Interested candidates immigrate here through the Northwest Territories Nominee Program, you need to either be ready to open, purchase or invest in a business in the NWT; or have a job offer from an employer in the NWT.
Below are 2 categories:
- The Business Stream is for people who want to start a business in the NWT, purchase an existing business based here, or invest in and operate an existing business based here.
- In the NWT you can expect no wait-list for your application, faster processing times, and real people in the NWT helping you through the process from start to finish.
To apply via the Business Stream, there are some criteria you must meet:
- Applicants must commit to invest:
- A minimum of $300,000 CDN equity* into starting or buying a business within the corporate boundaries of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories; or
- A minimum of $150,000 CDN equity* into starting or buying a business outside of the corporate boundaries of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.
- You must demonstrate you own at least 33.3% of the business, unless your personal equity investment is at least $1,000,000 CDN, in which case you may own less.
- You must also provide proof that you have a personal net worth of:
- At least $500,000 CDN if starting or buying a business within the corporate boundaries of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories; or
- At least $250,000 CDN if starting or buying a business outside the corporate boundaries of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.
- You must demonstrate that they have achieved a level of proficiency of 4 against the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB 4) in English or the equivalent language level against the Niveaux de competence linquistique Canadiens (NCLC) in French upon application.
- Please note that the Nominee Program will only accept test results from the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or the Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) if submitting results in English, and the Test d’évaluation de français (TEF) if submitting results in French. Test results must be no older than two (2) years at the time of application.
- You must demonstrate sufficient financial resources to start and operate a business and support themselves sand any dependents for the duration of the applicant’s Business Performance Agreement.
- You must demonstrate sufficient financial resources to start and operate a business and support themselves sand any dependents for the duration of the applicant’s Business Performance Agreement.
- You cannot have an active application with any other provincial or territorial nominee program; not have an active application with any other stream of the Nominee Program in the Northwest Territories; and not be a Refugee Claimant
- And of course, you must be ready and willing to settle full-time right here in the NWT!
- The Employer-Driven Stream is for employers who want to hire and nominate foreign nationals when there are no Canadians or Canadian Permanent Residents available. This stream helps employers hire critically needed and skilled workers, and helps workers achieve Canadian Permanent Residency through three program categories.
- For this stream to work, you first need a job offer from an NWT employer.
Once you have a job offer from an NWT employer, the employer will need to apply for one of three program categories: