Apply to hire a foreign worker through the Yukon Community Program

The Yukon Community Program was part of the Yukon Nominee Program.

Pilot program update

As per the agreement with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, the Yukon Community Program pilot has ended as of June 30, 2025. The Government of Yukon is working with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to assess the success of the pilot and to determine next steps. We will continue to seek opportunities to support employers in the Yukon moving forward. 

What was the Yukon Community Program?

This program gave flexibility to employers in Yukon communities. Employers could offer a foreign worker a combination of jobs that added up to 1 full-time position. Full-time means 1,560 hours of work a year. You could create a full-time position by:

• combining up to 3 positions within your business; or
• partnering with up to 2 other employers.

These could be part-time or seasonal positions.

We use the National Occupational Classification (NOC) system to categorize jobs based on their training, education, experience and responsibilities (TEER). Nominees in this program could work in any TEER category. The foreign national must have met the minimum:

• work experience;
• education; and
• language requirements for the highest TEER position on the application.

Eligible communities

The Yukon Community Program was for businesses in:

• Carcross;
• Carmacks;
• Dawson City;
• Haines Junction; and
• Watson Lake.

We considered applications from Whitehorse employers if they could not provide full-time hours.

Who could apply?

Only employers could apply.

This program was for employers who:

• could not find a qualified Canadian citizen or permanent resident to fill a position;
• operated small or medium-sized businesses in an eligible Yukon community; and
• would not otherwise have qualified for the Yukon Nominee Program.

Who could not apply?

Foreign nationals could not apply. We only accepted applications from employers.

Eligibility

All employers must have:

• been Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada;
• operated their business for at least 1 year; and
• had their business registered with:
  • Yukon Corporate Registry; or
  • Federal Registry.

Employer requirements

As an employer, you must have:

• verified the foreign national’s work experience and qualifications before you submitted your application;
• attended a screening interview with the foreign national and the Immigration Branch, if requested;
• paid the nominee’s air travel costs to travel to the Yukon from their place of permanent residence, if they were not currently in the Yukon;
• paid the nominee at least the Yukon median wage for the relevant NOC;
• provided free health insurance to the nominee until they were eligible under the Health Care Insurance Plan Act; and
• paid for the nominee’s return air travel costs if the nominee:
  • did not get permanent residency; or
  • was no longer participating in the Yukon Nominee Program.

You could not:

• charge the worker any fees for the application; or
• recover any costs from them.

Foreign national requirements

The foreign national must have:

• had a job offer from Yukon employer(s) that equaled a full-time position;
• intended to permanently live in the Yukon;
• had at least a high school diploma;
• met the education requirements for the applicable TEER;
• had at least:
  • 6 months relevant work experience for:
    • TEER 4 and 5 positions; or
  • 12 months relevant work experience for:
    • TEER 0, 1, 2 and 3 positions;
• met the Canadian Language Benchmark:
  • Level 4 for:
    • TEER 4 and 5 positions;
  • Level 5 for:
    • TEER 2 and 3 positions;
  • Level 6 for:
    • TEER 0 and 1 positions;
• completed all the requirements for their academic program before applying if they were in Canada on a student visa; and
• maintained legal status throughout the Yukon Nominee Program application and assessment process if they were already in Canada.

Community support letter

Employers provided a community support letter showing how the job was filling a critical labour market need. Employers from communities outside Whitehorse needed to have a letter from:

• the mayor;
• city council;
• local chamber of commerce; or
• the Yukon Chamber of Commerce.

Employers in Whitehorse need to have a letter from the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce.

Community mentor letter

Employers were required to designate a community host or mentor to help the nominee settle in the community. This person:

• introduced the nominee to community members;
• encouraged them to get involved;
• met regularly with the nominee; and
• reported any concerns or developments.

The employer provided a community mentor letter outlining:

• the mentor or hosts name;
• a housing plan for the nominee;
• travel arrangements, including picking the worker up at the airport, if needed; and
• plans to help the nominee settle in the community. This included:
  • getting healthcare;
  • getting a social insurance number;
  • schooling plans for any accompanying family; and
  • other personal arrangements.

Supporting documents from the employer

All employers were required to submit a:

• copy of their business license;
• copy of their registration with the:
  • Yukon Corporate Registry; or
  • Federal Registry;
• community support letter;
• community mentor letter; and
• completed Use of a Representative form, if applicable.

Supporting documents from the foreign national

The foreign national was required to provide:

• original language test results from a designated testing organization. The results must have been less than 2 years old when you applied;
• employment records confirming their previous employment;
• proof of education, including:
  • high school diploma; and
  • certificates, degrees or diplomas required for the position;
• valid and notarized copies of their:
  • passport;
  • temporary resident documents, if applicable;
  • spouse’s passport;
  • marriage or divorce certificate, if applicable;
  • common law partner’s passport and supporting documents;
  • dependents’ passport, birth certificate, and custody papers, if applicable.

All supporting documents must be certified, true copies. If you include any translated documents, other than English or French, you must include a certified translation.

Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of both the employer and the foreign national to stay informed of all official updates, alerts, announcements and new developments.

Hiring a representative

You did not need to hire an immigration representative or consultant to apply. For any stream of the Yukon Nominee Program, it is your choice to hire a representative or apply on your own.

How to apply

The Yukon Community Program pilot is now closed. Learn about other Yukon Nominee Program streams for which you may be eligible.