SINP International Skilled Worker Category

The SINP's International Skilled Worker Category enables the province to nominate skilled workers with the required education, experience, and language abilities to successfully establish in Saskatchewan.

There are three sub-categories under this provincial immigration category:

• International Skilled Worker - Saskatchewan Express Entry
• International Skilled Worker - Occupation In-Demand
• International Skilled Worker - Employment Offer
• Eligible SINP In-Demand Occupations

The SINP now uses an Expression of Interest System for its Occupation In-Demand and Express Entry sub-categories. 

Candidates in the SINP's International Skilled Worker Category Expression of Interest (EOI) pool are assessed according to the following five factors: education and training, skilled work experience, language ability, age, and connection(s) to the Saskatchewan labour market and adaptability. To enter the SINP EOI pool, candidates are required to score a minimum of 60 out of 110 points in the EOI Points Grid, among other eligibility requirements, in order to be considered.

Expression of Interest (EOI) Points Assessment Grid

Selection Factors

Factor 1: Education and Training

The applicant will receive points for his or her education according to documented proof of completed post-secondary education and/or training programs from a nationally or provincially recognized institution or regulatory body.

Copies of diplomas, certificates, or degrees for any education/training with complete transcripts must be included in order to receive points under this selection factor.

Factor 2: Skilled Work Experience

Points are calculated under this selection factor according to documented proof of skilled work experience (NOC 0, A, B or a designated trade) in the applicant's intended occupation in the previous ten years. Two points are awarded for each year of work experience in the most recent five years, and one point is awarded for each year in the six to ten year period prior to applying.

The applicant must show at least one year of full-time, or part-time equivalent, paid work experience in his or her intended occupation in order to be eligible.

Documentation must include a letter of reference from the supervisor or Human Resources officer for each work experience listed, the applicant’s official work book, or other official government documentation.

Factor 3: Language Ability

The applicant will receive points for his or her ability in either of Canada’s official languages, English or French. If proficient in both, the applicant should choose the language that he or she is most comfortable with.

Proof of language proficiency is required in the form of official results of a recent SINP-approved language test, such as the International English Language Testing Systems (IELTS, General Training), Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) and Test d’evaluation de francais (TEF).

Applicants must score a minimum of CLB 4 in order to be eligible.

Factor 4: Age

The applicant will receive points according to his or her age on the date of application to the SINP.

Factor 5: Connections to the Saskatchewan Labour Market and Adaptability

The applicant will receive points for his or her connection to the Saskatchewan labour market and ability to successfully settle and economically establish in Saskatchewan as a permanent resident through document proof of a high skilled employment offer.

International Skilled Worker - Saskatchewan Express Entry

This sub-category enables the province to nominate individuals who are already in Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada's (IRCC) Express Entry pool and who have the necessary education, in-demand skilled work experience, language ability, and other factors to help them settle successfully and integrate into Saskatchewan’s labour market and communities.

As candidates must be in the federal Express Entry pool, all candidates must be eligible for one of the three federal economic immigration programs:

• Federal Skilled Worker
• Federal Skilled Trades
• Canadian Experience Class

Minimum Eligibility Requirements

In order to be eligible for the SINP's International Skilled Worker - Saskatchewan Express Entry sub-category, candidates must:

• Have proof of legal status, if currently residing in Canada;
• Have been accepted into IRCC’s Express Entry pool and have an Express Entry Profile Number and Job Seeker Validation Code;
  • The Number and Code must be included in the SINP application.
• Provide language test results from a designated testing agency that match the language level declared in their Express Entry profile;
• Have completed at least one year of post-secondary education or training which is comparable to the Canadian education system and which has resulted in a degree, diploma, certificate, or a certificate equivalent to a trade certificate;
  • Individuals who have completed trades or vocational training as part of their high school education are not required to submit an ECA, but must instead apply for Saskatchewan licensure.
• Have a minimum level of work experience related to their field of education or training in a skilled occupation (NOC 0, A, or B) that is considered to be in-demand in Saskatchewan (See the list of in-demand occupations below);
  • At least one year of work experience in the past 10 years in a skilled profession (non-trades); OR
  • At least two years of work experience in a skilled trade within the past five years; OR
  • At least one year of skilled work experience in Canada in the past three years (trades and non-trades).
• Obtain proof of Professional Status or Licensure (for regulated occupations or those with professional certification standards in Canada and/or Saskatchewan) if required by the SINP. 
  • If a proof of licensure is requested, the SINP will hold application processing until such proof is provided. 
• Hold a certificate of qualification (also known as a letter of invitation) in their skilled trade from the Saskatchewan Apprenticeship & Trade Certification Commission if their work experience is in a skilled trade;
• Have proof of sufficient settlement funds and a settlement plan; and
• Score a minimum of 60 points out of 110 on the SINP point assessment grid.

