Saskatchewan launches new Tech Talent Pathway under the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) to attract tech workers into the province. The Tech Talent Pathway is intended to ease critical labour shortages in Saskatchewan’s tech sector. With this new pathway to permanent residence for tech workers, employers in Saskatchewan’s technology and innovation sectors will be able to attract more talent to support growth and increase Saskatchewan’s global competitiveness.
This new stream will facilitate and expedite the immigration process for tech workers already working in Saskatchewan, as well as those who have been recruited outside Canada.
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify for the program if you live outside Canada or have legal status in Canada, and are not a refugee claimant.
To be eligible, applicants to the Tech Talent Pathway must have:
- An employer-specific SINP Job Approval Letter for an eligible technology sector occupation;
- a minimum official language level of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 5 if the applicant is not working in Saskatchewan when they apply or CLB level 7 if applying for Express Entry;
- at least one-year of work experience in that occupation in the past five years; or six months working in Saskatchewan;
- post-secondary education; and
- be eligible for Saskatchewan professional licensing (applicable to eligible computer, software, electrical and electronics engineers).
The SINP says program criteria can change at any time, but decision makers will use the information that was on the government website at the time they receive the application.
Eligible Occupations
Candidates my be able to apply to the Saskatchewan Tech Talent Pathway if they have a job offer in one of the following occupations, listed below by their National Occupation Classification (NOC) code.
- 0213 Computer and information systems managers
- 2133 Electrical and Electronics engineers
- 2147 Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers)
- 2171 Information System analysts and consultants
- 2172 Database analysts and data administrators
- 2173 Software engineers and designers
- 2174 Computer programmers and interactive media developers
- 2175 Web designers and developers
- 2281 Computer network technicians
- 2282 User support technicians
- 2283 Information system testing technicians
Other Eligibility Criteria
Applying From Saskatchewan
If you are applying from Saskatchewan, you must be currently working in the province and have worked full time for at least six months for the employer offering you the eligible job. Full time, according to the government, means at least 30 hours per week.
If you have not been working for your supporting employer full-time for at least six months, then you need to have at least one-year of work experience in your occupation within the last five years.
Applying From Outside Saskatchewan
If applying from other provinces of Canada or from outside Canada, you need one year of related work experience in your intended occupation within the past five years.
Language Requirements
For the language requirement, those who are currently working will have to meet the language requirements established by their employer. If not currently working for the employer offering the job, your language ability will have to be CLB 5 or higher in English or French.
Licensing Requirements
You must be eligible for Saskatchewan licensing if your occupation requires it. Computer engineers, Software engineers (but not designers), and electrical and electronics engineers will be required to:
- Provide a letter from the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan (APEGS) showing that an application for registration as an Engineer-in-Training has been approved; or
- Provide a letter from APEGS indicating that they have been assigned Confirmatory Exams.
Also, you need a post-secondary education that relates to the job offer, which could be a Master’s or Bachelor’s degree; or a three-year degree at a university or college; or a diploma that requires two years at a university, college, trade or technical school, or other post-secondary institution.
Are You Eligible If You Are In The Express Entry Pool?
If you are already in the Express Entry pool, you may also be eligible through this stream. However, you have to meet different criteria.
As a candidate in IRCC’s Express Entry pool, you may qualify for this sub-category if you live outside Canada or have proof of legal status in Canada, are not a refugee claimant, and:
- Have a valid Express Entry Profile Number and Job Seeker Code.
- Have a language test result that meets the federal Express Entry language requirements.
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