NTNP Guidelines for Critical Impact Worker Guidelines

The NTNP Critical Impact Worker program is intended to assist Northwest Territories (NWT) employers with critical labour shortages that cannot be filled by local residents. This category is designed to increase the labour pool for entry level jobs (NOC skill levels C & D) in the hospitality and service sector industry to address the critical need of semi-skilled workers in the NWT.

Employees must have worked in the position for six months under a temporary foreign worker permit. This category will be closely monitored and will remain in place until the labour market for semi-skilled workers within the NWT economy indicates this category is no longer required.

Application process and eligibility requirements under the Critical Impact Worker is almost similar to that of NTNP Skilled Worker Category. The only difference is that the Critical Impact Worker is applicable only to workers classified under NOC skill levels C & D and has been working in Canada for at least six months.

NTNP Guidelines for Skilled Worker Category

Here's the Northwest Territories Nominee Program guidelines for Skilled Worker.

The NTNP Skilled Worker Category is an employer driven process that is intended for skilled occupations for which formal education and/or specialized training is required (NOC Skills Level O, A and B). It is designed to attract qualified individuals that will assist with shortages of skilled workers in the Northwest Territories (NWT).

Employer Eligibility:

Have a job vacancy;

Identify a potential nominee;

Be a registered business, industry association or a local, municipal, First
Nation or Territorial government in the NWT that has been registered and
operational for a minimum of one year;

Provide proof that they have tried to recruit locally and nationally to fill the
position using national advertising requirements; and,

Obtain a Labour Market Opinion (LMO)

A Human Resources Plan that verifies the need to fill the position with a nominee will be evaluated as an asset to the application. The employer is responsible for completion of the application form and for submission of all required documentation to ECE.

The Offer of Employment must:

Be for a permanent full-time position;

Be in an occupation that falls into NOC Matrix Skill Levels O, A or B

Not conflict with existing collective bargaining agreements;

Comply with the NWT Employment Standards Act; and,

Provide a comparable industry rate of pay.

Nominee Eligibility:

Have the required certification or accreditation for the specific trade or
occupation;

Be licensed or accepted by the Territorial body governing the occupation or trade, if applicable;

Be able to conduct basic communications in either English or French,
depending on the official language of the work place; and,

Not be a refugee claimant.

When submitting an application form, employers should be sure to include the
following documents:

Letter of offer of employment

Proof of attempted local and national recruitment for the position

Labour Market Opinion (LMO)

Original or certified true copy of nominee’s accreditation translated into
English or French

Original or certified true copy confirming nominee’s previous work experience, translated into English or French

Copy of nominee’s temporary work permit (if available or applicable).

Here's where you may get more information, application forms and where to send your NTNP Skilled Worker category application:

Canada/NWT Service Centre
North Slave Region
Education, Culture and Employment
Government of the NWT
Greenstone Building
110, 5101 - 50TH AVE
BOX 1320
YELLOWKNIFE NT X1A 2L9
Ph: (867) 766-5100
Fx: (867) 873-0423

ECE Service Centre
Deh Cho Region
Education, Culture and Employment
Government of the NWT
9802 – 98 Ave
BOX 740
FORT SIMPSON NT XOE ONO
Ph: (867) 695-7332
Fx: (867) 695-7351

ECE Service Centre
Sahtu Region
Education, Culture and Employment
Government of the NWT
BOX 147
NORMAN WELLS NT XOE OVO
Ph: (867) 587-7163
Fx: (867) 587-2612

ECE Service Centre
Beaufort Delta Region
Education, Culture and Employment
Government of the NWT
Mack Travel Building, 2nd Floor
BAG SERVICE #1
INUVIK NT XOE OTO
Ph: (867) 777-7137
Fx: (867) 777-7218

ECE Service Centre
Education, Culture and Employment
Government of the NWT
Courthouse Building
8 CAPITAL DRIVE
HAY RIVER NT XOE 1G2
Ph: (867) 874-5050
Fx: (867) 874-5062

ECE Service Centre
South Slave Region
Education, Culture and Employment
Government of the NWT
Sweetgrass Building
BOX 1406
FORT SMITH NT XOE OPO
Ph: (867) 872-7425
Fx: (867) 872-4507

I'll update this post once the application forms for NTNP Skilled Worker Category are made available online at GNWT Education, Culture and employment website, http://www.ece.gov.nt.ca.

About Northwest Territories (NWT) | Tourism, Climate, Jobs and more

In line with the recently launched Northwest Territories Nominee Program, I think you will be interested to know more information about Northwest Territories - cost of living, job opportunities, climate, etc.

Image from http://www.suresoft.ca

Here are some information about Northwest Territories.

Tourism
The Northwest Territories is a land of contrasts. It is 1.17 million square kilometres of mountains, forests and tundra threaded by wild, clean rivers feeding thousands of pristine lakes. Over 40,000 people live amid this rugged natural beauty.

Nature is in balance here. You can view rare wildlife species, from white wolves to white whales, and see herds of bison, prowling bears, moose and caribou by the thousands.

