Employers and foreign nationals can no longer submit applications directly to the Yukon Nominee Program (YNP).
All applications to the YNP must now go through an Expression of Interest (EOI) system.
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Under this new pool-based system, an employer must receive an invitation from the YNP before being able to submit an application for territorial nomination for a foreign worker.
Prior to this change, employers could submit applications to the YNP directly.
Under this new EOI system, it will be more difficult to obtain a territorial nomination for Canadian permanent residency (PR) from the YNP.
The new EOI intake will open at 9am Yukon Standard Time (YST) on March 31, 2025, and will remain open until 4:30pm YST on April 22, 2025.
How does the new system work?
Under the new EOI system, employers must submit a simple web form with information about the foreign worker they wish the YNP to consider for nomination.
The YNP will then review the EOIs, select its top-pick candidates, and invite those to submit full applications to the YNP.
What candidates is the YNP prioritizing?
The YNP will prioritize candidates in the following situations for 2025:
- Candidates living and working in the Yukon for at least one year;
- French-speaking candidates;
- Yukon University graduates; and
- Temporary Measure Letter of Support recipients.
Temporary Measure Letter of Support
Some candidates can apply for Yukon-supported work permits, which can be issued for up to two years.
To be eligible, a foreign national must
- Have been living and working in Yukon on May 16, 2024;
- Have a work permit that has expired since January 1, 2025, or which will expire before December 31, 2025;
- Have a Yukon employer who plans to nominate them for PR through the YNP in 2025 or 2026.
Yukon will provide eligible candidates with letters of support to include in their work permit applications.
Intake for this work permit program opened on 19 March, 2025, and will remain open until 4:30pm YST on April 2, 2025.
Candidates can find more information on Yukon’s website.
Rationale for the change
The federal government has reduced YNP’s allocation of nominations in 2025.
The 2025 allocation is 215 nominations, about half of what the YNP received in 2025.
The YNP expects there to be more demand than there are available nomination spots.
The YNP has established the EOI system to enable it to focus on the highest priority candidates, rather than to operate on a first-come, first-served model—as it would have to do if it were to allow direct applications to the YNP and close intake after the cap had been reached.
The reduction of allocations to the YNP aligns with the federal government’s reduction in landings targets for permanent residents through the PNP under the 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan, which cut overall PR landings targets by 20%, and landings targets under the PNP by 50%.
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