North

Yukon Nominee Program reopens for applications from pre-approved businesses

The government said it received 502 eligible expressions of interest from employers, and 392 of those “aligned” with the government’s priorities for this year.

Only 215 nominee spots for 502 eligible employers

A bald man wearing a parka looks to his left. The words 'Team Yukon' are stitched on his coat.
Outgoing Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai, pictured here on Jan. 15. The Yukon Liberal government has reopened the territory's nominee program, with a pre-approved list of businesses that can apply. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

The Yukon Nominee Program is now accepting applications from businesses that expressed interest this past spring and have been pre-approved.

The government said it received 502 eligible expressions of interest from employers, and 392 of those "aligned" with the government's priorities for this year. 

Employers were prioritized if their nominee candidates were Yukon University graduates, French-speaking or have lived in the Yukon for a year. Selected businesses will now be invited to apply for the program via email, the government says.

Those who were not selected will also be notified.

Applicants with a temporary measure letter of support will be prioritized for approval, the government says. The remaining spots will be randomly selected.

There are 215 nominee spots allotted to the Yukon for 2025.

The Yukon government changed the application system after the program's popularity began surpassing the number of available spots. The nominee program is restricted to the number of nominees allowed by the federal government. This past spring, the Yukon government announced that businesses would be required to express interest and get approved based on a list of pre-set priority areas.

The number of permitted nominees was slashed in half at the beginning of this year.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gabrielle Plonka has been reporting in Whitehorse since 2019. You can reach her at gabrielle.plonka@cbc.ca