Yukon’s Nominee Program Receives a 67 Nomination Boost for 2025

Key takeaways 

• Yukon has secured 67 additional allocations, bringing the 2025 YNP total to 282 nominations. 

• The increase follows the territory’s advocacy to IRCC on behalf of local employers. 

• Employers selected through the Expression of Interest (EOI) intake may now receive invitations to apply. 

• Just over 500 EOIs were submitted in April 2025, with nearly 400 aligning with Yukon’s immigration priorities. 

• Ten spots remain reserved for regulated healthcare roles until September 30, 2025. 

Why the extra YNP allocations matter 

In January 2025, IRCC informed Yukon that its nominee allocations for the year would be reduced by half, from more than 400 to only 215. This sharp reduction raised concerns among Yukon employers who rely on the YNP to hire and retain foreign workers. 

With this month’s announcement, the allocation has risen to 282 — still lower than historic levels, but significantly better than the initial allocation. According to the Government of Yukon, the additional allocations are the direct result of ongoing advocacy efforts aimed at ensuring the program can continue meeting employer needs. 

Expression of Interest intake and invitations 

The extra allocations mean that more employers who submitted an Expression of Interest (EOI) in April 2025 will be invited to apply in the coming weeks. During that intake, employers provided details about the foreign workers they wished to nominate. 

You can learn more about the Yukon’s territorial immigration pathways.

Invitations will now go to employers whose candidates fell within one or more of the following priority groups as of April 22, 2025, when the intake closed: 

• Foreign nationals who have lived and worked in the Yukon for at least one year 

• Yukon University graduates 

• Francophone or French-speaking candidates 

• Recipients of a Temporary Measure Letter of Support, as indicated by employers. 

Of the more than 500 EOIs submitted, nearly 400 matched one of these priorities, showing that there’s extremely high competition for the nominations this year – in fact some people working in these priority groups will miss out this year.  

Additionally, the program has confirmed it will not run rolling assessments for candidates who may later become eligible — decisions are based only on eligibility as of the intake deadline. 

Special allocation for healthcare 

YNP has also set aside 10 nominations for regulated healthcare positions until September 30, 2025. Employers with eligible healthcare roles can apply at any time, outside the EOI process. If these spots are not used by the deadline, they will be redistributed to the broader pool. 

Context: recent YNP activity 

Between May 23 and May 27, 2025, the Government of Yukon issued 153 invitations to apply. These included: 

• 19 invitations for 2024 Temporary Measure Letter of Support recipients 

• 54 invitations for 2025 Temporary Measure Letter of Support recipients 

• 78 invitations for other priority candidates 

• 2 invitations for regulated healthcare positions. 

Since then, 10 applications were withdrawn by employers and three by the department, creating room for reissuing 13 additional invitations. With this adjustment and the 67 new allocations from IRCC, Yukon is now preparing to issue 80 new invitations to apply. 

Looking ahead 

With Yukon continuing to experience strong demand for workers — and still holding low unemployment rates compared to many other provinces and territories across Canada — these additional YNP allocations will provide important relief for employers while opening more doors for foreign nationals hoping to make Yukon their permanent home. 

You can read the Yukon government’s announcement for more details.