The NWT government says it has asked the new federal immigration minister for permission to help international workers with expiring work permits.
Nova Scotia MP Lena Metlege Diab is Mark Carney’s newly appointed immigration minister.
On Thursday, the GNWT told Cabin Radio it had written to Diab with a list of requests for “urgent review.”
That follows an earlier letter from NWT business groups that sought “immediate federal approval for a two-year extension of work permits for eligible foreign nationals” in the NWT.
At the start of 2025, as part of a broader reduction in immigration numbers, Ottawa cut in half the number of people the territory can accept through its nominee program – a key immigration stream connecting foreign workers to vacancies at northern companies.
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Northern business leaders have for months said vacancies will be tough to fill with so few places available, while workers who could not get one of this year’s few nominee program places on offer may have no option but to leave if their work permits expire.
“There is no question this is an urgent situation,” a spokesperson for Premier RJ Simpson’s cabinet told Cabin Radio by email on Thursday.
“We recognize the workforce pressures facing businesses in multiple sectors. Skilled international workers play a vital role in the Northwest Territories, and we fully understand the consequences that expiring permits could have on services, business operations, and general social and economic stability.
“Our government is actively engaged with federal partners to identify solutions that support the retention of foreign nationals already living and working in the NWT, including a longer term plan around program management.”
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The NWT government is asking Diab to:
- restore the NWT nominee program’s cap to 300 places, which is the number the territory could accept last year before it was cut to 150 for 2025;
- enhance support for settlement services; and
- permit the GNWT “to grant extensions to nominee program foreign nationals, especially those with expiring permits.”
The Yukon and Manitoba recently signed deals to extend foreign workers’ permits for two years while they pursue permanent residency, a comparison NWT business groups have frequently raised, pointing to the lack of any such agreement in the territory. The GNWT said it was “closely following” the actions being taken in those jurisidctions.
“We know that any changes to work permit extensions ultimately require federal approval, hence our engagement with the minister,” the cabinet spokesperson wrote.
“We view immigration as not only a workforce strategy in the North; it is foundational to community stability, national unity, and Canada’s long-term presence in the Arctic.
“Ensuring that northern and remote regions can attract and retain newcomers supports the federal government’s goal of building one Canadian economy and reflects the need for inclusive and balanced population growth.”
