Latest news with #SaskatchewanImmigrantNomineeProgram
CBC
27-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Sask. reboots foreign worker nominee program with focus on health care, ag and trades
Social Sharing The province is rebooting its Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) with stricter criteria, ending a five-week pause in applications that started after Ottawa slashed the number of available spots for foreign workers in the province. SINP is meant to address labour shortages by having immigrants fill vacant positions. The rebooted SINP moves nominees in three sectors to the front of the line and reworks rules to deal with the federal government's new, lower nominee allocations for provinces, according to a news release from the Ministry of Immigration and Career Training. The province said it is prioritizing applications from workers in health care, agriculture and skilled trades. Saskatchewan's allocation for 2025 is 3,625, the lowest level since 2009, the province said. The federal government also now requires that 75 per cent of all nominees are already living in Canada as temporary residents. Ottawa's new immigration plan for 2025-27 cut immigration levels to provide "well-managed, sustainable growth" in the face of national challenges around housing, infrastructure and social service, an Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada spokesperson said last month. The province is "disappointed with the federal government's decision" to slash nominee allotments by 50 per cent, but said "the changes announced today will ensure that our reduced number of nominations is used effectively and in a way that prioritizes building our economy," said Immigration and Career Training Minister Jim Reiter in the news release. New SINP rules include: The province will prioritize overseas candidates working in health care, agriculture and trades. For all other jobs, applicants must already be temporary Canadian residents on a valid visa. A 25 per cent cap on nominations in the hospitality, food services, retail trade and trucking sectors. The province no longer takes nominations for spas, salons and pet care services (veterinarians remain eligible). The categories for entrepreneur, international graduate entrepreneur and farmer owner/operator are closed. The retooled SINP means the province will return applications for the Saskatchewan Express Entry and Occupations In-Demand sub-categories. Candidates who get their applications returned can request a fee refund. More than 90 per cent of the province's economic immigration happens through the SINP, according to the Immigration and Career Training ministry. What is SINP? Employers are allowed to hire foreign nationals through the program once they're able to prove they can't find anyone else in the province to fill a position. Once a business is qualified, they are provided with a job approval form allowing them to hire a foreign national via SINP. That person must then work full-time for that employer for at least six months to qualify for the program and stay in the country.
CBC
12-03-2025
- Politics
- CBC
'It was very, very kind': Ukrainian refugees praise reception, ponder future in Saskatchewan
Alina Shylan came to Canada from Ukraine as a government sponsored refugee in July 2022. Before the war began, she worked in Kiev as a consultant at a radio station. Shylan said the first thing she remembers from her arrival is how well welcoming Regina's community was from the moment she landed at the airport. "People were very warm and welcome," she said. "We felt like we are like in a small family in Canada. So it was very, very kind." She praised the support she and other refugees received when they first arrived. She was quickly able to open a bank account, receive a social security number and register for English language courses. Shylan now works in a casual position with the City of Regina, but said she is seeking ways to become a permanent resident. "Of course Ukrainians want to go back," she said. "But the war will not stop. And even if stopped today, in five years it can continue when Putin is recharged." On Tuesday, American officials announced that Ukraine had accepted a 30-day ceasefire deal during negotiations in Saudi Arabia. They are now awaiting a Russian response to the proposal. In the meantime, many Ukrainian refugees in Saskatchewan are waiting to see how they can stay in the province. On Feb. 18, the Saskatchewan government paused the intake of new job approvals for the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SNIP). The program is used by many immigrants and refugees, including Ukrainians, to find full-time work and build a path toward permanent residency. In a statement, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Immigration and Career training said the pause was a result of the federal government cutting provincial nominee program allocations by 50 per cent. On Feb. 27, the federal government announced it was extending visas to Mar. 31, 2026, for Ukrainians in the country under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel visa. The move gave Ukrainian refugees another year to apply for or renew work and study permits. Drew Wilby, Saskatchewan's deputy minister of immigration and career training, said the federal government should open up more pathways for Ukrainian refugees to come to the province. He said about 8,000 Ukrainians have come to Saskatchewan since the war began. Of those, more than 600 of them have gained permanent residency, 550 of them through the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program. "We'll continue to do that and prioritize those folks that do apply into that SINP program once we've released the slight pause that we're undergoing right now to accommodate the federal changes to our provincial programs," he said. A deep well of support Much of the support that refugees like Shylan received when they first arrived were the work of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, which has provided a suite of accommodations for Ukrainian newcomers since the war began. Elena Krueger became president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress of Saskatchewan just two weeks before the Russian invasion, and helped organize a pivot from primarily promoting cultural programming for Ukrainian Canadians to marshalling volunteers to provide resources to waves of refugees. "Things just really exploded," she said. "Suddenly we were meeting all the time. How can we help people? What's our next step? How will we organize opportunities for people to find shelter?" Krueger credits Saskatchewan's large Ukrainian community as the backbone of the effort. According to the 2021 Canadian census, about 140,000 people in Saskatchewan claim Ukrainian ancestry. "There's that family feeling, that connection to community, that warm welcome," she said.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Minister says pause to Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program will be 'very brief'
