Yukon government employee battles to take part in nominee program

A man hoping to apply to the Yukon Nominee Program says he's faced endless roadblocks trying to confirm if his employer — the Yukon government — can support him. 

The Yukon Nominee Program is designed to help fill labour shortages by expediting the permanent residency process for foreign nationals. 

Thahaseem Kadankandagath says he's now spent five months trying to initiate an application. 

"I never expected that [delay] ... it's an overwhelming feeling for me," he said. 

Kadankandagath, from India, moved to Vancouver last year on a temporary work permit.

He then decided the North could offer better long-term prospects.

"I aspire to become a permanent resident, so that aspiration brought me here to Yukon," he explained.

Thahaseem Kadankandagath moved to the Yukon hoping to avoid permanent residency backlogs elsewhere in Canada. But he didn't get very far in an attempt to apply for the Yukon Nominee Program. (Submitted by Thahaseem Kadankandagath)

Kadankandagath said permanent residency programs are backlogged across much of the country.

Late last year, a report by the auditor general of Canada found processing times were averaging 11 to 22 months.

"The Yukon and Yellowknife are the only potential places in Canada left for people like us [seeking permanent residency]," Kadankandagath said.

In November, he took a managerial position with the Yukon government in a small community.

He intended to start an application to the Yukon Nominee Program immediately.

"However, my director told me, 'We are not participating in the program," he said.

"They were very clear about this."

Kadankandagath said that took him by surprise.

He found a Yukon Nominee Program policy document from 2021 which lists the criteria employers have to meet to submit an application.

It says they must show proof that they've tried to hire local or Canadian citizens for the position before offering it to a foreign worker — and they have to comply with a series of standards around wages and duration of employment.

The document also indicates the employer can be a municipal, First Nation or territorial government.

Kadankandagath was confident his role would tick all the boxes — and didn't understand why the territorial government wouldn't be participating.

He approached his union, and then the Public Service Commission, but he said neither could help.

"But still I didn't give up hope," he said.

He eventually began reaching out to MLAs.

This month, Yukon NDP Leader Kate White took his questions all the way to the top.

"I'm trying to understand if the territorial government is able to have nominees," she asked Premier Ranj Pillai in committee of the whole in the Legislative Assembly.

The premier's answer — to Kadankandagath's relief —  was: "Yes, we are."

Frustrated by the hurdles

With that information, Kadankandagath said he hopes to take another crack at applying.

But the to-ing and-fro-ing had taken five months already, he said.

In the meantime, he said he took a second job in the hope that that employer would help him apply for the Yukon Nominee Program.

He expects many more months of paperwork and criteria checking before he knows if he'll become a permanent resident.

Kadankandagath said he's frustrated his HR manager and director didn't have enough clear-cut information to help him apply.

"There should be someone dedicated to do this particular job on behalf of Yukon government or the Public Service Commission ... and they should be trained," he said.

White said Kadankandagath shouldn't have had to put in so much legwork.

"One would think that you shouldn't have to reach out to a politician to try to get clarity on a program that is very publicly available, right?" she said.

White said the Yukon Nominee Program isn't user-friendly for either employers or nominees.

"If you think about how many people have come to Canada, and come to the Yukon through the nominee program, each of those people have faced barriers. And that's the really challenging part. Leaving your home country to take the risk on somewhere new is a big step to start off with."

Yukon NDP leader Kate White speaking to reporters on Oct. 6, 2022. On behalf of Thahaseem Kadankandagath, she sought clarification from the premier about whether the Yukon government's employees can be eligible for the Yukon Nominee Program. (Vincent Bonnay/Radio-Canada)

In a written response to CBC Yukon, a Yukon government spokesperson said people looking to access the nominee program can find information online and in-person.

"Immigration staff assist employers and potential nominees with the application process, hold regular information sessions and host public drop-in hours once a week."

Asked how people can find out if there employer is partaking, they said, " Any employer can participate if they meet the eligibility criteria."

"Foreign nationals looking to use the program should connect with hiring employers through traditional recruitment efforts."