On November 1, 2023, the province announced that the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) will accept nomination applications from workers in an additional 279 occupations under the Skilled Worker with Existing Work Permit stream.
This includes various occupations, such as farm labourers, nursing aides, retail salespeople, equipment operators and truck drivers. This marks an expansion of the Skilled Worker stream to include intermediate and lower-skilled workers that would normally not qualify for nomination.
The goal of the SINP expansion is to make it easier for employers to meet the labour demands of Saskatchewan's growing economy by retaining foreign workers already employed in the province. Multiple economic sectors will benefit, including agriculture, arts and entertainment, sales and service, manufacturing and transportation.
Previously, only foreign workers employed in high-skilled Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities (TEER) 0,1, 2 or 3 occupations or designated trade occupations were eligible to apply for nominations under the Skilled Worker stream. Many intermediate or lower-skilled job types lacked options under the stream and were forced to use more complicated SINP streams.
With the expansion, it will be easier for employers to retain existing intermediate and lower-skilled workers in Saskatchewan. Foreign nationals, who can secure a SINP nomination, are eligible to make a federal application for permanent residency – increasing long-term retention for employers.
Employers and foreign workers seeking to take advantage of this expansion will need to meet all other general SINP criteria, including having a full-time permanent job offer, fulfilling language requirements and holding a valid work permit. Unlike high-skilled TEER occupations, it is expected that these expanded lower-skilled occupations meet minimum language standards.
Full details of this expansion are not yet available. Updates will be provided as soon as details are released.
Immigration plays a key role in supporting Saskatchewan's growing economy and labour demands. According to the Saskatchewan government, the province currently has more than 16,000 job vacancies and a total of 112,260 job openings are forecasted in Saskatchewan over the next five years. Hopefully, the goals of the SINP expansion are met and create some relief from provincial labour shortages.
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