The number of spots granted by the federal government for the Yukon Nominee Program has dropped by 50 per cent from last year, thus the Yukon government is delaying the planned January intake of applications, according to Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai.
A statement from Pillai, who is Economic Development minister, notes Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) told the Yukon government that the territory will get 215 nominees spots allocated for 2025. That allocation is down from 2024, when 430 individuals were nominated for permanent residency through the Yukon Nominee Program.
Despite the federal government signalling it is cutting down on immigration, the Yukon government had requested more spots; not less.
The Yukon nominee program is meant to help employers fill job openings by bringing in foreign workers.
The Yukon government was notified about the change on Jan. 15, 2025.
The decision to delay intake for the program was made after a meeting with industry to get their input on how to move forward quickly, according to the premier’s statement.
The delay is intended to allow time to consider the program’s approach to accepting and processing applications this year, to make sure that the limited allocation is “used strategically to address the Yukon’s pressing labour needs,” as noted in Pillai’s statement.
The Yukon’s unemployment rate for December 2024 was 4.8 per cent, which is the lowest in the country and less than the national average of 6.7 per cent.
“We will be considering how to implement a new requirement from IRCC that at least 75 per cent of all nominations are from temporary residents already within Canada,” Pillai said.
On May 16, 2024, Pillai announced that the government won’t be taking submissions for the program from employers in the Yukon’s capital since the program had received more applications than spaces available.
Due to the change, as of Jan. 22, 2025, at 4:30 p.m., the program will also be closed to rural employers, per Pillai.
“We are committed to providing further details at the earliest opportunity, and we will continue to advocate to IRCC to address the needs of Yukoners,” Pillai said.
Canada’s auditor general’s office has paused an audit of the Yukon nominee program while an RCMP investigation goes on related to police raiding the Economic Development offices earlier in 2024.
Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com
