Saskatchewan issues 525 invitations to Express Entry and Occupations In-Demand candidates

Saskatchewan held another Express Entry and Occupations In-Demand draw November 12, this time inviting 525 skilled workers to apply for a provincial nomination for permanent residence.

The Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP)’s Express Entry sub-category is linked to the federal government’s Express Entry system, which manages the pool of candidates for three of Canada’s main economic-class immigration programs: Federal Skilled Worker Class, Federal Skilled Trades Class and Canadian Experience Class.

A total of 303 Express Entry candidates were invited to apply in the November 12 draw.

Express Entry candidates who apply for and receive a provincial nomination from Saskatchewan 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.

The Occupation In-Demand sub-category is open to immigration candidates who do not have an Express Entry profile.

In this selection round, 222 Occupation In-Demand candidates were invited to apply for a nomination for Canadian permanent residence.

The SINP’s Express Entry and Occupation In-Demand sub-categories are popular because they do not require a job offer in Saskatchewan.

Both sub-categories require that candidates have one year of work experience in an eligible skilled occupation that is related to their field of study, among other criteria.

Find out if you are eligible for Express Entry

More than 5,200 invitations since September 25

The SINP has now issued 5,229 invitations to candidates in both sub-categories over the course of 12 invitation rounds since September 25.

These draws have followed the SINP's move away from a limited In-Demand Occupations List to an Excluded Occupations List that expanded the number of eligible occupations for both sub-categories from 19 to more than 200.

The 12 draws held since this change have targeted candidates in a wide variety of eligible occupations.

The November 12 draw issued invitations to candidates in 94 occupations such as human resource managers, database analysts and administrators, drafting technologists and technicians, and power engineers and power systems operators.

Expression of Interest

In order to be considered for a provincial nomination from Saskatchewan through either sub-category, candidates must first register an Expression of Interest (EOI) with the SINP.

Eligible EOI profiles for both sub-categories are awarded a score out of 100 based on the SINP’s International Skilled Worker Points Assessment Grid, which considers factors such as age, education, skilled work experience, proficiency in English or French and connections to Saskatchewan.

This score determines a candidate's rank in the EOI pool and the highest-scoring candidates are issued an invitation to apply through regular draws conducted by the SINP.

All eligible Express Entry and Occupation In-Demand candidates with a score of 69 points or higher were invited to apply in the November 12 draws. Invited candidates needed to have educational credential assessments for degrees and diplomas obtained outside of Canada.

Saskatchewan says it makes occupation-specific selections "so that nominees with positive employment prospects in Saskatchewan are selected and applications do not exceed employment demand."

In these cases, only candidates with occupations chosen by the SINP will be invited to apply for a provincial nomination for Canadian permanent residence.

Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs

Photo courtesy of Tourism Saskatoon.