Saskatchewan hits limit for workers in two capped sectors upon opening of application intake window

The Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) has officially opened its third intake window on May 4 for employers of SINP candidates in capped sectors.

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The province has already hit its cap for all restricted sectors except the trucking sector, which at the time of this writing has 28 available positions remaining.

Saskatchewan established two May 4 intakes, dependent on capped sector (of which there are three in total):

Per the SINP, each position that an employer submits an EPA for counts toward the intake window limit.

Saskatchewan has capped the three above sectors because over time, SINP nominations have been heavily weighted toward these sectors. These caps help ensure strategic nomination allocation distribution while allowing for in-demand sectors to be targeted.

Position limits by sector

For each intake, Saskatchewan places a cap on the number of positions accepted—and these positions function on a first-come, first-served model.

For the May 4 intake, the province has established a limit of 400 positions. Here’s how they break down by sector:

The second intake (March 2) had the same overall position limit of 400 and distribution of positions by capped sector. During this intake, the province hit its cap for non-trucking sectors within hours of opening but only used 83.75% of available positions (80) for the trucking sector overall.

Its first intake window (January 13), however, only had 300 available position limits—with the majority allotted to the accommodation and food services sector (180), and 60 for its other capped sectors. The limit for non-trucking sectors was met on the day of opening, while the trucking sector limit was met on January 20.

There are still three intake windows remaining (July 6, September 14, and November 2). At the time of this writing, the province has not yet released the position limit for each upcoming intake (both overall and by sector).

When the Government of Saskatchewan released its intake schedule for 2026, it noted that each window would remain open “for several days.”

Based on the position limits established for each intake thus far, it is reasonable to assume that of the three capped sectors, there is highest demand for workers in accommodation and food services occupations.

Saskatchewan aims to process EPA applications within six weeks of submission (provided the required information and documentation has been provided). Between January 1–March 31, 2026, EPAs were processed well within service standards (four weeks).

Nominations issued in 2026 thus far

The Government of Saskatchewan updates its official webpage with the number of nominations it has issued on a quarterly basis.

As of its most recent update, the province notes that it has issued a total of 1,233 nominations—against a total annual nomination allocation of 4,761.

In 2026, only 25% of Saskatchewan’s total nomination allocation can go toward capped sectors—15% for accommodation and food services and 5% each for the others— with the remaining 75% to be distributed as such:

Priority sectors (seven total): 50%

• Healthcare;
• Agriculture;
• Skilled trades;
• Mining;
• Manufacturing;
• Energy;
• Technology.
• Other sectors: 25%

Applicants in these priority sectors can apply any time, as well as from overseas, and are not limited to the six-month work permit expiry rule that applies to capped sectors.

In its most recent update, Saskatchewan provided the following figures regarding the percentage of nomination allocation used thus far per sector:

Note: Because Saskatchewan provides quarterly updates on the number of nominations it has issued, these figures may not be wholly representative of nominations issued as of the time of this writing.

After each intake, the SINP assesses its allocations. If demand warrants it, the SINP may redistribute unused nominations from one capped sector to another.

*Employers in capped sectors can submit an EPA once they have identified a candidate and provided them with a job offer. Once an EPA is submitted, Saskatchewan will review the application, and (if successful) approve it on a conditional basis.

Once conditionally approved, the SINP candidate is notified, and the candidate must verify the job offer information and associated terms are accurate within 10 days in order to finalize the approval.

For capped sectors, employers can only submit an EPA during an intake window (unlike those in non-capped sectors).

Applications for capped sectors are restricted to candidates whose work permits have a remaining validity of six months or less.

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