single employer. IRCC stopped accepting new YCP work permit applications after June 30, 2025, and continues to process only applications received on or before that date. There is no direct replacement for the YCP; workers and employers in these communities now use the standard Skilled Worker, Critical Impact Worker or Express Entry streams described above.

Frequently Asked Questions