A new draw held by Saskatchewan on September 24 invited 535 immigration candidates to apply for permanent residence.

The Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) sent out invitations to candidates in the Express Entry and Occupations In-Demand categories.

The SINP has invited 2,740 Occupations In-Demand candidates so far this year. Combined with the 2,245 candidates invited to apply for a provincial nomination through the Saskatchewan Express Entry sub-category, the total number of invitations issued in 2020 is now just under 5,000.

In order to be selected, candidates needed to have submitted an Expression of Interest (EOI) profile with the SINP.

The SINP uses an EOI system to invite immigration candidates that have the potential to thrive in the prairie province to apply for a provincial nomination for permanent residence.

Interested candidates must create an EOI profile and demonstrate their capacity to settle into life in Saskatchewan by listing their work experience, education, language ability, age, and connections to the province.

The SINP uses these five factors to assess candidates and give them a score out of 100 on the International Skilled Worker Points Assessment Grid.

The highest-scoring candidates are then issued an invitation to apply for a provincial nomination for Canadian permanent residence.

The minimum score required in the September 24 draws was 82 for both sub-categories.

No job offer is required in order to receive an invitation from Saskatchewan. However, candidates needed at least one year of work experience in an eligible skilled occupation related to their field of study.

Invited candidates in both categories also had Educational Credential Assessments, which show how foreign degrees, diplomas, and certificates compare to Canadian credentials.

Express Entry sub-category

In the latest invitation round, Saskatchewan issued 278 invitations to candidates who had profiles in the federal Express Entry pool.

Saskatchewan’s Express Entry sub-category is linked to the federal Express Entry system, which manages the pool of candidates for three of Canada’s main economic-class immigration programs: Federal Skilled Worker Class, Federal Skilled Trades Class, and Canadian Experience Class.

If candidates in the federal Express Entry pool also filled out an EOI for Saskatchewan, and they scored 82 on the SINP’s Points Assessment Grid they may have been selected during the September 24 draw.

Express Entry candidates who apply for and receive a provincial nomination from the province of Saskatchewan are awarded an additional 600 points toward their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score at the federal level, and are effectively guaranteed an invitation to apply for Canadian permanent residence.

Occupations In-Demand sub-category

The Occupations In-Demand sub-category is open to immigration candidates who do not have a federal Express Entry profile.

There were 257 Occupations In-Demand candidates invited to apply for a provincial nomination, and like the Express Entry sub-category, candidates needed a provincial score of 82 in order to be chosen.

The September 24 draw issued invitations to candidates in 81 occupations including senior managers, sales representatives, and machinery operators among others.

To see the complete list of occupations included in this draw, consult the government webpage.