Yukon gov't extends key deadline for work permits

Some people working in the Yukon who aren't Canadian citizens will have more time to get their ducks in a row if they need to extend their work permits.

The Yukon government announced Wednesday that foreign nationals who are established in the territory and who had valid work permits as of May 16 will have until the end of October to ask for a government-issued letter of support a key part of the process to apply for work permit extensions.

The territorial government and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada recently announced they had struck an agreement to get work permits to people wanting to apply for the Yukon Nominee Program. Wednesday's announcement is part of that.

That agreement came after the Yukon government announced a pause to the Yukon Nominee Program earlier this year.

The government said Wednesday that foreign nationals in the territory whose work permits either expired after May 16 or are set to expire by the end of the year can apply for a new permit, which lasts up to two years.