Saskatchewan tries for more authority from Ottawa over Immigration

Saskatchewan tries for more authority from Ottawa over Immigration

Samuel Francis Gills Published:
February 05, 2020

The provincial officials of Saskatchewan are continuing to drive the federal government to provide more authority over the immigration into the province.

After the talks in December 2019, provincial Minister for immigration Jeremy Harrison had a conversation with Deputy Prime Minister Chrystiq Freeland earlier in January on the issue. Even though no formal request has been submitted, the province is pressing to be given powers like Quebec in regard to immigration. The Francophone province sets its own immigration levels and controls how economic class immigrants are selected in the province.

“This is something we have put a good deal of thought into and a good deal of work into over the last number of months,” Harrison said after the January meeting, in which he said federal ministers were open to the discussion.

As a part of Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs)Saskatchewan now has the ability to select immigrants through SINP (Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program).The quotas for nominations are set by the federal government. The program has immigration options in three main categories: International Skilled Worker, Saskatchewan Experience and Business. They are divided into sub-categories for different types of immigration candidates.

Provincial nomination guarantees a candidate that he/she will receive an invitation to apply through the federal Express Entry system. Provinces also have the option to nominate candidate without them being in the Express Entry pool. The province of Saskatchewan operates number of immigration categories through the SINP, including those for Express Entry candidates, Occupations in-demand and with a job offer in hand.

SINP also targets particular jobs such as long-haul truck drivers, hospitality workers and farmworkers.

Recently, the province of Saskatchewan launched a new International Graduate Entrepreneur category, providing graduates from Saskatchewan institutes an option to stay and build a business in the province. The province announces a list of occupations that are excluded under its Occupation In-Demand and Express Entry sub-categories. This makes more than 200 positions eligible for the popular skilled worker streams.

The federal government figures show that the province received 12,290 permanent residents in the first three quarters of 2019, including 9,385 through the economic class and 1,925 in the family class.

In total of 2018, the province welcomed 15,510 new permanent residence, including 12,410 economic and 1,985 families.

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