Foreign workers in N.W.T. say they can't wait much longer for answers, after Nominee Program cuts

Eddie Singh went to a town hall Tuesday night in Yellowknife hoping to hear some good news.

Singh, who had been working in the territory for nearly a year when cuts to the N.W.T. Nominee Program were announced, says he will have to move away when his work permit expires next month. He'd fallen 15 days short of the program's new requirement that applicants have a full year of work.

"This is it — I don't have any other option now," he said.

The town hall at the Northern United Place, held by Range Lake MLA Kieron Testart and Yellowknife Centre MLA Robert Hawkins, was meant to give the MLAs a better understanding of what people tied to the nominee program are facing, and what they'd like to see from the program in the future. Federal cuts to the program this year meant 150 people could apply, a vast reduction from previous years — and 60 of those spots were already reserved for previous applicants.

The program attracts foreign nationals looking to immigrate to Canada, those already here with expiring work permits and individuals seeking permanent residency. 

Singh was among other attendees Tuesday that had heard there might be the potential for more nominees being accepted this year, after the federal government suggested provinces and territories could take more asylum seekers.

Hawkins and Testart said in a news release earlier this month that the deal would have allowed the N.W.T. to accept 50 asylum seekers in exchange for 150 extra nominee spots.

"So the federal government told our government that if you can demonstrate the utilization of your refugee programs, then we'll consider giving you your spots back," said Testart Tuesday.

Transcripts from the last sitting of the legislature show Testart questioned Industry, Tourism and Investment Minister Caitlin Cleveland in March about that proposal. At the time, Cleveland was waiting to hear more details from the federal government about the deal, including how asylum seekers would be supported.

With a federal election around the corner, Hawkins and Testart said they are advocating for the N.W.T. to take the deal but they believe the likeliness of that happening is uncertain.

"I think that that deal is getting farther and farther away," said Testart.

How many spots are being filled?

A heavy question on employers' and applicants' minds is how many spots are actually being filled.

One employer said they have more than 50 employees and can thus submit four applications under the new rules. However, none of their employees qualified to apply under the new requirements.

Others said they were in similar situations.

Testart and Hawkins said applications carrying over from 2024 and spots allocated for certain communities has had a large impact on what acceptance this year looks like.

After the meeting, Simranjit Singh, a Yellowknife resident with a work permit quickly expiring, said he is still wondering about how many applications met the new requirements. He couldn't apply because he was short by 12 work experience days, and says most of the people he knows are facing the same problem.

"Nobody knows what the numbers here are, like how many files have been collected?" he asked.

A sentiment also shared by many attendees was an uneasiness about applications going through a lottery process. One attendee said running a person's chances to stay through a randomized selector reduces the feeling of humanity in the process. 

The nominee program website states applications that are not selected will stay in the intake queue until Dec. 12.

"If a space becomes available due to application denials or withdrawals, the [program] will select an application for assessment from the intake queue at random," the website reads..

Many people stayed well after the meeting concluded, filling out and taking around 100 consent forms brought by MLAs so they could speak about and discuss their specific cases.