The application intake period for the Northwest Territories Nominee Program closed at 5pm on March 6, 2025.
On March 11, 2025, following pre-screening, 90 applications will be selected for assessment at random. The Employer, the Nominee Applicant and/or the Authorized Representative will receive an email if their application is selected.
Applications that are not selected will stay in the intake queue until December 12, 2025. If a space becomes available due to application denials or withdrawals, the NTNP will select an application for assessment from the intake queue at random. Selected applications will be notified by email.
If you have questions, please contact 1(855) 440-5450 or immigration@gov.nt.ca.
Are you an employer in the NWT and need help filling job vacancies? We can help.
We help employers secure highly skilled individuals and newcomers to work and live in the NWT.
Because the NWT is a small jurisdiction, your business will get personalized help throughout the process from real people who live here. Our staff will work closely with employers to help get you quick results.
DOES YOUR BUSINESS QUALIFY?
We can help you if your business or organization:
- Is a registered business or a local, municipal, Indigenous or territorial government department in the NWT;
- Is registered and operational for a minimum of one (1) year; and
- Is in good standing with the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission of the Northwest Territories and the Northwest Territories Employment Standards office.
- has advertised the position and failed to find a suitable Canadian candidate.
For 2025, there will be a set numbers of applications an NWT employer can submit to the Employer Driven Stream based on the size of their business.
• Employers with 1-10 total NWT employees: 1 application.
• Employers with 11-49 total NWT employees: 2 applications.
• Employers with 50+ total NWT employees: 4 applications.

HOW TO APPLY
There are three program categories available to employers:
- ENTRY LEVEL/SEMI-SKILLED OCCUPATIONS
To help you fill entry-level positions when you can’t find a Canadian candidate locally or nationally; - SKILLED WORKER
To help you to fill positions where formal education and/or specialized training is required but you can’t find a suitable Canadian candidate locally or nationally; or - NWT EXPRESS ENTRY
To be used if your Skilled Workers candidate has a profile in the federal Express Entry System.
If your application is complete and free of errors, you can expect processing to take up to ten weeks.
DOES YOUR CANDIDATE QUALIFY?
The person you’re hoping to nominate must already have a Canadian work permit to qualify for any of the program categories.
If you are applying under the Entry Level/Semi-Skilled Occupations category, your candidate must work with you in the nominating occupation full-time for at least 12 months and have a work permit that expires in 2025 before you can apply.
For the Skilled Worker and Express Entry categories, the candidate must have at least one year of experience in the nominating occupation and a work permit that expires in 2025 OR have 18 months of full-time work experience with you in the nominating occupation before you can apply to the program.

ADVERTISING YOUR VACANCY
If you have an approved Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), you are not required to further advertise for the position but you are required to submit proof of your approved LMIA.
If you are applying under the Skilled Worker or Express Entry categories, you must have advertised the job for a minimum of 14 consecutive calendar days within the past twenty (20) months immediately prior to submitting your application.
For applications under the Entry Level/Semi-Skilled Occupations category, advertisements must be posted for a minimum of 30 consecutive calendar days, within the past eighteen (18) months immediately prior to submitting your application.
You must also provide us a summary of your advertising results. This document must list all the applications you received alongside a detailed list of reasons for refusal or acceptance of employment. You must also explain why your candidate is the best choice for the position.
For further information about mandatory eligibility criteria, you can refer to the program guidelines found on the forms and resources page or contact us.