Saskatchewan holds new draws for Express Entry and Occupation In-Demand candidates

Saskatchewan issued new invitations to apply for a provincial nomination to 426 candidates in its Express Entry and Occupation In-Demand immigration sub-categories in a draw held June 6.

A total of 342 candidates in the Occupation In-Demand sub-category received invitations in this draw and the remaining 84 went to Express Entry candidates.

In order to be considered for an invitation to apply for a nomination for Canadian permanent residence through either sub-category, the first step is to register an Expression of Interest with the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program, or SINP.

The SINP allows Saskatchewan to nominate eligible foreign workers for Canadian permanent residence through a number of categories tailored to its various economic and labour market needs.

The SINP's Express Entry sub-category is aligned with the federal Express Entry system, which is Canada's principal source of skilled foreign labour.

Find out if you are eligible to enter Canada's Express Entry Pool

Express Entry candidates who receive a provincial nomination are awarded an additional 600 points toward their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score and are effectively guaranteed an invitation to apply for Canadian permanent residence.

Both the Express Entry and Occupation In-Demand sub-categories require work experience in one of 19 occupations listed as in-demand in Saskatchewan, among other criteria.

Express Entry candidates who would like to be considered through the SINP's Express Entry sub-category must register a separate Expression of Interest with the SINP.

An Expression of Interest details a candidate's education, work experience, proficiency in English or French, among other factors, and awards them a score out of 100 points based on the information provided.

The highest-scoring candidates in both the Express Entry and Occupation In-Demand pools are invited to apply for a provincial nomination through regular draws.

The cut-off score in the June 6 draws was 75 for both sub-categories, which was a seven-point decrease from the previous invitation rounds held May 15.

So far in 2019, the SINP has issued 898 invitations to Express Entry candidates and 1,196 to Occupation In-Demand candidates.

Find out if you are eligible for Canadian immigration