Today marks the first day of the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program’s new Expression of Interest system for its Express Entry and Occupations In-Demand sub-categories. The move to an Expression of Interest system brings an end to the first-come, first-served model that Saskatchewan had used for these two International Skilled Worker sub-categories, which shut the door to many qualified applicants who couldn’t get their applications in on time.
The Express entry sub category allows Saskatchewan to select eligible immigration candidates in the Express Entry system and invited them to apply for a provincial nomination. The Occupations in Demand sub-category is for eligible skilled workers who possess the specified amount of work experience in one of Saskatchewan in-demand occupations
Ensuring ‘strong economic outcomes’
Saskatchewan says the switch to an EOI system will now allow its provincial nominee program, the SINP, to better target those most likely to succeed in Saskatchewan’s labour market. As the SINP says on the webpage outlining the new system, “a goal of the EOI system is to ensure strong economic outcomes and long-term retention in Saskatchewan for those invited to apply.”
Under an EOI system, interested candidates register a profile with the SINP and are given a ranking score based on their answers to questions concerning work experience, education and proficiency in English or French, among other factors.
Those who score at least 60 points on Saskatchewan pointing system and satisfy other eligibility requirements are entered into its pool of candidates for either the Express Entry and Occupations In-Demand sub-category and select candidates are invited to apply for a provincial nomination through regular draws.
A deeper pool of candidates
Saskatchewan’s EOI system will also give more people an opportunity to compete for a provincial nomination through these sub-categories, which are among the few in Canada that do not require a job offer in order to be considered.
Unlike the outgoing first-come, the first-served approach, which only accepted an allotted number of applications, anyone who meets the eligibility requirements for either sub-category can now compete for a provincial nomination.
