Yukon Nominee Program intake priorities set; Pillai hints territory could get more spots

Government announces new take on how to prioritize Yukon Nominee Program applications The Yukon government has set its priorities for the 2025 intake of the Yukon Nominee Program since the federal government slashed the program’s allotment levels by half — from 430 to 215 in the Yukon.   Foreign nationals who have lived and worked in the Yukon for more than a year, Yukon University graduates, French speakers and the recipients of temporary measure letters of support whose work permits were expiring will be prioritized as part of the 2025 intake process, according to the Yukon Nominee Program operational guidance document.  Premier Ranj Pillai hinted to reporters in the Yukon government cabinet office on March 27 that the number of allocations could rise but that work is still underway.  “We are in the midst of conversations with the federal government on getting potentially 100 more spots,” he said.  As a pathway to immigration, the Yukon nominee program is meant to help employers fill job openings by bringing in foreign workers. The immigration program has been under fire lately since RCMP executed search warrants in June 2024 and December 2024 for information obtained by the Economic Development department offices. A planned audit by Canada’s auditor general was put on hold due to the ongoing police investigation, however a January 2025 letter flagged issues and made interim recommendations to the department.  Yukon Party Leader Currie Dixon expressed concern to reporters in the lobby of the legislature that those recommendations weren’t being taken seriously. Pillai said the government is listening to the auditor general’s office.   “What we’ve experienced over the last year was the RCMP coming because we were in possession of documents that had to do with some party, not inside the Department of Economic Development, and we’ve provided and worked with them,” he said.  Pillai suggested the situation is more nuanced and pointed to activities under the former Yukon Party government.  A 2020 press release from the Canada Border Services Agency announced the results of Project Husky, a five-year investigation into a large-scale alleged immigration fraud scheme. At the time, five people faced charges for alleged violations of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the Criminal Code committed between July 2013 and September 2016, when the Yukon Party was in power. A former senior economic advisor in the department, who faced charges for his alleged role in the scheme, later died.  Attract and retain  One of the key things officials heard from the chambers of commerce and businesses was the importance of retention: keeping foreign workers who are connected and on the road to being established in the territory.  “There was a tremendous amount of consultation that was taking place leading up to the release of this program,” Pillai said.   “We want it to be incredibly fair. We want it to be very transparent.”  Demand is expected to well exceed the allocations received for 2025, coupled with the oversubscription of the program in 2024 that led to a pause on application intake from Whitehorse-based businesses, which make up the bulk of the program. That caused the Yukon government to take a new approach. Ten nominations will be set aside for regulated health professionals to help meet health-care needs.  The government is taking a four-phase approach to applications, starting with carry overs from 2024. However, carry-over applications that don’t match with the stated priorities won’t be processed in 2025.  The next phase involves an expression of interest intake period open for three weeks so employers can submit simplified applications for foreign nationals in places and positions that align with priorities, as opposed to first come, first served, as has been the case.  In Phase 3, selected employers will be contacted and invited to submit the full Yukon Nominee Application form.   The final phase, if it gets that far, will involve randomly selecting nominees through a draw.  The timeline for hearing back will depend on how many applications are received, according to officials during a technical briefing on March 27.  Compliance and monitoring will be in place, as noted by the operational document.   Rule breakers  In 2024, three nominations were revoked: two nominated in 2024 and one nominated in 2023. The department couldn’t elaborate on the businesses involved, or the specific reasons, citing privacy concerns.   Reasons for revoking a nomination include a foreign national has left Canada, when there is fraud and/or misrepresentation, or if the individual is convicted of an offence under federal, territorial, municipal or international law, Linnea Blum, who works in communications for the department, said by email.   A business with two storefronts that was previously banned for a year due to serious violations is now allowed to participate in the program again since the ban has ended. The specific violations haven’t been made public but the Yukon government website, which publicly posts banned and previously banned businesses, lists the possible violations: inadequate wages, fewer than minimum hours of work or receiving payment for accepting a nominee.  The Liberals have drawn attention to the fact that the Yukon Party held an event at the restaurant that was banned from the program, before it was banned. The expression of interest intake period will open on March 31, as noted in a press release. It closes on April 22.  Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com