Yukon Community Pilot – Open work permits (R205(a) - A75): International Mobility Program

These instructions apply to IRCC employees. Since applicants cannot submit their applications at a port of entry, the instructions do not apply to border services officers.

The Yukon Community Pilot (YCP) is a federal–territorial permanent resident stream with a work permit component. The pilot was started by the Government of Yukon in January 2020. The goal of this pilot is to attract and retain immigrants in Yukon communities by testing innovative approaches to permanent immigration.

Facilitating entry with the issuance of open work permits under the International Mobility Program (IMP) supports paragraph 3(1)(e) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) by encouraging the settlement and retention of workers in Canadian communities.

A person who has a valid nomination from Yukon for permanent residence and 2 or 3 job offers from up to 3 employers based in a participating Yukon territory community may be issued a location-specific open work permit without requiring a labour market impact assessment (LMIA). For the purposes of this pilot, foreign nationals may be issued a work permit under paragraph 205(a) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR) (LMIA exemption code A75).

On this page

• Pilot parameters
  • Eligible work locations
  • Interim measures for work permits
  • Employer eligibility
  • Foreign worker eligibility
• Required documents
• Work permit duration
• Work permit processing
• Work permit extension
• Work permit issuance in the Global Case Management System (GCMS)
• Work permits for spouses or common-law partners

Pilot parameters

The pilot will run for 5 years, from January 22, 2020, to June 22, 2025.

Yukon, along with IRCC, will monitor and evaluate the pilot over time to assess the

• effectiveness and efficiency of its implementation
• overall impact on Yukon’s labour market

Yukon undertakes integrity activities to ensure the employers are meeting the terms of their job offers with the foreign national (that is, wages, duties and working conditions).

Yukon will report on a performance measurement strategy with a focus on retention.

Eligible work locations

The participating communities are

• Carcross
• Carmacks
• Dawson City
• Haines Junction
• Watson Lake
• Whitehorse

All of the job offers for each foreign national must be located within the same community, although they may be for either the same employer or different employers. Each job offer should reflect work in a single National Occupational Classification (NOC). For example, someone working part-time as a hotel receptionist and part-time as a server in the hotel bar should have 2 job offers, even though the employer is the same for both.

Officers may use discretion in determining if the work locations are reasonably within the community boundaries.

Interim measures for work permits

This is a pilot stream under the Provincial/Territorial Nominee Program, and it will be in place until the territorial annex is renegotiated and amended. Work permits under this stream must be issued under LMIA exemption code A75 with special program code YUKONCP.

Employer eligibility

Yukon must provide a nomination to a foreign national with 2 to 3 part-time job offers from up to 3 employers, ensuring the foreign national will accumulate 1,560 hours in a single year (equivalent to annual full-time work).

If an employer should leave the agreement because they can no longer provide adequate work, Yukon must help the foreign national to find new employment to maintain full-time, year-round work.

Foreign worker eligibility

To be eligible for the YCP work permit stream, foreign nationals must

• be destined to a job location in a participating community in Yukon
• have 2 to 3 job offers with up to 3 employers that will allow them to accumulate 1,560 hours in a single year (equivalent to annual full-time work), within the same participating Yukon community

Required documents

Foreign nationals destined to work in Yukon must submit their work permit application online for a 2-year open work permit restricted by location under subsection R205(a), LMIA exemption code A75.

Applications must include the following documents:

• a copy of the nomination letter from Yukon that confirms that the foreign national has been nominated for permanent residence by Yukon
  
  Note: This letter does not have to be valid at the time of the work permit application, but if the nomination is expired, the application must include a copy of the acknowledgement of receipt letter confirming that IRCC received the permanent residence application while the nomination was still valid.
• a statement from Yukon that it has determined that all factors required for the issuance of a work permit under paragraph R205(a) as per its agreement with Canada have been met, identifying the occupations and employers’ information. The required factors include:
  • that the nominated individual is urgently required in the community by the employers who have made the foreign national a job offer
    
    Note: Self-employed persons are not eligible for this type of work permit, given the lack of employer–employee relationship.
  • a list of the names of the employers, the intended occupation for each employer, the number of hours for each employer and the location of work
  • that the job offers are all genuine and will create economic benefits or opportunities
  • that the wages and working conditions of the employment would be sufficient to attract and retain Canadian citizens

Applications that do not include the requested information will be refused.

Work permit duration

Officers may issue an open work permit with a mandatory condition restricting the location to the participating community that is valid for 2 years from the date of decision or date of entry to Canada or until the expiry of the travel document, whichever comes first.

If the passport expires before the end of the 2-year period, thereby limiting the initial YCP work permit validity, the foreign national may apply for the balance of the 2 years by submitting an application for a work permit extension after obtaining a new passport. The applicant must prove that they still meet the eligibility requirements.

Work permit processing

It is mandatory that the work permit application be submitted electronically. Foreign nationals may not apply for the YCP work permit at a port of entry.

The work permit application will be processed in the IRCC Vancouver office. The Government of Yukon should send the work permit support letter by email to both the applicant and IRCC Vancouver. IRCC Vancouver can then search by name for the pending electronic work permit application and process it.

Work permit extension

In some rare situations, the application for permanent residence may take more than 2 years to be processed. Applicants to the YCP are not eligible for a bridging open work permit (BOWP). Applicants who require additional time in Canada while their application for permanent residence is being processed may apply to extend their work permit. If the permanent residence application is refused or if the nomination is withdrawn, the applicant may not extend their work permit.

Work permit issuance in the Global Case Management System (GCMS)

Officers should ensure the information on the work permit is accurate and complete.

The principal applicant’s work permit must indicate the location of work as one of the communities participating in this pilot.

On the Application screen, officers must confirm the following:

User remarks

Officers must include the following condition in the work permit under user remarks:

• “May not engage in employment outside of the community in the Yukon territory as stated within the statement of support from Yukon.”

Work permits for family members

If the principal applicant is employed in at least 1 position in any Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities (TEER) category, family members are eligible to apply for an open work permit restricted by location.

• If the principal applicant is employed in TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3: R205(c)(ii) [Administrative Code C41/C46] if the principal applicant is high-skilled worker
• If principal applicant is employed in TEER 4 or 5: R205(c)(ii) [Administrative Code C47/C48] if the principal applicant is low-skilled worker

This work permit should include a location restriction to the community where the principal applicant works. The family member’s work permit must always be restricted to the same community as the principal applicant’s job location and should not be amended.

The open work permit for the family member should have a validity that matches the principal applicant’s, up to a maximum of 2 years or until the expiry of the passport or travel document, whichever is earlier.