Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP)

Do you know that in the past five years, more people are immigrating to Saskatchewan? A province located in central Canada, nestled between Alberta and Manitoba and bordering the United States, Saskatchewan is a moderately affordable place. In this post, we are sharing all about moving to Saskatchewan through Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP).

Why immigrate to Saskatchewan?

• Cost of living: The rent of a one-bedroom apartment on average costs CAD 1112.50 while that of a three-bedroom apartment costs CAD 1639.47. You can expect grocery shopping to cost CAD 200- CAD 300 per month. The costs are much lower than popular cities of Canada such as Toronto and Vancouver.
• Economy: Saskatchewan has a booming economy. Earlier, the people in Saskatchewan only relied on agriculture and farming but now oil drilling and natural gas extraction have also become important. Tourism is another booming industry in Saskatchewan. It is also found that Saskatchewan has the lowest unemployment rates in Canada.
• Immigration policies: Saskatchewan has a simple and easy immigration process. Every year, this province welcomes over 9000 immigrants from all across the world. More and more people are immigrating to Saskatchewan than leaving the place for better opportunities.
• Graduate retention program: This is a great initiative from the government of Saskatchewan. This program provides a rebate of up to $20,000 of tuition fees paid by eligible graduates who live in Saskatchewan and who file a Saskatchewan income tax return.

What is the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program?

The Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program or SINP is a Provincial Nominee Program that allows foreign nationals to achieve Permanent Resident status in Canada. The program targets international skilled workers, entrepreneurs, workers with Saskatchewan work experience and farm owners and operators. There are four different pathways under SINP the details of which are given below.

Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program for International Skilled Worker

This is a points-based immigration program where you need to score at least 60 points to apply. These points are assessed on two major factors - labour market success and connection to Saskatchewan labour market and adaptability. The points grid is given below:

FACTOR I: LABOUR MARKET SUCCESS
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Category	Points
Master's or Doctorate degree (Canadian equivalency).	23
Bachelor's degree OR at least a three-year degree at a university or college.	20
Trade certification equivalent to journeyperson status in Saskatchewan.	20
Canadian equivalency diploma that requires two (but less than three) years at a university, college, trade or technical school, or other post-secondary institution.	15
Canadian equivalency certificate or at least two semesters (but less than a two-year program) at a university, college, trade or technical school, or other post-secondary institution.	12

 

SKILLED WORK EXPERIENCE
Category	Points
a) Work experience in the 5 years before the application submission date.
5 years	10
4 years	8
3 years	6
2 years	4
1 year	2
b) In the 6-10 years before the application submission date.
5 years	5
4 years	4
3 years	3
2 years	2
Less than 1 year	0

 

LANGUAGE ABILITY
Category	Points
a) First Language Test (English or French)
CLB 8 and higher	20
CLB 7	18
CLB 6	16
CLB 5	14
CLB 4	12
English or French speaker without language test results.	0
b) Second Language Test (English or French)
CLB 8 or higher	10
CLB 7	8
CLB 6	6
CLB 5	4
CLB 4	2
Not Applicable	0

 

AGE
Category	Points
Less than 18 years	0
18 – 21 years	8
22 – 34 years	12
35 – 45 years	10
46 – 50 years	8
More than 50 years	0

 

FACTOR II: CONNECTION TO SASKATCHEWAN LABOUR MARKET & ADAPTABILITY
The following points are for the Employment Offer subcategory only:
High skilled employment offer from a Saskatchewan employer	30 Points
The following points are for the Occupation In-Demand and Saskatchewan Express Entry subcategories only
Close family relative in Saskatchewan	20 Points
Past work experience in Saskatchewan	5 Points
Past student experience in Saskatchewan	5 Points
MAXIMUM POINTS FOR FACTOR II	30 Points
MAXIMUM POINTS TOTAL: I + II =	110 Points

If you are able to score at least 60 points then you can choose any one of the three given streams under this visa category. These three streams are:

#1 International Skilled Worker: Employment Offer - For the candidates who have a job offer and meet the criteria given above.

#2 International Skilled Worker: Saskatchewan Express Entry - For the candidates who have an Express Entry profile number and meet the criteria given above.

