For the first time in the program’s history, this July the Northwest Territories Nominee Program (NTNP) reached and exceeded its federally-regulated nomination cap of 300 applications for a calendar year.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) regulates all nomination allocations for provinces and territories across Canada. With the NTNP reaching its 2024 maximum intake, the program will no longer be accepting new applications this year, with the exception of foreign nationals with work permits that expire in 2024 if they meet all eligibility criteria and have already been working in the NWT prior to July 22, 2024.

If an individual meets these criteria, they can contact immigration@gov.nt.ca or 1 (855) 440-5450 to discuss their application. Applications received prior to July 22, 2024 will not be affected by this temporary pause in intake.

In the interim, NWT employers are encouraged to explore other economic immigration programs available to them, including the Government of Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program and Francophone Mobility Program.

While the GNWT has reached the maximum 2024 allocation cap for applications to its Employer-Driven Stream and Francophone Stream, the Business Stream continues to accept applications. 

The GNWT remains committed to welcoming new skilled workers and residents to the Northwest Territories. Applications for both the Employer-Driven and Francophone Streams have increased steadily over the years, with both streams being oversubscribed. As an example, the current intake figure for 2024 is over 300 – well over double the 139 nominations issued in 2023.

Increased interest in the Northwest Territories contributes to economic growth and prosperity, and supports the principles and vision laid out in the Arctic and Northern Policy Framework of strong, self-reliant people and communities working together for a vibrant, prosperous, and sustainable Arctic and Northern region at home and abroad, while expressing Canada’s enduring Arctic sovereignty. 

The Northwest Territories Nominee Program is poised to reopen for full application intake in January 2025. In the meantime, the GNWT will continue to advocate to the Government of Canada for an increase to its nomination cap. 

Quote
“For the first time ever, the Northwest Territories has reached and exceeded its federal allocation of 300 nominees for a calendar year. The growing interest in the territory is welcome news that will allow us to strengthen our workforce and build vibrant and diverse communities. I will continue to advocate to the Government of Canada to increase our nomination allotment and expand the availability of settlement services in the Northwest Territories. I also remain committed to working alongside employers to build and sustain a resilient workforce by investing in both local and foreign workers.” 
-    Caitlin Cleveland, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment 

Quick Facts

• Nomination allocations for all provinces and territories are set annually by IRCC.
• The Government of Canada allocated 300 nominations to the NTNP in 2024.
• The volume of applications received in 2024 is an indicator that the NWT may benefit from increased annual nomination allocation in the coming years. 
• The total nominations issued under the Employer-Driven Stream and Francophone Stream in previous years are as follows:
  • 2023: 139
  • 2022: 100 
  • 2021: 62 
  • 2020: 77 
• As of July 22, 2024, the GNWT has processed 144 nominations of over 300 applications received and is working as diligently and efficiently as possible to process the rest. 
• 2024 applications received beyond the federally-regulated nomination allocation of 300 will automatically come out of next year’s allocation when the program is poised to reopen for full application intake in January.
• The Francophone Stream of the Northwest Territories Nominee Program was launched in 2022. 
• Decisions on applications already submitted are expected in Fall 2024. Applications received prior to July 22, 2024 will not be affected by this temporary pause in intake.
• Applications received to date will be processed in the following priority: 
  • Applicants whose work permits have fast approaching expiry dates
  • Applicants whose work permits will expire in 2024
  • Applicants in the NWT (whose work permits are expiring 2025 or later)
  • Applicants outside of the NWT (including international applications)

Applicants with questions about their applications should contact immigration@gov.nt.ca or 1 (855) 440-5450 for more information.

Related Link

• Northwest Territories Nominee Program

For media requests, please contact:
Briony Grabke
Manager, Public Affairs and Communications 
Department of Education, Culture and Employment
Government of the Northwest Territories 
Briony_Grabke@gov.nt.ca
867-767-9352 ext. 71073

CORRECTIONS: This news release was edited at 2:00 p.m. on July 24, 2024 to reflect the following changes: 

• As of July 22, 2024, the GNWT had processed 144 nominations of over 300 applications received in 2024. The original version of this release indicated that over 300 nominations had been issued for 2024. 139 nominations were issued in 2023. 
• The Government of Canada allocated 300 nominations to the NTNP in 2024. The original version of this release indicated that this amount is allocated each year when in fact this number fluctuates from year to year.