Saskatchewan, a Canadian province located in the Prairie region of Western Canada, has made some interesting adjustments to its Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) for Canadian immigration for 2015. Principal among these changes is the new Saskatchewan Express Entry sub-category, which enables the province to nominate individuals who are in Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s (CIC) Express Entry pool and have the education, skilled work experience, language ability and other factors to help them to settle successfully and integrate into Saskatchewan’s labour market and communities.

This stream, which has been allocated 775 spaces, is particularly exciting because individuals do not necessarily need a job offer in order to apply. Successful applicants will have the opportunity to live and work in a province with a high standard of living, buoyant economy, and the lowest unemployment rate of any Canadian province.

Who can apply?

Candidates for the Saskatchewan Express Entry sub-category will be selected from the federal Express Entry pool. Candidates eligible to enter the pool must be eligible for one of the federal economic immigration programs, namely the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program, and the Canadian Experience Class.

Candidates must:

• demonstrate proficiency in an official language of Canada, either English or French, in order to enter the Express Entry pool. Language ability is determined by the candidate sitting a standardised language test, the most common of which are the IELTS or CELPIP for English and TEF for French; and
• have completed a minimum of one year of post-secondary education or training that has resulted in a degree, diploma, certificate, or a certificate equivalent to a trade certificate and which is comparable to the Canadian education system, as verified by an Educational Credential Assessment.

A potential candidate must also demonstrate a minimum level of work experience related to his or her field of education or training. This work experience may be either:

• at least one year of work experience in the past 10 years in a skilled profession (non-trades); or
• at least two years of work experience in a skilled trade in the past five years; or
• at least one year of skilled work experience in Canada in the past three years (trades and non-trades). This work experience must be in a high skilled occupation (NOC “0”, “A” or “B”) that is considered to be in-demand in Saskatchewan. Click here for the list of in-demand occupations.

In addition, candidates must score at least 60 points on the SINP point assessment grid. Points are awarded on the basis of five factors:

• education and training
• skilled work experience
• language ability
• age
• connections to the Saskatchewan labour market

Click here to view the point assessment grid for the SINP Express Entry sub-category.

The application process

Candidates eligible for and interested in applying to the Saskatchewan Express Entry sub-category should follow these steps:

1. Submit an online profile on CIC’s Express Entry immigration selection system and get accepted into the Express Entry pool.
2. Apply to the SINP for provincial nomination. Documents and all forms need to be attached to the SINP application. If approved for a nomination, the SINP will enter the details of the nomination into CIC’s Express Entry system and send a nomination letter to the candidate explaining the next steps.
3. After the SINP enters the nomination information into a candidate’s Express Entry profile, he or she will be awarded an additional 600 points for a nomination under the Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System. When CIC performs the next draw from the Express Entry pool, an invitation to apply for permanent residence will be issued to the candidate. From the moment a candidate receives an invitation to apply for permanent residence, he or she will have 60 days to submit an application for permanent residence to CIC

A unique opportunity

“With the arrival of the federal Express Entry immigration selection system, we’re seeing that the provinces are playing a more dynamic and hands-on role in immigration. Saskatchewan has been a leader in this regard,” says Attorney David Cohen.

“This is good news for the kind of hard-working, skilled and ambitious immigrants that Saskatchewan is seeking. Traditionally, newcomers to Saskatchewan have found that it is a land of economic opportunity, close-knit communities, and a high living standard. Today, with the lowest unemployment rate in Canada, immigration will continue to be critical to Saskatchewan’s workforce. Saskatchewan continues to represent something unique in the Canadian immigration landscape.”

To find out if you are eligible for any of over 60 Canadian immigration programs, including immigration streams under the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program, please fill out a free online assessment today.

Saskatchewan quick facts

Capital: Regina

Largest city: Saskatoon

Population: 1,114,000

Main language: English

Climate: High seasonal variation, with warm summers, very cold and snowy winters, and short, mild transitional seasons.

Learn more about Saskatchewan

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