Saskatchewan holds second round of Express Entry and Occupations In-Demand draws in two weeks

The province of Saskatchewan held its second round of major draws in two weeks on October 2, inviting 610 candidates to apply for a provincial nomination for Canadian permanent residence.

This is the second major draw conducted since the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) dramatically expanded the number of high-skilled occupations that are eligible under its popular Express Entry and Occupation In-Demand sub-categories.

A total of 769 invitations to apply for a provincial nomination were issued to Saskatchewan immigration candidates in draws through these two sub-categories last week.

Invited candidates represented 77 occupations, the SINP reported. Among those included were human resource professionals, engineers, computer network technicians, legal assistants, educational counsellors, natural and applied science researchers as well as cleaning supervisors.

Candidates need to have one year of work experience in an eligible occupation related to their field of study in order to be considered for a provincial nomination through either sub-category, there are also other eligibility requirements.

A job offer in Saskatchewan and Canadian work experience are not required.

Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs

The October 2 and September 25 draws were among the largest held by Saskatchewan since it switched its Express Entry and Occupation In-Demand sub-categories to an Expression of Interest (EOI) system in July 2018.

A total of 214 invitations went to Occupation In-Demand candidates and another 396 invitations were issued through the SINP’s Express Entry sub-category, which is open to eligible candidates with a profile in the federal Express Entry system.

The Express Entry system manages the pool of candidates for three of Canada’s main Economic Class immigration categories — the  Federal Skilled Worker Class, Federal Skilled Trades Class, and Canadian Experience Class.

Express Entry candidates with a provincial nomination receive an additional 600 points towards their ranking score and are effectively guaranteed an invitation to apply for Canadian permanent residence.

In order to be considered for a provincial nomination from Saskatchewan, Express Entry candidates must register a separate Expression of Interest with the SINP.

Under the SINP’s EOI system, eligible candidates are issued a score based on factors such as their education, work experience, proficiency in English or French and connections to Saskatchewan.

Candidates with the highest scores are invited to apply for a provincial nomination through regular draws from the SINP’s EOI pool.

The minimum scores in the SINP’s October 2 draws were 68 for both the Express Entry and Occupation In-Demand sub-category.  These minimum scores were lower than in last week's draw, which had a minimum score of 79 for Occupations In-Demand candidates and 70 for Express Entry candidates.

For more information on the high-skilled occupations that are now eligible under the SINP’s Express Entry and Occupation In-Demand categories, visit this page.

Find out if you are eligible for Express Entry

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