ECONOMY, ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Commitment 1.1.7 – In collaboration with the federal government, we will increase the number of immigrants working in the NWT and increase investment by immigrants. We will implement an immigration strategy that prioritizes streamlining application processes, increasing awareness of immigration programs, and consolidating our administrative supports.

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE) and the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment (ITI) are implementing a five-year NWT Immigration Strategy. ECE and ITI released the NWT Immigration Strategy in June 2017 (milestone 2).

The Immigration Strategy fulfills the GNWT Mandate of the 18th Legislative Assembly and an action item of the S4S 4-Year Action Plan. ECE, in partnership with ITI, held facilitated stakeholder engagements during September and October 2016. Stakeholder engagement consisted of direct one-on-one engagement and one focus group in each region. In addition, a survey was promoted to stakeholders to provide the opportunity to review the questions and provide feedback, and an engagement report was prepared by a contractor. Following the engagement, ECE, in partnership with ITI, finalized the Immigration Strategy.

The Strategy includes an Action Plan that will focus on five goals:

• Attract foreign nationals to the NWT whose skills are aligned with current workforce needs;
• Attract foreign investment, through the establishment or purchase of a business by a foreign national, to benefit the economy;
• Support and be responsive to settlement and integration needs;
• Support the workforce by educating foreign nationals and NWT employers on rights and responsibilities; and
• Consolidate administrative efforts between the Departments of Education, Culture and Employment and Industry Tourism and Investment.

The Immigration Strategy supports the promotion of the Northwest Territories Nominee Program (NTNP) to attract skilled foreign nationals improving stakeholder partnerships and safeguarding employment opportunities for NWT residents. The Strategy will address labour market gaps and skills shortages by:

• Supporting population growth objectives of the GNWT and attracting foreign nationals whose skills are aligned with current workforce needs to the NWT;
• Diversifying and increasing investment by foreign nationals through the Business Driven stream; and
• Improving partnerships with immigration stakeholders to ensure immigration in the NWT is inclusive and responsive to the needs of Northern Employers.

The Northwest Territories Nominee Program (NTNP) is an immigration program delivered by the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) under to an agreement with the federal governments department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). It allows the GNWT to nominate foreign nationals to apply for Canadian permanent residency. ECE is the lead on the NTNP, though responsibility is shared with ITI.

ECE is responsible for administering the Employer Driven stream, designed to support employers to recruit and retain foreign nationals who possess the skills and experience required by the employer and who meet program eligibility criteria, when there are no qualified Canadians or permanent residents available.

ECE implemented a comprehensive communications strategy in 2016 to promote the Nominee Program to target audiences at the local, national and international level to increase the uptake of the Nominee Program (milestone 1). The Nominee Program has a new visual identity, and the www.immigratenwt.ca website has been enhanced.

The Employer Driven Program is comprised of three streams:

• Critical Impact Workers;
• Skilled Workers; and
• NWT Express Entry.

Improvements to delivery since 2014 include:

• introducing services standards and consolidating program delivery;
• refining website content to provide clear, concise and timely information;
• launched a 1-800 toll free information line for NWT employers;
• revised program guidelines and processes; and,
• visits to regional centers to promote the program.

Participation in the NWT Nominee Programs employer driven streams continues to increase. In 2016, 128 nominees and their dependents were approved. Since 2009, 644 nominees and their dependents have been approved. The Department of ECE has exceeded its target of a 25% increase annually in 2014, 2015 and 2016.

Industry, Tourism and Investment (ITI) is responsible for administering the Business Driven stream of the NTNP which is designed to support entrepreneurs with business expertise who want to immigrate to the NWT to either purchase, start or invest in a business in the NWT.

As part of its work to increase the number of immigrants working and investing in the NWT, the GNWT is pursuing the Business Stream of the Northwest Territories Nominee Program, led by ITI, which is designed to attract entrepreneurs with business expertise and investment capital to settle in the NWT and enhance the economic environment of the NWT by purchasing, starting or investing in a local business.

Awareness of, and applications to, the Business Driven stream continues to increase. The first applicant arrived in Yellowknife in August 2016 with his family and purchased a business. The second approved applicant has also arrived in Yellowknife and her business is operational. A third applicant has been approved.

The NTNP Business Driven stream receives a number of inquiries every week from interested applicants and consultants. Work is underway to further streamline and promote the program.

The program guidelines were updated in January of 2017 to make them more user-friendly while clarifying program requirements in line with the Federal Government requirements. A promotional brochure and materials have been developed for the NTNP Business Driven stream and distributed to consultants that work with the program. Brochures are currently in English, French and Mandarin.

ITI is in the process of developing a Marketing Plan specific to the Business stream in order to determine how to best target efforts and resources and identify the top markets for the best chance at success.

A “Newcomers Guide to doing Business in the NWT” guide is also being developed. The guide is meant to be distributed to business stream applicants once they have been approved for their two-year temporary work permit. It is a pre-arrival tool to help an applicant feel better prepared to navigate operating a business in a foreign country.

Related Mandate Commitments:

Commitment 1.1.5 - We will get more 18-24 year olds into the labour market by removing barriers to employment, using a better mix of improved educational attainment and skill development, while matching skills with employer needs through improved career development supports.