Recently, Saskatchewan declared to widen its PNP immigration eligibility criteria. The province stated that the eligibility would be extended for workers who desire to obtain permanent residence through Saskatchewan’s Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), called the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP).

As per the declaration, the intermediate and lower-skilled occupations workers who are working in the province are now eligible for the SNIP’s Existing Work Permit stream. However, they must satisfy the essential eligibility criteria for both the EWP stream and the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP). 

According to Saskatchewan’s improved PNP eligibility criteria, eligible occupations are expanded for the PR. This means that permit holders from more than 279 occupations will now be eligible to gain permanent residency, enabling them to stay in Saskatchewan. This includes farm laborers, truck drivers, nurses’ aides, retail sales staff, and many more. 

Prior to this expansion, only high-skilled immigrants from TEER 0,1,2 or 3 jobs and designated trades were eligible to apply for Canadian PR through SNIP’s Existing Work Permit stream. 

Here, TEER categories, which stand for Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibilities, are the system used by the Canadian government to categorize jobs in Canada on the basis of these four elements of every profession. In this, the levels range from 0 to 5, where 0 represents the managerial roles or the most skilled jobs, and 5 depicts jobs with no educational requirements or that are least skilled. 

Saskatchewan’s Improved PNP Eligibility Criteria for Existing Work Permit Stream

Individuals who intend to apply under the expanded worker stream must satisfy both the Steam and SNIP eligibility requirements. This includes the following: 

• They must have a valid open work permit, or an LMIA-supported work permit, a francophone mobility work permit, or a CUAET visa (visa for Canadian Ukrainian Authorisation for Emergency Travel) 
• Have a valid job approval letter under SNIP. 
• Have a valid Saskatchewan license if you have a regulated job in the province. 
• Have a full-time work experience of six months of 780 hours in an identical job specified in the job approval letter. 
• Have a CLB score of at least 4 or more in a job under TEER 4 or 5 occupation. 

In-eligible Workers for the Expanded Existing Work Permit stream 

Although Saskatchewan has expanded the eligibility for the Existing Work Permit stream, some workers are ineligible for the expansion. This means that the individuals working as the following are not able to apply for PR under this stream to settle in the province. 

• Food and beverage servers. They can instead apply for the Hard-to-Fill Skills Pilot or the Hospitality Sector Pilot Project. 
• Truck drivers. They can instead apply for the Long Haul Truck Driver Project or the Hard-to-Fill Skills Pilot. 
• Health professionals. They can instead apply for the SINP Health Professional Sub-category. 
• Graduates who have a Post-Graduation Work Permit. They can instead apply for the International Skilled Worker – Employment Offer Sub-category or the Saskatchewan Experience – Student Sub-category. 
• Refugee claimants claiming refugee status in Canada.  

Saskatchewan Aims More Newcomers to Meet Urgent Job Gaps. 

Among all Canadian provinces, Saskatchewan has some of the most significant job vacancies. Due to this, the government of Saskatchewan has negotiated with the federal government and urged it to increase the provincial allocation of immigration targets for the years 2023, 2024, and 2026. 

Currently, the province has more than 16,000 unfilled job positions reported on multiple online job platforms. Also, there is a projection of over 112,000 job vacancies over the next five years. This indicates a sustained and growing demand for workers in Saskatchewan.