Canada’s Northwest Territories Raises 2026 Nominee Allocation to 350

Key takeaways

• The Northwest Territories’ 2026 nomination allocation has increased from 300 to 350.
• An additional Employer-Driven Stream EOI draw is scheduled for November 18, 2026.
• EOI profiles must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Northwest Territories Time on November 17.

The Northwest Territories Nominee Program (NTNP) says candidates selected in the upcoming draw “should be prepared to submit a completed application within one week of receiving an invitation to apply”. According to CIC News, the federal government has approved an additional 50 nominations for 2026, increasing the territory’s annual quota to 350 spaces.

"should be prepared to submit a completed application within one week of receiving an invitation to apply" — Territories Nominee

What increased for the Northwest Territories in 2026?

The NTNP’s allocation began at 197 nominations for 2026 and was expanded to 300 in August. The additional 50 places announced by the Government of the Northwest Territories on November 10 bring the total to 350, an all-time high for the territory’s annual allocation.

The increase is the second federal adjustment to the 2026 allocation. The territory’s 2026 allocation is now 50 spaces higher than its year-end total of 300 nominations in 2025. Cabin Radio reported that the territory had initially received 197 places, moved to 300 in August and then reached 350 after the latest announcement.

The NTNP’s Francophone Stream and Business Stream continue to operate under their existing first-come, first-served intake model. The additional capacity relates to the Employer-Driven Stream, which uses an Expression of Interest (EOI) selection system introduced in February 2026 in response to high application demand.

How does the Employer-Driven Stream select candidates?

Candidates and their employers must first complete several steps:

• The candidate obtains a qualifying job offer.
• The employer and candidate verify that they meet the stream’s eligibility criteria.
• The employer registers an account for the candidate in the NTNP online portal and selects the Employer-Driven Stream.
• The candidate submits an EOI profile using the employer’s login credentials and receives a score.
• The NTNP assesses the profiles and selects the highest-ranking candidates through periodic draws.

The scoring system assesses three areas: skills and experience, worth a maximum of 375 points; connections to the Northwest Territories, worth a maximum of 340 points; and ability to settle in the territory, worth a maximum of 130 points. The factors include age, education, language proficiency, work experience, employment status, trades-related job offers, family ties and previous post-secondary education in the territory.

Employers whose candidates are selected receive invitations to submit complete applications for territorial nomination. Those applications have a 30-day deadline, although candidates selected in the November draw are being asked to prepare a completed application within one week of receiving an invitation to apply.

What are the deadlines for the November draw?

The additional EOI draw is scheduled for November 18, 2026. Foreign nationals who want to be considered must submit their EOI profiles by 11:59 p.m. Northwest Territories Time on November 17. With this selection round added, the NTNP is expected to conduct five Employer-Driven Stream draws during 2026.

The territory said the draw would be the fifth of the year. The previous rounds were held on March 25, June 25 and August 26. The two sources differ on the date of the fourth round: CIC News lists September 25, while Cabin Radio lists September 22.

According to CIC News, the four previous 2026 draws resulted in 353 workers being invited to pursue territorial nomination under the Employer-Driven Stream.

What should applicants track next?

The NTNP said selection rounds for 2027 would be announced once the territory receives its federal nomination allocation. It has not disclosed how many nominations it issued during 2026 to date. The immediate deadlines for the additional 2026 draw are the November 17 EOI deadline and the November 18 selection date, followed by the request that shortlisted employers prepare complete applications within one week of invitation.

Readers comparing residency and citizenship routes can also review our reporting on Canada’s citizenship-file changes, Latvia’s residence-permit investigation and Barbados’s $5 million investment route.

Sources

• Canada boosts Northwest Territories immigration to historic high — cicnews.com, 2026-11-11
• NWT gets 50 more nominee program spots, adds ... — cabinradio.ca, 2026-11-11