Allocation restored to 300, matching the final totals for 2024 and 2025
In an official announcement issued August 7, the Government of the Northwest Territories said the NTNP had received 103 additional nomination spaces, raising its 2026 allocation from 197 to 300. This matches the territory's final annual allocations for both 2024 and 2025.
The Northwest Territories used all 300 of its nomination spaces for the first time in 2024. At the beginning of 2025, its annual allocation was reduced from 300 to 150. It was subsequently increased by 47 spaces to 197, then by another 103 spaces, restoring the total to 300. The territory initially received 197 spaces for 2026 and has now returned to an allocation of 300 following the latest increase.
The GNWT said the restoration of 300 spaces reflects the territorial government's continued advocacy to ensure that the Northwest Territories' unique labour market needs and immigration priorities are reflected in its allocation.
At the national level, the federal government previously reduced the 2025 Provincial Nominee Program admissions target to 55,000, then raised the 2026 target to 91,500 under the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan. However, the national admissions target includes principal applicants and their accompanying family members, while the nomination spaces allocated to provinces and territories are measured differently. The two figures are therefore not directly comparable.
Additional draw set for August 26, bringing 2026 total to four
With the additional allocation in place, the Employer-Driven Stream will hold four EOI draws in 2026. The first two took place on March 25 and June 25, while the remaining rounds are scheduled for August 26 and September 25.
The upcoming key dates are:
- August 17 at 5:00 p.m.: Registration deadline for the first information session;
- August 18 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.: First online information session;
- August 19 at 12:00 p.m.: Registration deadline for the second information session;
- August 20 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.: Second online information session;
- August 24: EOI profile submission deadline for the additional draw;
- August 26: Additional Employer-Driven Stream EOI draw;
- September 22: EOI pool submission deadline for the final draw of the year;
- September 25: Final draw of the year.
Both information sessions will be held via Zoom for foreign nationals and employers seeking more information about the application process. French interpretation will be available. Those interested in attending can email [email protected] to request the meeting link.
August 24 is the deadline to submit an EOI profile, not a complete nomination application. Under the NTNP process, the employer must first register an account, after which the candidate completes the EOI through the account created by the employer. A complete nomination application can be submitted by the employer only after an invitation is issued in a draw.
The Francophone Stream and Business Stream do not use EOI draws and will continue to accept applications on a first-come, first-served basis.
First two draws issued 144 invitations, with NWT Express Entry accounting for half
The NTNP published the following results for the first two Employer-Driven Stream draws of 2026:
| Draw date | Invitations issued | Pathway breakdown | Location breakdown | Score range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 25 | 65 | NWT Express Entry: 32; Skilled Worker: 20; Entry Level/Semi-Skilled: 13 | Yellowknife: 37; Other communities: 28 | 417–597 |
| June 25 | 79 | NWT Express Entry: 40; Skilled Worker: 20; Entry Level/Semi-Skilled: 19 | Yellowknife: 52; Other communities: 27 | 386–590 |
The two rounds issued a combined 144 invitations. NWT Express Entry received 72 of them—exactly 50% of the total—and was the pathway that received the most invitations in both draws.
The second draw issued 14 more invitations than the first, an increase of approximately 21.5%. The lowest score among invited candidates fell from 417 to 386. However, the score in each round depends on the composition and ranking of the candidate pool and should not be used to predict the cut-off score for a future draw.
By location, 89 invitations across the two draws went to candidates in Yellowknife, accounting for 61.8% of the total. The remaining 55 went to candidates in communities outside Yellowknife.
How the Employer-Driven Stream selects candidates through EOI
The GNWT announced a new EOI selection system for the Employer-Driven Stream in February 2026, and the program opened on March 9. The system is used to score and rank candidates when application demand exceeds the number of available nomination spaces.
EOI profiles are scored out of a maximum of 845 points across three categories:
- Human capital, maximum 375 points: Language proficiency, age, work experience and education;
- Northwest Territories labour market connections, maximum 340 points: Occupational level, a job offer in an eligible skilled trade, employment outside Yellowknife, work experience in the territory and an employer-specific work permit;
- Adaptability in the Northwest Territories, maximum 130 points: Post-secondary education completed in the territory and qualifying immediate family connections.
The main steps in the process are:
- The candidate obtains an eligible job offer from an employer in the Northwest Territories;
- The employer and candidate confirm that they both meet the Employer-Driven Stream requirements;
- The employer registers in the NTNP online portal, creates an account for the candidate and selects the appropriate pathway;
- The candidate uses the account to complete and submit an EOI profile;
- The NTNP reviews, scores and ranks the profiles, then uses periodic draws to invite the employers supporting the highest-scoring candidates to submit complete applications;
- Invited employers must complete the nomination application within 30 calendar days;
- Once the territorial nomination is approved, the candidate can apply to the federal government for permanent residence. If the federal application is approved, the applicant receives a Confirmation of Permanent Residence document.
An EOI is not a formal nomination application, nor does it guarantee that a candidate will receive an invitation or nomination. Each candidate may have only one active EOI profile, which remains valid for 12 months from the date of submission. Detailed scoring information and draw results are available on the official NTNP EOI page.
It is important to note that 300 is the NTNP's annual nomination allocation; it does not mean that 300 invitations will be issued on August 26. EOI invitations, territorial nominations and federal permanent residence approvals are separate stages and should be counted independently.
