Yukon Nominee Program (YNP): 2026 Guide

The Yukon Nominee Program (YNP) is run by the Government of Yukon in partnership with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). It helps Yukon employers hire or keep foreign workers when no qualified Canadian or permanent resident can be hired. If the Yukon approves the application, it nominates the worker, who then applies to IRCC for permanent residence in the provincial nominee class. IRCC makes the final decision and the Yukon cannot change it.

The program is employer-driven. The employer submits every form and application, one application per foreign worker. A foreign worker cannot apply alone, even with the employer's consent, and only the employer or its representative can ask about the status of a file.

Nominations IRCC allocated to the Yukon for 2026

282

Expression of interest intakes in 2026, both now closed

2

People the Yukon nominated in 2025

312

To apply to IRCC after the Yukon approves you

6 months

1. June 30, 2025

   The Yukon Community Program pilot ends

2. January 12, 2026

   The Yukon announces a 2026 allocation of 282 and two EOI intakes

3. January 19–30, 2026

   Expression of interest intake 1

4. March 4, 2026

   Applications from the first round of invitations due

5. July 6–17, 2026

   Expression of interest intake 2

6. August 26, 2026

   Applications from the second round of invitations due

7. September 9 to October 8, 2026

   Public engagement on a review of the program; changes expected from 2027

8. December 31, 2026

   Deadline to use the 2026 allocation and assess 2026 applications

The employer chooses the worker stream based on the training, education, experience and responsibilities (TEER) category of the job in the National Occupational Classification (NOC). The Yukon Business Nominee Program is a separate program for entrepreneurs with its own process.

Skilled Worker stream: for management jobs and jobs that need more education. The worker needs at least a high school diploma, the education the TEER requires, 12 months of relevant work experience and the CLB level for the job. A worker in Canada on a study permit must complete all requirements of the academic program before applying.

Critical Impact Worker stream: for entry-level jobs in TEER 4 or 5. The rules are the same as for the Skilled Worker stream, but the worker needs 6 months of relevant work experience and CLB 4.

Express Entry stream: for workers already accepted into IRCC's Express Entry pool who meet the Canadian Experience Class, the Federal Skilled Worker Program or the Federal Skilled Trades Program, with a job offer in TEER 0 to 3. The employer gives the Express Entry profile number and expiry date in the expression of interest. A nomination adds 600 Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points but you still need an IRCC invitation.

Yukon Business Nominee Program: for foreign entrepreneurs who will buy or start and actively manage a business in a strategic sector, such as information technology, manufacturing, tourism, mining or agriculture. Key personal requirements are at least 65 points on the assessment grid, a net worth of at least $500,000 and at least $300,000 in liquid assets (both verified by a Yukon accounting firm), and a plan to invest at least $300,000 in capital in the business in the first 2 years. Retail, restaurants, real estate, financial services, most professional services, holding companies and passive investments are not eligible. See the Yukon's current criteria and policy before you apply.

If approved after an exploratory trip and in-person interview, a business nominee is supported for a 2-year work permit to set up the business, and the Yukon supports the permanent residence application at the end of that period if the requirements are met. The Yukon says it contacts applicants with a decision within 12 to 14 weeks, longer when volumes are high.

Both the employer and the foreign worker must meet the program rules. For the full criteria, read the Yukon Nominee Program policy, the 2026 operational guidance and the application handbook.

• Employer statusThe employer must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and must have tried, without success, to hire Canadians or permanent residents.
• Employer history in the YukonA registered Yukon business or industry association with a Yukon office for at least 1 year, a municipal or First Nations government for at least 1 year, or a non-profit for at least 2 years with funding for the coming year
• RecruitmentThe job must be advertised in Canada for at least 4 weeks in at least 3 places, including the Canada Job Bank and 2 local media, with the title, duties, hours and exact wage
• Wage and costsAt least the Yukon median wage for the NOC. The employer pays the IRCC employer compliance fee, the worker's travel to the Yukon if needed and free health insurance until the worker qualifies for Yukon coverage. The employer cannot charge the worker any fee or recover costs.
• Excluded businessesBed and breakfasts with fewer than 10 rooms, hobby farms, home-based businesses, taxi companies, businesses run by active Yukon business nominees, passive investments, business consultation and personal services, real estate and holding companies
• The jobFull-time (35 to 40 hours a week), year-round and permanent
• The workerDocumented education, skills and experience for the job; at least a high school diploma; the minimum language level for the stream on a test less than 2 years old; valid status if in Canada; not a refugee claimant or visitor

The Yukon expected far more applications than its 282 spaces, so in 2026 it ranked employer expressions of interest against its priorities. An expression of interest is not an application. After each intake closed, the Yukon scored every submission and invited the highest-scoring employers to apply. EOIs did not carry over: a new one was needed for each intake.

Ties are broken in favour of the worker who has lived and worked longest without interruption in the Yukon, then the worker whose work permit expires soonest. Employers in rural communities were ranked in a separate process: after nominations for Temporary Measure Letter of Support recipients, 85% of the remaining nominations went to Whitehorse-area employers and 15% to rural employers. The Yukon planned to give out 75% of the allocation in the first intake and 25% in the second, and to move spaces left unused in the first intake by withdrawals or refusals to the second.

French speakers: the Yukon's guidance says IRCC has indicated that nominees with at least CLB/NCLC 5 in French in all four abilities on the TEF or TCF are not counted in the YNP allocation.

Workers who received a Temporary Measure Letter of Support in 2024 or 2025 and used it to get a new work permit did not need an expression of interest. The Yukon must nominate eligible recipients under its agreement with IRCC and handles them through a separate intake.

1. 1

   1. Employer advertises the job

   The employer advertises locally and nationally. No qualified Canadian or permanent resident applies.

2. 2

   2. Employer offers the job

   The employer offers an eligible foreign worker a full-time, permanent position.

3. 3

   3. Employer submits an expression of interest

   During an intake window, the employer completes the online EOI form and a consent form that both the employer and the worker fill out.

4. 4

   4. Invitation and information session

   The Yukon tells every employer whether it was invited. Invited employers must attend an information session.

5. 5

   5. Employer submits the full application

   Before the deadline, the employer submits the paper application in person or by mail, with documents that prove every statement in the EOI. Incomplete applications are returned.

6. 6

   6. Assessment and approval

   The Yukon may ask for more information by a deadline. If approved and the worker is outside Canada, the worker applies to IRCC for a visa and work permit.

7. 7

   7. Sign the Tripartite Agreement

   The employer and nominee attend an in-person meeting to sign an agreement with the Government of Yukon. Compliance checks can happen at any time.

8. 8

   8. Apply to IRCC within 6 months

   The nominee applies for permanent residence. Express Entry stream nominees accept the nomination in their profile and need an IRCC invitation first.

The Yukon has no estimated processing time for nominee applications because intakes bring many applications at once, but it must assess all 2026 applications by December 31, 2026. IRCC's processing times for the federal stage are shown below, from IRCC's processing times tool.

If an application is refused, the Yukon says you may be able to apply again in a future intake, and asks you to confirm your situation with its Immigration Branch.

• Until the nominee becomes a permanent resident, they work on a temporary work permit. Work permits are IRCC's responsibility, and the Yukon cannot advise on them.
• The employer and nominee must answer any monitoring requests and report changes in the job promptly.
• The nominee may change positions with the same employer if they meet the minimum experience for the new position (6 months for Critical Impact Workers, 12 months for Skilled Workers).
• Once the nominee becomes a permanent resident, the Yukon closes the YNP file.