Immigrate to Nunavut: Federal Routes, Jobs and Life in the Arctic

Nunavut is Canada's newest and largest territory, created in 1999 in the eastern Arctic. Inuit make up the large majority of the population, and Inuit language and culture shape daily life, government, and the workplace. The territory has 25 communities spread across a huge area. None are connected to southern Canada by road, so people and goods arrive by plane, and heavy goods come by sealift ship in summer.

People who move to Nunavut usually come for a specific job: nursing, teaching, government, construction, or mining. Many find the work meaningful and the communities welcoming, with a strong outdoor culture. The trade-offs are serious: long, dark, very cold winters, few housing options, high prices, and limited services in smaller communities.

If you are thinking about Nunavut, plan around a job offer first. Many employers, including the Government of Nunavut for some positions, help with housing because the rental market is so small.

No. Every other province and territory except Quebec runs a nominee program under the federal Provincial Nominee Program, and Quebec has its own selection system. Nunavut does not have one, so it receives no nomination allocation and cannot nominate anyone for permanent residence.

This means:

• There is no Nunavut stream, points grid, or Expression of Interest to enter.
• Your permanent residence will come from a federal program or family sponsorship.
• A nomination from another province requires a genuine intention to live in that province. After you become a permanent resident you may live anywhere in Canada, but if you apply for another province's nomination with no real plan to live there, the province or Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) can refuse you.

Nunavut is also not part of the Rural Community Immigration Pilot, the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot, or the Atlantic Immigration Program.

Other options include the IEC working holiday for eligible young people, intra-company transfers, and a study permit if your program and school qualify. The Parents and Grandparents Program is paused, but the Super Visa is open.

Most newcomers who settle in Nunavut follow these steps:

1. Get a job offer from a Nunavut employer, often in health care, education, government, or construction.
2. Get a work permit. Usually the employer applies for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), or you qualify for an LMIA-exempt permit such as Francophone mobility.
3. Work in Nunavut for at least one year in a skilled job (TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3).
4. Enter Express Entry under the Canadian Experience Class and wait for an invitation. Use our CRS calculator to check your score.
5. Apply for permanent residence after an invitation, including medical exams and police certificates.

Without a nominee program, your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score matters a lot. Category draws for health care, trades, and French speakers can help if you fit them.

If you have a past refusal, a criminal record, or status problems, talk to a lawyer or a licensed consultant (RCIC) before you apply. See how to verify a lawyer or consultant.

• Health care: nurses (especially community health nurses), physicians, mental health workers.
• Education: teachers and school support staff.
• Government: territorial, federal, municipal, and Inuit organizations. The Government of Nunavut gives hiring priority to Nunavut Inuit under its priority hiring policy.
• Construction and trades: mostly in the short summer building season.
• Mining: gold and iron ore mines, usually on fly-in, fly-out rotations.
• Transportation and retail: airlines, airports, and northern stores.

Main communities: Iqaluit (the capital), Rankin Inlet, Arviat, Baker Lake, Cambridge Bay, Igloolik, and Pond Inlet.

Nunavut Health Care Plan

The Nunavut Health Care Plan covers eligible residents. You apply with proof that you intend to make Nunavut your main home. People moving from another province usually face a waiting period and stay covered by their old province in the meantime. If you are coming from outside Canada or are on a work permit, contact the Nunavut Health Care Plan office to confirm when coverage starts, and carry private insurance until then. Specialized care often means medical travel to a larger center in southern Canada.

Driver's license

Nunavut's Motor Vehicles office issues driver's licenses. Few communities have more than a short local road network, but you may still need a license for work vehicles. If your license is from a place with an exchange agreement, you can often swap it; otherwise you take a knowledge test and a road test.

Settlement services: Nunavut has fewer newcomer services than the provinces. Use IRCC's online tool to find federally funded services, including online language classes and pre-arrival support. Employers often help with the practical side of moving.

Cost of living: Nunavut has the highest cost of living in Canada. Food, fuel, and household goods are flown in or shipped by sealift, so prices are much higher than in the south. The federal Nutrition North Canada program lowers the price of some foods in isolated communities, and residents can claim the northern residents deduction on federal taxes. There is no territorial sales tax. Housing is the hardest part: there are very few rentals, so secure housing before you move, often through your employer.

Regulated jobs need a license that is valid in Nunavut. Engineers register with the NWT and Nunavut Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists (NAPEG), and nurses with the Registered Nurses Association of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Teachers need Nunavut teacher certification, and physicians need Nunavut medical registration. Start early, because you will often need the license before the employer can finalize your job offer.

For Express Entry you also need an Educational Credential Assessment for education from outside Canada and an approved language test.