REGINA - The province has lifted its brief pause of the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program and announced changes to address the cut on federal nominee allocations.
The federal government had cut nomination allocations to all provincial nominee programs by 50 per cent, with Saskatchewan limited to 3,625 nominations. Of those 75 per cent must already be living in Canada as temporary residents.
In response program changes are coming to SINP effective immediately. According to the province’s news release, those include the following:
- Approvals for candidates overseas will be prioritized for Health, Agriculture and the skilled trades;
- Nominations for the accommodation, food services, retail trade and trucking sectors are to be capped at 25 per cent total annual nominations;
- Spas, salons and pet care services excluding veterinarians, are no longer eligible to recruit through SINP; and
- Entrepreneur, International Graduate Entrepreneur and Farm Owner/Operator categories will be permanently closed.
The province says these moves will ensure fair access across sectors and maintain program integrity, and align with Saskatchewan's long-term labour market needs.
In a further statement the province says the previously announced pause to the intake of Job Approval Forms (JAFs) will end immediately. JAFs will only be accepted for candidates who are already temporary residents in Canada on a valid temporary resident visa. Exceptions will be made for critical sectors or occupations such as healthcare, agriculture, and the skilled trades.
"The SINP has been essential for Saskatchewan employers seeking to hire international workers when qualified Canadians are unavailable,” said Deputy Premier and Immigration and Career Training Minister Jim Reiter in a statement. “The changes announced today will ensure that our reduced number of nominations is used effectively and in a way that prioritizes building our economy."
The NDP Immigration critic Noor Burki said he was pleased to see the pause lifted for the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program.
“I am glad that the advocacy of our team has been successful, and the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program has been reinstated,” said Burki.
“But the Sask. Party should have never thrown our local businesses into a panic in the first place. The Sask. Party’s decision to abruptly pause this program, without any consultation, has been incredibly stressful for Saskatchewan businesses and skilled workers. Saskatchewan small businesses need certainty and stability, especially when we’re in the middle of a trade war. This was the worst possible time to pull the rug out from under their feet.”
He said the program had been the only one to get skilled workers in education, health care and other departments.
“We heard that loud and clear from each and every business,” said Burki. “It’s very important to fill those places, especially in our health care. If we can get (it) through the foreign skilled worker, that would be great.”