International Skilled Worker - Occupation In-Demand

This sub-category is for skilled workers who have experience in one of Saskatchewan's in-demand occupations. No job offer in the province is required under this sub-category of International Skilled Worker immigration.

Minimum Eligibility Requirements

In order to be eligible under the Occupation In-Demand sub-category, applicants must:

• Have proof of legal status, if currently residing in Canada;
• Have a minimum language score of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 4;
• Have completed at least one year of post-secondary education or training comparable to the Canadian education system;
  • The program of study must have resulted in a degree, diploma, certificate, or a certificate equivalent to a trade certificate.
  • Note: As of April 1, 2018, all applications to the Occupation In-Demand Sub-Category must include an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) from a designated organization. 
  • Individuals who have completed trades or vocational training as part of their high school education are not required to submit an ECA, but must instead apply for Saskatchewan licensure.
• Have a minimum level of work experience related to their field of education or training in a skilled occupation (NOC 0, A, or B) that is considered to be in-demand in Saskatchewan (See the list of in-demand occupations below);
  • At least one year of work experience in the past 10 years in a skilled profession (non-trades); OR
  • At least two years of work experience in a skilled trade within the past five years; OR
  • At least one year of skilled work experience in Canada in the past three years (trades and non-trades).
• Obtain proof of Professional Status or Licensure (for regulated occupations or those with professional certification standards in Canada and/or Saskatchewan) if required by the SINP;
  • If a proof of licensure is requested, the SINP will hold application processing until such proof is provided. 
• Have proof of settlement funds and a settlement plan; and
• Score a minimum of 60 points out of 110 on the point assessment grid.

SINP In-Demand Occupations

The following high-skilled occupations are considered in-demand in Saskatchewan. These lists are based on the SINP's Excluded Occupations List, which replaced the In-Demand Occupations List in September 2019.

All in-demand occupations that are eligible under the SINP's Express Entry and Occupation In-Demand sub-categories are rated Skill Level A or B or Skill Type 0 under Canada's National Occupational Classification, or NOC. 

In order to determine your NOC, visit this page. 

The majority of eligible occupations under the SINP's Express Entry and In-Demand Occupation sub-categories are unregulated and do not require professional licensure. These unregulated professions form the first set of lists below. 

The second set of lists concerns eligible professions that are regulated or have professional certification standards in Canada and/or Saskatchewan and require additional documentation. 

SINP in-demand occupations - no licensure required

Many in-demand occupations are regulated or have professional certification standards in Canada and/or Saskatchewan and require additional documentation. The following table lists in-demand occupations that require licensure and the licensure and/or education requirements.

SINP in-demand occupations — licensure required

International Skilled Worker - Employment Offer

This sub-category is for skilled workers who have already received an offer of employment from a Saskatchewan employer. The job offer must be approved by the SINP before the candidate can apply or the application will be rejected immediately. In order to have the position assessed, the Saskatchewan employer must register on the SINP Employer website. Once the position is approved, the employer will receive a Job Approval Letter, a copy of which must be submitted with the candidate's application to the SINP.

Minimum Eligibility Requirements

In order to be eligible under the International Skilled Worker - Employment Offer sub-category, applicants must:

• Have legal status, if currently residing in Canada;
• Demonstrate sufficient language proficiency through a minimum language test score of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 4 across all four language competencies (reading, writing, speaking, listening) from a designated testing agency;
• Have a permanent, full-time job offer from a Saskatchewan employer that is registered with the SINP in either an occupation in the National Occupational Classification (NOC) Matrix as Skill type 0 or Skill Level A or B, OR in a designated trade in Saskatchewan;
• Have at least one year of paid work experience in the past ten years in the intended occupation;
• Obtain proof of eligibility for Saskatchewan licensure if the job offer is in an occupation that is regulated in Saskatchewan and requires mandatory (compulsory) certification or licensing; and
• Score a minimum of 60 points out of 110 on the point assessment grid.

Designated Trades

When Not to Apply

Candidates will not be considered eligible under the SINP's International Skilled Worker Category if they:

• Are refugee claimants in Canada;
• Are health professionals;
• Are food and beverage servers/persons;
• Failed to submit documentation as requested by the SINP;
• Do not genuinely intend to live and work in Saskatchewan on a permanent basis; or
• Have intentionally misrepresented themselves in the application.