On 25th November, the Government of Saskatchewan announced a new immigration policy under the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP).

The Hard-To-Fill Skills Pilot Program aims to ease labour demand in key sectors. The Hard-To-Fill Skills Pilot will allow the employers of Saskatchewan to recruit international talent through additional forms of foreign recruiting for the positions that are significantly challenging to fill.

Some entry-level, low-paying jobs that need some on-the-job training are essential for businesses to operate but are hard to fill. Such jobs are eligible to be filled under this new immigration program.

Health, manufacturing, ag-tech, construction, hospitality, agriculture, and retail are among the industries that experience the highest demand for labour.

Immigration and Career Training Minister Jeremy Harrison spoke about the new immigration program in a press note. Minister said that the demand for labour in Saskatchewan province is strong, and the demand is definitely going to increase with the recently announced crucial economic projects.

Minister added that the new Hard-To-Fill Skills Pilot developed in Saskatchewan for Saskatchewan – is going to fast track their autonomy discussions with the federal government and is going to help provide the employers of Saskatchewan with greater access to international talent options.

Minister noted that as the province approaches a period of robust growth following the global pandemic, this policy is a crucial addition to the record investments made to train and upscale the local workforce.

Supported by their employers and community, the new Saskatchewan Immigration policy scheduled to launch in December 2021 is expected to contribute to the well-being of the employees nominated through the new immigration program.

The media release also quoted the Hospitality President and CEO Jim Bence. Jim said that the policy is very positive news for businesses in the hospitality industry in Saskatchewan as it is designed to attract talent and is an excellent program for all sectors in the province currently struggling to recruit labour.

Jim noted that while they strive to recruit locally wherever possible, it is crucial to be innovative to guarantee businesses have the necessary labour supply. Jim is sure that this one-of-a-kind initiative will be instrumental post-COVID in assisting businesses and helping communities grow and develop in Saskatchewan.

Aspiring employees planning to apply for the new Saskatchewan immigration policy need to match the following criteria

  • They must have a permanent, full-time offer of employment from a registered Saskatchewan employer and a letter from SINP approving employment for an approved occupation.
  • Meet a minimum level of Canadian Official Language proficiency.
  • Need to meet the minimum work experience and educational criteria. The criteria include six months of experience in the same occupation as the job letter in Saskatchewan or at least one year of experience in the same job.

The list of Eligible Occupations for the Hard-to-fill Skills Pilot program is given below

  • NOC- 3413: Nurse aides, orderlies, and patient service associates
  • NOC- 3414: Other assisting occupations in support of health services
  • NOC- 4412: Home support workers, housekeepers, and related occupations
  • NOC- 7611: Construction trades helpers and labourers NOC- 7521: Heavy equipment operators (except crane)
  • NOC- 9536: Industrial painters, coaters, and metal finishing process operators
  • NOC- 9526: Mechanical assemblers and inspectors
  • NOC- 9416: Metalworking and forging machine operators
  • NOC- 9612: Labourers in metal fabrication
  • NOC- 9431: Sawmill machine operators
  • NOC- 9617: Labourers in food and beverage processing
  • NOC- 9461: Process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing
  • NOC- 7452: Material handlers
  • NOC- 1521: Shippers and receivers
  • NOC- 9619: Other labourers in processing, manufacturing, and utilities
  • NOC- 6513: Food and beverage servers
  • NOC- 6525: Hotel front desk clerk
  • NOC- 6731: Light duty cleaners
  • NOC- 6711: Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers, and related support occupations
  • NOC- 6733: Janitors, caretakers, and building superintendents
  • NOC- 1525: Dispatchers
  • NOC- 7511: Transport truck drivers
  • NOC- 8431: General farmworkers

Prior to utilizing this new Saskatchewan Immigration policy to hire international talent, the employers will have to demonstrate that they made significant efforts to hire locally first. They will also need to demonstrate the requirement and benefit for their businesses as well as meet rules for providing workers with settlement support.

Final Word

Canada right now is one of the most popular destinations for immigrants from all over the world, and Immigration Canada Services has played a significant part in assisting people from all over the world with Canada visa immigration services such as student visa, business visas, visiting visas, citizenship, and other short and long-term visas.

We assist customers with all forms of immigration applications and represent their interests before Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), Employment and Skills Development Canada (ESDC), Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB), and Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) working with overseas as well as inland applications.

Contact Immigration Canada Services now and let us help you figure out if you’re eligible for this new policy the Government of Saskatchewan announced.