The first time I traveled through the Canadian province of Saskatchewan I noticed how flat the land was there. I could turn 360 degrees without seeing any elevation, no hills, no forests, and the sky seemed huge. That’s why winters in Saskatchewan are harsh since the Artic wind blows through the land without any obstacles.
Known as part of the “prairies”, and located in the middle of Canada, Saskatchewan has lately caught the interest of many foreigners due to its Provincial Nominee Program, a way to get the coveted Permanent Residence status.
One of the many programs that exist to allow a person to emigrate to Canada is the Provincial Nominee Program in which the people interested goes directly to the province of their choice to convince officials there that they are good work force material.
Once the province gives you the OK, you instantly have 600 points and that improves dramatically your chances of getting a good score in the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), which is the system of points used to determine which candidates will receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for Permanent Residence.
And it turns out that Saskatchewan is a province whose requirements are among the most accessible so that’s the reason why many potential immigrants are choosing to apply to the Saskatchewan PNP.
HOW TO APPLY TO SASKATCHEWAN IMMIGRANT NOMINEE PROGRAM (SINP)
You have three program categories to apply to the SINP.
· International Skilled Worker.
· Saskatchewan Experience (if you already live or work in Saskatchewan).
· Entrepeneur and Farm (for those interested in starting a business or in buying and operating a farm in Saskatchewan).
Let’s focus in the International Skilled Worker category. This program is for people who live abroad. There are three subcategories.
· Employment Offer, for those who got a job offer in a skilled occupation in Saskatchewan.
· Occupation in-Demand, for those who don’t have a job offer but have experience in a occupation that is in high demand in Saskatchewan.
· Saskatchewan Express Entry, for those who want to live and work in Saskatchewan, and are in the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) Express Entry pool, which means they submitted their personal profiles online and were accepted.
In both the sub-categories, Occupation in-Demand and Saskatchewan Express Entry, the candidate submits an Expression of Interest, which is a pre-application form that you fill out online to express your interest in applying to the SINP and to give details about your qualifications.
It’s important to know that to apply to any of these two sub-categories you need to have work experience in an occupation that is not in the Excluded Occupation List. This way Saskatchewan makes sure to recruit skilled workers whose expertise and work experience are required in the province.
People who submit an Expression of Interest receive a score based on a number of criteria and enter a pool. Those with the highest scores will receive an invitation to apply. You need 71 out of 100 points to be eligible.
If there are people with the same score, those with connections in Saskatchewan (relatives living in the province, like siblings or cousins, or work experience or studies in Saskatchewan) will be prioritized. The second criteria will benefit those who have the most work experience and the highest language scores.
If you receive an invitation to apply, you’ll have 60 days to submit a complete online application to the SINP.
Once you receive an invitation to apply you will have to pay a non-refundable $350 CAD application processing fee. The Saskatchewan application fee is among the lowest of the 10 Canadian provinces.
You may qualify to be nominee under the SINP if you score at least 60 out of 110 points on the SINP point assessment grid which includes having a language score minimum of 4 in the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 4
You must submit all the required documents in your application which must include proof of settlement funds and your settlement plan in Saskatchewan. https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/documents/proof-funds.html#money_needed
If you’re lucky enough, you’ll receive a nomination from Saskatchewan and that immediately awards you 600 additional points toward the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. The CRS is a system to evaluate the human capital a person has based on factors such as age, education, work experience, and English or French knowledge. The CRS makes a total of 1,200 points.
Getting a nomination by a province help greatly those people with a low score under the CRS.
People with the highest scores get an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for the Permanent Residence. In the last draws, the cut-off has been 468 points with a trend to decrease.
So if you’re interested in applying to the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program, check out their web. https://www.saskatchewan.ca/residents/moving-to-saskatchewan/live-in-saskatchewan/by-immigrating/saskatchewan-immigrant-nominee-program
If you want to know what are your chances of success under the SINP, check out your eligibility. You need a minimum of 60 points to apply.
If you want to know about Saskatchewan’s job market, check this out: https://www.saskjobs.ca/
I hope this post is useful to you, and to those who have any experience applying to a Provincial Nominee Program, please share your thoughts. Take care.
Facts about Saskatchewan
· Saskatchewan’s capital is Regina.
· The most populated city in the province is Saskatoon with 325,000 inhabitants.
· The main industries in Saskatchewan are Agriculture, Mining and Petroleum.
· The main spoken language is English.
· The coldest months of the year are January and February with low temperatures often below the -30 C mark.
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