Yukon Nominee Program paused after receiving nearly 600 applications

The Yukon government is temporarily pausing the Yukon Nominee Program.

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

On Thursday, the government announced the program is already full for 2024.

The government has received 590 applications since January. Only 107 of those have been processed. The remaining 483 can expect a three month wait for approval.

The program will resume in 2025. Businesses in communities are exempt from the pause.

The territory's annual allocation is 430 nominees per year. That is set by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Premier Ranj Pillai said he won't be requesting an increase.

"We're trying to be really respectful to the public service [and] let them work on the applications they have," Pillai said.

Even if the administrative capacity was there, Pillai said there are other considerations. Population growth is already taking a toll on the territory's infrastructure.

"The tough part about this is that we have to make sure we don't exacerbate pressures on housing and health care," Pillai said.

Post-pandemic, the nominee program helped many Whitehorse businesses keep their doors open during the national labour shortage. Pillai said many businesses in the retail and hospitality sectors still rely on the program. However, the staffing crisis is mostly resolved.

Pillai said the pause could be an opportunity to review the nominee program. It's been criticized in the past for enabling employers to mistreat and underpay nominee employees. He said the government is working on a larger immigration strategy.

"We have to make sure employees are absolutely respected in their work," Pillai said. "As we go forward, it is a chance to really look at what we're doing."

Businesses could face difficulties without nominees: chamber

Luke Pantin, executive director of the Yukon Chamber of Commerce, says the program pause is going to be disruptive for businesses.

"There are many good things about the program," Pantin said. "Employers who rely on this program to fill the shortages are going to face difficulties."

Pantin also said that the pause could affect public perception of the program's reliability and stability outside of the territory.

While Pantin conceded that there are real barriers to keeping the program running, he wishes the government would consult with the chamber on labour issues and work toward expediting solutions. He suggested a task force could work to strategically address shortages.

"It's like the dog chasing the tail, one thing is triggering a delay in another area," Pantin said.