Saskatchewan invites 858 Express Entry and Occupation In-Demand candidates

Saskatchewan ended October with another big draw for immigration candidates in its Express Entry and Occupation In-Demand sub-categories.

The 858 invitations issued October 31 continued a six-week string of major draws through these popular Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) pathways, neither of which requires a job offer in Saskatchewan or Canadian work experience in order to be eligible.

The SINP's Express Entry sub-category is linked to the federal Express Entry system, which manages the pool of candidates for Canada's three Federal High Skilled immigration categories — the Federal Skilled Worker Class, Federal Skilled Trades Class and Canadian Experience Class.

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

Find out if you are eligible for the Express Entry pool

11 draws since September 25 and more than 4,700 invitations

The SINP has now held six selection rounds through its Express Entry sub-category and five for Occupation In-Demand candidates since September 25.

A total of 4,704 invitations to apply for a provincial nomination have been issued to candidates in both sub-categories over the course of these 11 invitation rounds.

The draws follow the SINP's adoption of a new approach to the occupations that are considered eligible under the two sub-categories. Both require at least one year of work experience in an in-demand occupation in Saskatchewan that is related to their field of study, among other criteria.

The SINP's move away from a limited In-Demand Occupations List to an Excluded Occupations List in mid-September dramatically expanded the number of eligible occupations from 19 to more than 200.

The October 31 draw issued invitations to candidates in 58 occupations such as human resource professionals, Information systems analysts and consultants, Database analysts and data administrators, Drafting technologists and technicians, and Aircraft mechanics and aircraft inspectors.

Expression of Interest

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

Eligible candidates 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.

The highest-ranked 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 October 31 draws. The SINP also selected eligible candidates with 68 points who had 10 years of work experience and language proficiency in English or French of CLB 7 or higher.

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.

Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs