Saskatchewan overhauls Provincial Nominee Program

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The SINP has made significant changes, including

• Resuming intake for Job Approval Forms (JAFs);
• Limiting recruitment of overseas workers to those in Health, Agriculture, and Skilled Trades for job approvals through the SINP;
• Closing its Entrepreneur and Farm Owner/Operator PR pathways;
• Imposing nomination caps for candidates working in three specific sectors of the Saskatchewan economy;
• Removing eligibility for some Open Work Permit holders; 
• Limiting eligibility for the SINP’s Student Category; and
• Removing three employer types from eligibility for recruitment through the SINP.

Resumption of JAF intake

As of 27 March 2025, the SINP has resumed its intake for new JAFs. The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) had previously paused intake of these forms on 18 February 2025.

Employers in Saskatchewan wishing to hire a skilled foreign worker may now continue submitting new JAFs to the SINP.

JAFs are forms submitted by employers to the SINP, in support of the hiring of a foreign worker to the province. These forms lead to Job Approval Letters, which are necessary documents to be eligible for job-offer-based permanent residence (PR) pathways under the SINP.

The SINP stated that they do not predict another pause in JAF intake over the course of 2025. Saskatchewan advises that 75% of its provincial immigration allocation this year will be dedicated to candidates already in the province on temporary status.

As a result, recruitment to Saskatchewan from outside Canada will be limited to workers in three sectors.

Prioritizing candidates in specific sectors for Job Approval Letters

As part of its reorientation, the SINP announced that it will look to prioritize approvals of overseas immigration candidates who work in the following sectors:

• Health;
• Agriculture; and
• Skilled trades.

Candidates outside Canada working in these three sectors will be prioritized for approval of their employer’s JAFs, granting them a job approval letter and the ability to work within Saskatchewan.

Recruitment through the SINP for all other sectors and occupations will only be supported for candidates who are already working in Canada on a valid work permit or work authorization.

Closure of Entrepreneur and Farm Unit streams

The SINP has closed the following streams:

• The Entrepreneur category;
• The International Graduate Entrepreneur category; and
• The Farm Owner/Operator category.

Effective 27 March 2025, these streams will no longer accept new applications.

Candidates who currently have an Expression of Interest (EOI) under one of these pathways will not move forward in the PR process. These EOIs will be removed from the SINP’s system.

Applications submitted before this date will continue to be processed under the previous criteria and will still be considered for nomination.

The SINP has stated that it has no plans to reopen these specific pathways in the immediate future.

Nomination caps for candidates in certain sectors

The SINP has imposed nomination caps for three industries:

• Accommodations and Food Services;
• Retail trade; and
• Trucking.

Per these new caps, a maximum of 25% of the SINP’s total annual nominations this year may be used for candidates working in these three sectors (cumulatively). This cap will be reviewed and adjusted annually according to the SINP program priorities for that year.

The SINP has defined these occupations through a combination of North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes and National Occupation Classification (NOC) codes. A full list of occupations designated under each of the selected industries can be found here.

The SINP will continue to accept JAFs even after it receives enough applications to meet its 25% criteria. However, forms submitted after this will only be processed if more job approvals are required to meet the SINP’s 2025 nomination allocation.

Once the province has successfully met its nomination cap for these three sectors, all remaining JAFs will expire. Employers wishing to hire a foreign national in Saskatchewan will have to resubmit a JAF in the new year.

Some Open Work Permit holders ineligible for SINP programs

Saskatchewan has also revised eligibility such that certain Open Work Permit (OWP) holders are now ineligible to apply through the SINP’s immigration programs.

The PNP advised on their website that “some open work permits, such as spousal work permits,” are no longer eligible to apply. The SINP did not provide further details on what other OWP holders will be impacted by this change.

CIC News has reached out to the SINP and is awaiting further details on this update. This article will be updated once more details become available. 

Saskatchewan’s immigration authority stated that it decided to make this change due to “high risks of exploitation” and “poor retention outcomes,” which run counter to the SINP’s goal of attracting newcomers for lawful, stable, long-term economic contributions.

Limiting eligibility for the SINP’s Student Category

The eligibility for the Student Category pathway of the SINP has been revised. Eligibility is now limited to graduates from Saskatchewan Designated Learning Institutions (DLIs) who:

• Have worked for a minimum of 6 months (780 hours) of paid employment with a Saskatchewan employer in their intended occupation and field of study. This work experience can have been acquired
  • On-campus;
  • Off-campus;
  • On co-op terms;
  • Through graduate fellowships verified by the student’s DLI; and/or
  • On a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP).

In addition to this change, PGWP holders who studied at a DLI outside of Saskatchewan are no longer eligible to apply through the SINP’s student category. These applicants are instead asked to apply through other pathways, including the following:

• Student talent pathway;
• Health talent pathway;
• Agriculture talent pathway; or
• Skilled Worker: Employer Job Offer sub-categories.

Removal of three employers from SINP recruitment

As of March 27, 2025, the following types of employers are no longer eligible to recruit foreign skilled workers through the SINP:

• Spas;
• Salons; and
• Pet care services (excluding veterinarians).

Information sessions for interested parties

The SINP will be holding separate information sessions on April 3 and 9 for both employers and prospective applicants to ask questions about these changes. Interested parties must email the SINP to register and are asked to indicate clearly which session they wish to attend.

Information sessions for employers and sessions for prospective applicants will take place at different times:

Prospective applicants are asked to register by emailing immigration@gov.sk.ca.

Employers are asked to register by emailing employerservices@gov.sk.ca.

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