The Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (or SINP) creates a permanent residence pathway for immigrants who can fill job shortages or wish to buy or start a business in Saskatchewan – the land of the living skies.

Saskatchewan PNP Streams

Saskatchewan’s PNP has four programs:

· International Skilled Worker

· Worker with Saskatchewan Work Experience

· Entrepreneur

· Farm Owner and Operator

These programs highlight Saskatchewan’s economic priorities – business immigration, skilled immigration, and agricultural immigration.

Each stream has multiple various categories that provide individuals with relevant skills and experience a pathway to become Canadian permanent residents.

SINP: International Skilled Worker Program

The SINP International Skilled Worker Program helps Saskatchewan to acquire the talented workers it needs to fill gaps and meet its economic priorities. To achieve this, the program has multiple streams, including:

Tech Talent Pathway

The SINP Tech Talent Pathway is for highly skilled workers who have received an eligible job offer in Saskatchewan’s technology and innovation sector.

International Skilled Worker Employment Offer

The SINP International Skilled Worker Employment Offer stream is for skilled workers who have a job offer for a skilled occupation in Saskatchewan. Workers from in Canada or abroad may be eligible to apply.

International Healthcare Worker EOI Pool

International healthcare workers who wish to live and work in Saskatchewan are invited to submit a pre-application via the dedicated EOI pool. This pool matches workers with job opportunities in Saskatchewan. If you ultimately receive a job application, you may then apply for the SINP International Skilled Worker Employment Offer stream or Hard-to-Fill Skills Pilot.

Occupation In-Demand Stream

The SINP International Skilled Worker Occupation In-Demand stream is for workers with in-demand skills but who do not have a job offer in Saskatchewan. Only workers in a NOC 0, A or B occupation are eligible for this stream.

International Skilled Worker: Saskatchewan Express Entry

This SINP stream is for skilled workers who are in the IRCC Express Entry pool and do not have a job offer in Saskatchewan. The foreign workers may be either living abroad or in Canada.

Hard-to-Fill Skills Pilot

The SINP Hard-to-Fill Skills pilot is for lower-skilled and intermediate workers who have an eligible job offer in Saskatchewan, and who meet other criteria for the pilot. It is for workers in the following occupations:

9619 Other labourers in processing, manufacturing and utilities

9617 Labourers in food, beverage and associated Products processing

9612 Labourers in Metal fabrication

9536 Industrial painters, coaters and Metal finishing process operators

9526 Mechanical assemblers and inspectors

9461 Process control and machine operators, food, beverage and associated processing

9431 Sawmill machine operators

9416 Metalworking and forging machine operators

8431 General farm workers

7611 Construction trades helpers and labourers

7521 Heavy Equipment operators (except crane)

7511 Transport truck drivers

7452 Material handlers

6733 Janitors, caretakers and building superintendents

6731 Light duty cleaners

6711 Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations

6525 Hotel front desk clerks

6513 Food and beverage servers

4412 Home support workers, housekeepers and related occupations*

3414 Other assisting occupations in support of health services

3413 Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates

1525 Dispatchers

1521 Shippers and receivers

SINP: Worker with Saskatchewan Work Experience Program

The SINP Worker with Saskatchewan Work Experience Program is for foreign nationals who are already living and working in Saskatchewan on a valid work permit. The streams available under this SINP program are:

Skilled Worker with Existing Work Permit

This stream is for skilled workers who have worked in Saskatchewan for at least six months and who have a permanent full-time job offer in a skilled position. Currently, the position must be in a NOC 0, A or B occupation. But it is important to remember that the NOC system will undergo changes later this year so, this requirement will change in or around November 2022.

Semi-skilled Agriculture Worker with Existing Work Permit

The Semi-skilled Agri-worker stream is for general farm workers and nursery and greenhouse workers who have at least six months work experience in Saskatchewan and an eligible job offer. It is designed to help the province attract and retain workers in the agricultural sector, which is a priority sector in Saskatchewan.

Health Professionals

The SINP Health Professionals stream is for physicians, nurses and other health professionals who are already working in the province on a temporary work permit. It runs alongside the SINP International Health Worker EOI Pool.

Hospitality Sector Project

Saskatchewan needs hospitality workers, especially food/beverage servers, food counter attendant/kitchen helpers and housekeeping/cleaning staff. This stream is for temporary foreign workers with at least six months hospitality experience in these priority positions with an SINP Hospitality-approved employer.

Long-Haul Truck Driver Project

The long-haul truck driver project helps Saskatchewan attract and retain long-haul truckers. It is a temporary-to-permanent pathway for truckers who will work for approved trucking firms on a temporary work permit, before being nominated for the PNP program later.

Unlike other streams in the SINP Worker with Saskatchewan Work Experience program, the truck driver project allows trucking companies to bring truckers to Saskatchewan. The workers do not have to already be in Saskatchewan.

Students

The SINP Students stream is for international students who have:

- Graduated from a Saskatchewan educational institution or other recognized post-secondary institution in Canada; and

- Worked for at least six months in Saskatchewan; and

- Have a current eligible job offer in your field of study from a Saskatchewan employer.

This stream helps to ensure Saskatchewan is an attractive destination for international students who wish to make Canada home after graduating.

SINP: Entrepreneur Program

The SINP Entrepreneur program is for foreign nationals who want to buy or start a business in Saskatchewan. The two categories available are:

Entrepreneur category

The SINP Entrepreneur category is for foreign nationals who:

- Have the experience and funds to buy an existing business in Saskatchewan or set up a new one; and

- Want to move to Saskatchewan to be actively involved in managing it while living in the province.

It is a temporary-to-permanent residence pathway. This means that applicants receive a temporary work permit to set up the business. Once they meet the program requirements and set up a successful business, Saskatchewan will nominate them for permanent residence.

International Graduate Entrepreneur category

This category is for international students who have graduated from a qualifying Saskatchewan education institution and who want to start or buy a business. Like the entrepreneur category, the SINP International Graduate Entrepreneur category is a temporary-to-permanent residence pathway.

SINP: Farm Owner and Operator Program

Saskatchewan’s Farm Owner and Operator category is designed to help the province attract and retain experienced farm owners and managers to its agriculture sector. The province’s desire to attract skilled farmers shows in its eligibility requirements for the program, which are that the farmer must:

- Have experience in farming;

- Have considerable capital to invest in a farm; and

- Plan to buy and run a farm in Saskatchewan.

It is important to note that this program is only for farmers working in primary agricultural production (crops and livestock). Other agri-businesses may qualify for the SINP under the Entrepreneur category.

Saskatchewan PNP Draws – Trends in 2022

Saskatchewan’s provincial government has been running targeted draws for the bulk of this year for its SINP International Skilled Worker (ISW) program. Other than the targeted draws for Ukrainians, all the SINP ISW draws have been for candidates with assessed educational credentials. Each draw has also targeted specific occupations, though the occupations being targeted have varied throughout 2022.

Contact us if you are interested in immigrating to Saskatchewan.