Counted amongst the most beautiful and economically well-off provinces in Canada, Saskatchewan is a great place to immigrate for both students and professionals. The province has plenty of job opportunities along with a strong agriculture sector. With its low cost of living in comparison to other Canadian provinces, Saskatchewan offers the ideal conditions for raising a family.
You have probably already read about the Express Entry program being run by the Federal Government of Canada. However, there are a number of applicants who do not meet the selection criteria for the Express Entry program. If you are one of those applicants, do not be discouraged. You can still move to Canada by taking the Provincial Nomination Program (PNP) route. The Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) is one such PNP that is popular for the relaxed selection criteria it has. Let us now talk about what your options are with respect to moving to Saskatchewan.
The Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP), also known as the Saskatchewan PNP program, is one of the most popular Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) in Canada at the moment. Through this immigration program, you can apply for provincial nomination and live permanently in Saskatchewan. Once nominated under the program, immigrants can apply for a permanent residence (PR) visa, and after getting the visa, they can settle permanently in the province.
The Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) is accepting applications under the following immigration streams:
International Skilled Worker Category:
This stream is for skilled workers who want to live and work in the province of Saskatchewan as permanent residents. There are three sub-categories:
Saskatchewan Experience Category
This immigration category is for foreign workers who are already working in the province or have completed their graduation from the province. There are six sub-categories that foreign workers may apply for under the SINP:
Entrepreneur and Farm Category
This category is for immigrants who want to run their own or buy a business and be actively involved in managing it while residing in Saskatchewan.
International Graduate Entrepreneur Category
This category is for international students who recently graduated from a post-secondary institution in the province and who are planning to run a business in the province.
Farm Owner and Operator Category
This category is for foreign nationals who are planning to buy and run a farm in Saskatchewan and have prior experience in farming.
Each SINP category has different Saskatchewan PNP eligibility criteria that allow them to select immigrants with the required skillset. We will discuss the process of applying for a Saskatchewan Provincial Nomination Certificate through the SINP International Skilled Worker category.
For candidates to apply under International Skilled Worker: Saskatchewan Express Entry, they must meet the following Saskatchewan PNP eligibility:
Once all the minimum PNP requirements for Saskatchewan are met, the candidate needs to create an Expression of Interest (EOI) profile through an online portal called “OASIS”. Once the EOI profile is created, it is submitted to the Saskatchewan EOI pool along with the profiles of the other applicants. The profiles then receive an invitation to apply for the provincial nomination.
Once the applicant receives an ITA, they must pay a non-refundable $350 CAD application fee online by MasterCard or Visa. This is the last step before submitting the online application.
Even without a job offer, you may qualify for two immigration tracks if you want to live and work in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan.
Among the various streams operated under the SINP, there are two very active provincial nomination streams that are designed to bring in skilled workers to meet labour market needs and do not require a job offer. The first is the Saskatchewan Express Entry stream. To be eligible under this immigration stream, applicants need to have an active express entry profile and meet the minimum eligibility criteria of the program. The second is the Saskatchewan Occupation-in-Demand stream, in which having an express entry profile is not mandatory.
n both streams, it is necessary for the candidate to have at least one year of work experience in a single occupation, as available in the Saskatchewan In-Demand Occupations List.
Once the applicant submits an Expression of Interest (EOI) to settle in the province of Saskatchewan, their profile will be ranked among other candidates, and on the basis of labour market needs, they will receive an invite to apply.
SINP updates Saskatchewan processing time every three months. It shows the average time it took this quarter to process an application. Time is measured in weeks for each category. Saskatchewan PNP processing times are subject to change and are not always accurate predictions for future applications.
International Skilled Worker
Saskatchewan Experience
Entrepreneur Farm
The goal is to process all Entrepreneurs and farm requests (including Entrepreneur’s appointment requests) within 12 weeks, and all good faith deposit return requests within 24 weeks.
The first step of the process of PNP in Saskatchewan is submitting an Expression of Interest (EOI), which is a pre-application process. Candidates have to fill in an online form to show their interest in applying for SINP. Once you submit your EOI, you will need to wait to be invited to apply for SINP.
If you are invited, then you need to apply for SINP online where you will need to fill in the required form and upload the scanned copies of the required documents. It is important to follow the Saskatchewan PNP process guidelines properly to ensure your application is not closed or rejected.
Applicants need to provide all the forms and documents that will prove their eligibility for SINP nomination at the time of submitting the application for provincial nomination.
The list of documents that need to be submitted includes:
The EOI system can be used by individuals who wish to apply for the SINP through the In-Demand Occupations or Express Entry sub-categories. These are two very popular subcategories that required the use of application thresholds in the past to ensure that the SINP had a manageable application inventory that resulted in competitive processing times.
Once you are invited to apply, your EOI profile will be removed from the EOI pool. If you do not apply within 60 days, your invitation to apply will expire. You will need to create a new EOI profile if you still wish to apply for the SINP.
The size and frequency of EOI screenings are based on labor market needs, provincial priorities, and the number of applications processed since the last EOI screening. The selections will take place every two months, at a minimum. The dates of the draws will not be communicated in advance.
This program was created for individuals who have been working in Saskatchewan as food and beverage servers, counter servers, kitchen helpers, or housekeeping and cleaning personnel for at least six months with a valid work permit. The employer must receive approval from the province of Saskatchewan before the candidate begins work in Canada.
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