This is the land where the world's best northern lights dance during the dark winter months and where the sun never sets during the summer. For more information about Northwest Tourism, visit Spectacular Northwest Territories (http://www.spectacularnwt.com)

Climate
Here's NWT Climate information from Wikipedia:

The Northwest Territories reaches for over 1,300,000 square kilometres (500,000 sq mi) so there is a large climate variant from south to north. The southern part of the Territory (most of the mainland portion) has a subarctic climate while the islands and northern coast have a polar climate. Summers in the south are short but warm with daytime high's reaching on average the low 20 °C (68 °F) with overnight lows around 10 °C (50 °F). Winters are long and cold with daytime high's in the −20 °C (−4.0 °F) and lows in the −30 °C (−22.0 °F). Summers in the north are short and cool with daytime highs in the mid teens and lows in the single degrees. Winters are long and harsh, daytime highs in the mid −20 °C (−4.0 °F) and lows around −40 °C (−40.0 °F). Extremes are common with summer highs in the south reaching 36 °C (97 °F) and lows reaching into the negatives. In winter in the south its not uncommon for the temperatures to reach the −40 °C (−40.0 °F)'s but can also reach the low teens during the day. In the north temperatures can reach the low 30 °C (86 °F), and lows can reach into the low negatives. In winter in the north its not uncommon for the temperatures to reach the −50 °C (−58.0 °F) but can also reach the single digits during the day. Thunderstorms are not rare in the south, but in the north they are very rare but do occur. Tornadoes are extremely rare but have happened with the most notable one happening just out side of Yellowknife that destroyed a communications tower. The Territory has a fairly dry climate due to the mountains in the west.

For a more information about NWT climate, visit NWT's Environment and Natural Resources website http://www.enr.gov.nt.ca

Jobs
Mining, government and tourism are the cornerstones of the Northwest Territories economy. http://www.jobsnorth.ca/ is where you will find job vacancies in the Northwest Territories.

Yellow Knife
Aside from being the Capital of Northwest Territories, Yellow Knife is known as the Diamond Capital of North America. The abundance of minerals, oil and gas in the NWT has had dramatic economic impacts on Yellowknife.

Filipinos in Northwest Territories
Based on 2001 Statistics Canada reports, Canadians of Filipino origin made up around 1% of the populations of the Northwest Territories and the Yukon.

For more information about Northwest Territories, visit http://www.gov.nt.ca

NTNP | Entrepreneur and Self-Employed Business Category

By now, you must have already heard about Northwest Territories Nominee Program (NTNP), the latest immigration program announced recently by Immigration Minister Jason Kenny. Here's additional information about NTNP, particularly about the Entrepreneur and Self-Employed Business categories.

The Entrepreneur category provides an opportunity for immigrants who start a business in the Northwest Territories (NWT) to receive permanent residency status.

The self-employed category of the NTNP is designed to attract professionals who can provide a service that is in demand in the NWT by establishing business outlets or professional practices.

The Government of Northwest Territories' Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment is responsible for the Entrepreneur and Self-Employed Business categories of NTNP. For more information about NTNP Entrepreneur and Self-Employed Business categories, you may contact (867) 873-7361 or visit http://www.iti.gov.nt.ca

Update (August 8, 2009): Eligibility Requirements

The Entrepreneur Business Category applicant must:

Invest:

A minimum of $300,000 CDN equity into starting or buying a business within the corporate boundaries of Yellowknife, NWT;

A minimum of $150,000 CDN equity into starting or buying a business outside of the corporate boundaries of Yellowknife, NWT;

Have a personal net worth of:

At least $500,000 CDN if starting or buying a business within the corporate boundaries of Yellowknife, NWT;

At least $250,000 CDN if starting or buying a business outside the corporate boundaries of Yellowknife, NWT;

Have an additional $75,000 kept in a trust account and released upon completion of a Performance Agreement based on a business proposal;

Demonstrate a reasonable knowledge and understanding of NWT and its economy;

Be able to demonstrate reasonable communication skills; and,

Have the necessary experience and education to successfully implement thebusiness plan.

The Self-Employed Business applicant must:

Have a profession that is identified as a professional skill shortage;

Satisfy any certification or accreditation requirements for the particular
profession or occupation;

Be licensed/accepted by the body governing the profession, if any;

Demonstrate reasonable communication skills appropriate to the NWT;

Demonstrate a reasonable knowledge and understanding of the NWT and its
economy;

Demonstrate that they have sufficient financial resources to start and operate
the professional practice and to support themselves and any dependents for a
period of six months; and,

Submit a detailed business plan for the business or practice.

Northwest Territories Nominee Program (NTNP)

The Northwest Territories Nominee Program (NTNP) is the latest addition to Canada's Provincial Nominee Program which aims to address each provinces' labor market needs. This first-ever immigration agreement with Northwest Territories was just signed yesterday, August 5, 2009.

“I am very pleased to announce the very first nominee agreement with the Northwest Territories today,” Minister Kenney said. “This pilot initiative will better extend and strengthen the benefits of immigration for the Northwest Territories and allow it to bring in the immigrants it needs faster. Provincial nominee programs are an important part of our government’s focus on ensuring that our immigration system aligns with labour market needs.[Source]”

Applicants for Northwest Territories Nominee Program (NTNP) can be nominated for permanent residency under one of four program categories:

Skilled Worker

Critical Impact Worker (Service and Hospitality Sector Occupations)

Entrepreneur Business

Self-Employed Business

Considering that Northwest Territories Nominee Program (NTNP) does not include family stream like that of the AINP Family Stream and Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP), you may only qualify under the new program if you will find an employer in Northwest Territories willing to sponsor you. Canada Jobs Portal would be of great help in searching for job vacancies in Northwest Territories.

I'll post the details about the Northwest Territories Nominee Program (NTNP) once it becomes available.