Saskatchewan has a new Tech Talent Pathway. It is under the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) and welcomes tech workers into the province.
This new subcategory aims to reduce the labour lacks in the tech sector in Saskatchewan. It is a permanent residence pathway that allows employers in the technology sector to attract and hire foreign talent to support the province’s development.
Immigration and Career Training Minister Jeremy Harrison stated in a media release that “The new Tech Talent Pathway provides our Saskatchewan employers with a dedicated stream for the attraction of highly skilled talent into our thriving technology sector.”
Indeed, this new stream facilitates the immigration process for tech workers already working in Saskatchewan and or those outside Canada.
Eligibility:
To qualify under this new pathway, applicants need to:
- Hold an employer-specific SINP Job Approval Letter under the SINP. It must be for an eligible technology sector occupation.
- Have a minimum language test result of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB). If the applicant is not working in Saskatchewan, it can be a level 5. But, it has to be a level 7 if they are applying for Express Entry.
- Have at least 12 months of work experience in that field in the past five years. Or at least six months of experience working in that position in Saskatchewan. By full-time, it means at least 30 hours per week.
- Have at least a post-secondary education.
- Ensure you are eligible for getting the Saskatchewan professional licensing in the tech field.
According to the SINP, these criteria can change at any time. Therefore, it is better to check the government link when applying.
Eligible Occupations
To qualify, applicants must have a job offer under one of the following occupations. Here they are listed based on the NOC code:
- 0213 Computer and information systems managers
- 2133 Electrical and Electronics engineers
- 2147 Computer engineers
- 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
Criteria To Qualify Under the Tech Pathway in Saskatchewan
- Candidates can qualify if they live inside Canada or outside Canada.
- Hold a valid job offer for a full-time job in the technology or innovation sector job in Saskatchewan, regardless of if you are applying as an Express Entry candidate or not.
- Have a SINP Job Approval Letter.
- If the applicant lives in Saskatchewan, they must have worked in the province for at least six months with the employer offering the job. If the person doesn’t have six months of work experience with the employer in Saskatchewan, they need a minimum of 1 year of work experience in this field. On the other hand, if the candidate lives in a different province of Canada or abroad, they also need at least one year of work experience in tech. It should be in the last five years.
To be eligible for Saskatchewan licensing, candidates need:
- Hold a letter from the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan (APEGS)to show their application for Engineer-in-Training has been approved; or
- Deliver a letter from APEGS stating that they have been given Confirmatory Exams.
Also, candidates must have a post-secondary degree. It could be a Master
- Bachelor
- Three-year degree from university or college
- Two years diploma
Other provinces with immigration programs for tech workers are:
- Alberta
- Ontario
- Quebec
- British Columbia