The Government of the Northwest Territories has been forced to backtrack on an announcement it made earlier this week regarding the territories’ immigrant nominee program. The program is set up to help people who want to immigrate to Canada and the NWT find jobs and have an easier path permanent residency.
The GNWT initially announced that it was reopening the program today, Jan. 16. But yesterday, Jan. 15, the Department of Education Culture and Employment (ECE) was told by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada that the nominee allotment for this year has been cut to 150, a 50 per cent reduction from the 300 it allotted last year. The government admits in a news release that it was unaware of the allotment for this year when it issued the earlier news release.
The latest news release states that the reduction changes the landscape of the existing NTNP program and as a result, additional time is needed to re-assess the program to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of NWT residents.
The GNWT states that it acknowledges the various organizations who continue to advocate for successful immigration to the Northwest Territories, and looks forward to further engagement.
The GNWT says it also recognizes that this announcement has inconvenienced and generated uncertainty for potential applicants. It adds it remains committed to re-opening the NTNP program and will communicate a new re-opening date as soon as possible.
Applicants are still encouraged to review the program guidelines and application checklists and begin compiling required information and documentation before the program re-opens. If you have questions, please contact 1 (855) 440-5450 or [email protected], or visit: www.immigratenwt.ca.