#3 International Skilled Worker: Occupations In-Demand - For the candidates who do not have a job offer or an Express Entry profile number but meet the above-given criteria.

Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) for Worker with Saskatchewan Work Experience

Saskatchewan experience category pathway includes various streams that allow skilled workers, semi-skilled agricultural workers, health professionals, students and truck drivers to immigrate to Saskatchewan. Given below are the details of the different streams:

#1 Skilled Worker With Existing Work Permit

This visa category is for skilled workers who are working in Saskatchewan with a valid work permit for at least 6 months. They must have a permanent full-time job offer from a Saskatchewan employer for NOC codes A", "B" or "0"; or in a designated trade.

#2 Semi-skilled Agriculture Worker with Existing Work Permit

This visa category is for semi-skilled workers who are working for more than six months with a valid work permit for the employer who is offering them a permanent job. They must have also worked in Saskatchewan previously for a minimum of 6 months. The job must be for NOC 8431: General Farm Worker or NOC 8432: Nursery and Greenhouse Worker.

#3 Health Professionals

This visa category is for skilled workers who have been working full-time in Saskatchewan on a temporary work permit for at least six months as a Physician, Nurse or Other health professional.

#4 Hospitality Sector Project

This visa category is for foreign workers who want to apply for permanent residency and are currently working in Saskatchewan on a temporary work permit through a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). The candidate must have been working with a SINP Hospitality-approved employer for a minimum of six months (780 hours). The candidate could also have occupations Food/Beverage Server (NOC 6513), Food Counter Attendant/Kitchen Helper (NOC 6711), Housekeeping/Cleaning Staff (NOC 6731).

#5 Long-Haul Truck Driver Project

This visa category is for long-haul truck drivers who will work for an approved trucking firm in Saskatchewan on a temporary work permit issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and based on a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from the Government of Canada.

#6 Students

This visa category is for students who have graduated from a Saskatchewan institute or a recognized post-secondary educational institution in Canada. The candidate must have worked for a minimum of 6 months (or 780 hours) of paid employment in Saskatchewan. The candidate must have a current, permanent, full-time job offer in your field of study from a Saskatchewan employer.

Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) for Entrepreneurs

Saskatchewan Entrepreneurs category is for entrepreneurs, international students who want to become an entrepreneur and farm owners and operators. Given below are the details of the different streams:

#1 Entrepreneurs

This visa category is for foreign nationals who wish to obtain or partner in a business in Saskatchewan and be actively involved in managing it while residing in Saskatchewan. To obtain the visa the candidate must submit an expression of interest. The candidate will receive an invitation to apply.

#2 International Graduate Entrepreneur

This visa category is for international students graduating from a Saskatchewan institution who want to become an entrepreneur. Through this program, international students and their families can start, obtain or partner in a business in Saskatchewan and be actively involved in managing it, while residing in Saskatchewan.

#3 Farm Owner and Operator

This visa category is for foreign nationals who have proven experience in farming. They must have considerable capital (money, assets) to invest in a farming operation and must plan to buy and run a farm in Saskatchewan.

Processing Times for SNIP

The processing times are updated every quarter (every three months) for every visa category. This shows the average time it takes that quarter to process an application. Given below are the details of processing times given for every visa category.

International Skilled Worker: The applications under this visa category are processed within 16 weeks.

Saskatchewan Experience: The applications under this visa category are processed within 1-4 weeks.

Entrepreneur and Farm: The applications under this visa category are processed within 10 weeks or more.

Job Approval Process: The SINP Job Approval Letter application process takes at least 9 weeks.

How to Apply for SNIP?

You must note that the SNIP is just one step toward becoming a permanent resident. The province of Saskatchewan invites candidates who are interested in settling in Saskatchewan. It also nominates successful applicants to the federal government for permanent residency in Canada. All approved applicants must apply for PR through IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada).

Need assistance in immigrating to Saskatchewan, Canada?

Consult V2I immigration consultants today! We will guide you at every step of the SNIP or Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program and help you achieve Canada PR in the very first attempt. Send us your profile and find out if you are eligible to immigrate to Saskatchewan today! We are working 24/7 for your assistance.