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Hard-to-fill skills pilot
Summary:
The Saskatchewan Hard-To-Fill Skills Pilot is a stream under the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP), created to help employers fill labour shortages in specific low- and intermediate-skilled occupations.
Launched in January 2022, this pilot allows eligible foreign workers with job offers in approved occupations to apply for permanent residence in Saskatchewan.
Who Can Apply?
To be eligible for the Saskatchewan Hard-To-Fill Skills Pilot, applicants must:
Have a full-time, permanent job offer from a Saskatchewan employer in an approved occupation.
Receive a SINP Job Approval Letter from the employer.
Prove language proficiency at Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 4 or higher.
Provide proof of at least a high school diploma or post-secondary education. If your education is from outside Canada, you’ll need an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA).
Have at least 1 year of experience in the same occupation OR 6 months of relevant work experience in Saskatchewan.
Eligible Occupations
The following 23 occupations across 8 sectors are eligible under the pilot (NOC codes shown):
Warehouse/Logistics: 1521 (Shippers), 1525 (Dispatchers), 7452 (Material Handlers)
Healthcare: 3413 (Nurse Aides), 3414 (Support Health Workers), 4412 (Home Support Workers)
Hospitality: 6513 (Food Servers), 6525 (Hotel Front Desk Clerks), 6711 (Kitchen Helpers)
Cleaning/Maintenance: 6731 (Light Duty Cleaners), 6733 (Janitors)
Transportation/Trades: 7511 (Truck Drivers), 7521 (Heavy Equipment Operators), 7611 (Construction Labourers)
Agriculture: 8431 (General Farm Workers)
Manufacturing: 9416, 9431, 9461, 9526, 9536, 9612, 9617, 9619
VIEW MORE DETAILS
Special Note for Healthcare Workers
International healthcare workers can register in the Saskatchewan International Healthcare Workers EOI Pool. This allows Saskatchewan employers to connect directly with candidates for recruitment.
How to Apply:
There’s no Expression of Interest (EOI) system for this stream. You can only apply after receiving a job offer and SINP Job Approval Letter from an eligible Saskatchewan employer.
Employers must:
Prove they tried hiring locally before offering the position to a foreign worker.
Demonstrate the benefit of hiring a foreign worker.
Commit to supporting the worker’s settlement in Saskatchewan.
Express Entry vs. Hard-To-Fill Pilot
Most applicants in this stream do not qualify for Express Entry, as the jobs are lower-skilled (NOC levels C and D).
However, in exceptional cases, applicants with past high-skilled work experience may be eligible for an enhanced nomination — which adds 600 CRS points in Express Entry, almost guaranteeing an invitation to apply for PR.
Others will receive a base nomination, which is processed outside of Express Entry and may take longer.
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I’m Rashid Ali, a Licensed Canadian Immigration Consultant, having a designation of RCIC (Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant) from the College of Citizenship & Immigration Consultants of Canada or CICC (Previously known as ICCRC). CICC is the official regulator of immigration consultants in Canada. I’m also a member of the Canadian Association for Professional Immigration Consultants (CAPIC).