A pause on the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) should be lifted by the end of the month, according to the province. 'We recognize that this is causing stress for some people. We're going to make this as short term as we possibly can,' said Minister of Immigration and Career Training Jim Reiter on March 7. SINP offers immigrants an opportunity to attain permanent residency with an emphasis on attracting skilled workers, people already in Saskatchewan and those looking to start a business or operate a farm. The pause came into effect on Feb. 18, 2025, following changes made to national immigration targets. 'We felt it would be incredibly unfair to keep accepting applications,' said Reiter. 'Almost 200 applications come in a week. By the end of the month, we'd be using up all the allocations. So we're going to take a very brief pause. He noted that the province typically has approximately 7,200 spots available, but that number has been cut to 3,600. The federal government mandates that 75 per cent of those spots be used for temporary residents in Canada, meaning the number of workers from abroad is limited to approximately 900 people. There will be a recalibrating of which sectors the SINP targets, in terms of attracting workers, but Reiter said health care will remain a priority. He also said changes to national targets are 'a significant concern' and he continues to speak with the federal minister responsible for the portfolio. Some have other concerns. 'Pausing this program without notice is reckless,' said Noor Burki, the Saskatchewan NDP's shadow minister for immigration and career training, on March 7. Aleana Young, shadow minister for economy and jobs, said the same. She added that it happened during a time of 'chaos with our largest trading partner,' referring to ongoing tariff threats from U.S. President Donald Trump. 'Saskatchewan small businesses need certainty and stability,' said Young. The two NDP MLAs argued that without those things, workers already in the province through SINP could look to move, if they're able, while others may face precarious status if applications are left to expire amid the pause. They called for the Saskatchewan government to bring back the SINP immediately. 'This is a change that was made wholesale overnight,' said Young. Provincial Nominee Program sees immigration rise in Saskatchewan by 7%: study Mandryk: Halting immigration program jeopardizes 20 years of Saskatchewan population growth Nicholas Mastromatteo, director of Insul Fibre Ltd., said the pause puts his SINP employees — about 30 per cent of his company's total workforce — in a bind. 'People will end up leaving the province and the country as well,' said Mastromatteo at the NDP's March 7 news conference. He said many of his employees' permits expire in four to six months, so any pause in the program 'puts a lot of strain on their stability.' At the same time as the province deals with the disruptions to immigration, Reuters reported the United States could revoke the legal status of some 240,000 Ukrainians living in that country. 'Deporting legal refugees back into a war zone is insane,' said NDP Leader Carla Beck during a news conference in Moose Jaw on March 6. 'Canadian federal and provincial governments need to act immediately to ensure we can welcome as many of these Ukrainians as we can if the Americans proceed.' Reiter wrote a letter to the federal Minister of Immigration Marc Miller on March 7 asking that Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) applications be reopened. CUAET offered temporary status to Ukrainians fleeing conflict to travel, study and work within Canada for up to three years. The application period for the program ended in July 2023. 'Saskatchewan is prepared to welcome our fair share of Ukrainian refugees,' wrote Reiter. alsalloum@ The Regina Leader-Post has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe. With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe.
CBC
24-02-2025
- Business
- CBC
Disappointment, uncertainty as Sask. quietly pauses employers' ability to hire foreign workers
Social Sharing A decision by the Saskatchewan government to quietly pause employers' ability to hire foreign workers could leave businesses without employees and immigrants without the job they need to remain in Canada. Mike Patel, who operates a small hardware store in Indian Head, Sask., and other small stores across the province rely on the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) to help build a workforce. "It's quite a bit shocking for me as this is a great program to attract people specifically into smaller towns," Patel said. Salim Multani, who lives in Saskatoon, said he moved to Saskatchewan because SINP was supposed to give him an easier path to obtaining permanent residency in Canada. Multani said the provincial government's pause on the SINP program makes him question every decision he made over the past few years. "It was unimaginable," he told CBC News. What is SINP? SINP is meant to address labour shortages in Saskatchewan by having immigrants fill vacant positions. Employers are only allowed to hire foreign nationals through the program once they're able to prove they can't find anyone else in the province to fill a position. Once a business is qualified, they are provided with a job approval form allowing them to hire a foreign national. That person must then work full-time for that employer for at least six months to qualify for the program and stay in the country. A 'pause' On Feb. 18, the provincial government updated its immigration website, announcing it would pause the intake of job approval forms for "several weeks." The province said it's the result of a federal decision to slash immigration levels. "The Government of Saskatchewan is disappointed by the Federal Government's decision to cut all provincial nominee program allocations, including [SINP], by 50 per cent," Saskatchewan's Ministry of Immigration and Career Training wrote in a statement. For 2025, the SINP's allocation was cut to 3,625 spots. That's the lowest allocation for the program since 2009, according to the provincial government. A spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said the federal immigration plan for 2025 to 2027 is meant to provide "well-managed, sustainable growth" in the face of national challenges around housing, infrastructure and social service. "This year, all provinces and territories are expected to focus their nominations to target their most critical labour market needs, including those in construction and health care," the statement from the federal ministry said. Saskatchewan Minister of Immigration and Career Training Jim Reiter was not made available for an interview this week. Panic and frustration Rajdeep Singh, director of Pax Immigration Consultant Inc. in Emerald Park, Sask., said he knew changes to SINP were likely after the federal government announced late last year it would slash immigration numbers. Singh didn't expect that change to come so abruptly. "We have seen a lot of panic in both employers and employees," Singh said. Singh's company fielded more than 100 calls from people with ties to SINP trying to get answers about what could happen next. Singh said he and his staff are encouraging everyone to remain calm, but that he doesn't have the answers they want. "There is not a lot of information that's been posted out for us to answer them at this point," he said. "There's not official source yet who has confirmed anything to us." Abuzafor Chowdhory, a master's student at the University of Regina, said his and his family's future in Canada has been thrown into question. He's been waiting to be selected through the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program for years. Now Chowdhory is concerned about what will happen and is desperately hoping the province will provide an exemption. "When you are declaring a law or a policy, and [there are] people who already came here based upon that policy, there should be some flexibility for those people," he said.
