Saskatchewan introduces new pathway to facilitate permanent immigration for tech workers

Alexandra Miekus - 14 March, 2022

The Canadian province of Saskatchewan has launched a new program to facilitate the arrival of skilled technology workers.

The new program called Tech Talent Pathway was launched under the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) on March 7.

The program is designed to address the critical shortage of high-tech workers in Saskatchewan. This new pathway to permanent residency is designed to help Saskatchewan employers recruit more talent to help grow and improve the province's global competitiveness in the technology and innovation sectors.

“The economy of Saskatchewan relies on our ability to attract and retain highly skilled immigrants who form critical anchors of specialized skills in our communities and workforce,” SaskTech President Dr. Aaron Genest said in a media release. 

“The Tech Talent Pathway offers a competitive advantage to Saskatchewan industries and is unique in Canada. It streamlines the immigration process and acknowledges that we want our immigrants to stay right here in our province to join us in creating innovative solutions for Saskatchewan to export to the world.”

The program is open to applicants living outside of Canada as well as those with legal status in Canada. To be eligible, applicants must have a permanent, full-time job offer in the technology or innovation sector in Saskatchewan.

Eligibility requirements for non-Express Entry candidates

If you are interested in applying under the Tech Talent Pathway you must meet the following requirements to be eligible:

• Have an employer-specific SINP Job Approval Letter for an eligible technology sector occupation;
• Have a minimum official language level of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 5 if you are not working in Saskatchewan when you apply or CLB level 7 if you are applying for Express Entry;
• Have at least one-year of work experience in eligible tech occupation in the past five years or six months if you are already working in Saskatchewan ;
• Have a post-secondary education; and
• You have to be eligible for Saskatchewan professional licensing (applicable to eligible computer, software, electrical and electronics engineers).

Eligible occupations

You may be able to apply to the Saskatchewan Tech Talent Pathway if you have a job offer in one of the following occupations, which are listed with their National Occupational Classification (NOC) code: 

• Computer and information systems managers (0213)
• Electrical and Electronics engineers (2133)
• Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers) (2147)
• Information System analysts and consultants (2171)
• Database analysts and data administrators (2172)
• Software engineers and designers (2173)
• Computer programmers and interactive media developers (2174)
• Web designers and developers (2175)
• Computer network technicians (2281)
• User support technicians (2282)
• Information system testing technicians (2283)

Eligibility requirements for Express Entry candidates

If you are eligible for one Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada's (IRCC) Express Entry-managed programs or have been accepted into the pool you may also be eligible for this pathway. If you choose to apply to this stream as an IRCC Express Entry candidate you will be required to : 

• Have a valid Express Entry Profile Number and Job Seeker Code.
• Have a language test result that meets the federal Express Entry language requirements.

The advantage of applying through Express Entry is that the IRCC gives priority to Express Entry applications for permanent residence and processing times are generally six months or less. Currently, these processing times are longer due to the challenges posed by COVID-19, but the Canadian government aims to restore the 6-month standard in the near future.

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