On August 30, the Saskatchewan government announced two new Provincial Nomination Program (PNP) pathways within the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nomination Program (SINP) for newcomers in health care and agriculture occupations.

Saskatchewan Immigration and Career Training Minister Jeremy Harrison said the new pathways are another way the province is aligning its immigration program with current immigration needs.

“With worker shortages reported across the country, the creation of new provincial immigration pathways and streamlining our credential recognition process will help employers in Saskatchewan get the workforce they need to grow their businesses,” he said.

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The new Agriculture Talent Pathway is intended to “meet the need for increased labor force to fill in-demand and emerging jobs in the agriculture industry.”

Agriculture is a major component of Saskatchewan’s economy. The province exported over $3.2 billion in 2023 across four major crop production sectors.

The Health Talent Pathway is intended to support Saskatchewan’s Health Human Resources (HHR) Action Plan. The province says, “All healthcare recruitment through the SINP will be consolidated and streamlined under this single stream.”

Who is eligible?

Agriculture Talent Stream

Prospective candidates for this stream must meet a baseline of eligibility criteria: for example, the need to:

• Have a language score of at least a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 4. Some employers or regulators may require a higher score than CLB 4.
• Have completed secondary school (high school) or higher level of education.
• At least one year of full-time work experience (in your desired occupation) in the last three years; or six months (780 hours) of full-time (30+ hours per week) work experience in a job with an employer that has provided the candidate with a job acceptance letter. In neither case does the work experience have to be continuous work experience.
• Certify your intent to work and reside in Saskatchewan.
• Received an offer for a permanent, full-time job in the agriculture sector in Saskatchewan.

Candidates need a valid SINP job approval letter to show proof of employment. They get this from their employer, who must register with SINP to receive it.

Health Talent Stream

The eligibility criteria for this route depends on whether the candidate has an application in the federal Express Entry application pool. Some criteria are the same for both subcategories, such as:

• Be eligible for Saskatchewan licensing (if applicable for their occupation)
• Have post-secondary education that is related to the job they are offered (a master’s or bachelor’s degree; or a three-year degree from a university or college; or a diploma that requires two years of education at a university, college, trade or technical school, or other post-secondary institution).
• Certifying their intent to work and reside in Saskatchewan.

candidates who No Must have a minimum CLB 5 score in English and/or French to be eligible for Express Entry. Some employers or regulators may require a higher score than CLB 5

They must also meet the following work experience requirements:

• If applying from Saskatchewan: Currently employed in Saskatchewan, and have six months (780 hours) of full-time (30+ hours per week) experience working in a job with the employer that provided the job approval letter.
  • In any case the work experience need not be continuous.
  • If they haven’t been working full-time for their supporting employer for at least six months, they must have at least one year of work experience in their occupation within the past five years

Candidates with Must have a profile in the Express Entry application pool

• You must have a valid Express Entry Profile Number and Job Seeker Code.
• Must have a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) score of 7 or higher in English and/or French.
• Meet the following work experience requirements:
  • If applying from inside or outside Canada: One year of experience in highly-skilled related work in the past five years in your desired eligible occupation.

About SINP

Saskatchewan welcomed 7,350 newcomers through the SINP in 2023 and received an allocation of 8,000 nominations from Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada in 2024. The province says it expects to have about 20,000 newcomers by the end of 2025 (when the allocation will increase to 8,500).

The province is growing in popularity among newcomers looking to move to Canada. It has a low cost of living (housing is less expensive than other major Canadian cities), a low provincial tax rate, and a Graduate Retention Program that “refunds up to $20,000 of tuition fees paid by eligible graduates (including international graduates) who live in Saskatchewan and who file a Saskatchewan income tax return.”

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