The Northwest Territories has received another 50 spots in its nominee program for 2026. The territory says it will hold an additional application draw next week.
The GNWT said on Tuesday that Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada had increased the territory’s allocation from 300 to 350.
An additional expression of interest draw for the Employer-Driven Stream is scheduled for November 18. Profiles must be submitted by 11:59pm NWT time on November 17 to be considered.
The draw will be the fifth of the year. Previous rounds were held on March 25, June 25, August 26 and September 22, the GNWT stated.
Under the expression of interest system, candidates are ranked by score, with employers of the highest-ranking candidates invited to submit applications.
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Employers selected in the November draw should be prepared to submit completed applications within one week of receiving an invitation.
The territory’s allocation has changed several times over the past two years as Ottawa has adjusted the number of nominations available to the NWT.
For 2026, the federal government initially allocated 197 spots to the territory. That number increased to 300 in August. Tuesday’s announcement brings the total to 350, which the territorial government described as the highest allocation the NWT has received.
The increase follows a period of uncertainty for the program in 2025, when Ottawa initially cut the NWT’s allocation from 300 to 150 spots. The territory later received additional spaces, eventually bringing its 2025 allocation back to 300.
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The nominee program allows the territorial government to nominate foreign nationals for Canadian permanent residency if they intend to live and work in the NWT and meet local labour market needs.
It has three streams: Employer-Driven, Francophone and Business. The expression of interest system applies to the Employer-Driven Stream, while the Francophone and Business streams accept applications on a first-come, first-served basis.
The GNWT says demand for the program continues to exceed the number of available nomination spaces.
Further details about the expression of interest system, including results from previous draws, are available on the GNWT’s immigration website.
