Saskatchewan | New Tech Talent Pathway Program

The Tech Talent Pathway will introduce a new immigration option for tech employees in 11 occupations who want to relocate to Saskatchewan.

Saskatchewan introduced the new Tech Talent Pathway under the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) on March 7 to lure tech employees to the province. The Tech Talent Pathway aims to alleviate significant labour shortages in Saskatchewan’s technology sector. Employers in Saskatchewan’s technology and innovation industries will be able to attract more talent to promote development and boost Saskatchewan’s worldwide competitiveness with this new road to permanent residency for tech professionals.

As Saskatchewan recovers from the effects of the worldwide pandemic, our technology industry will be a key engine of economic growth, stated Immigration and Career Training Minister Jeremy Harrison in a press statement. The new Tech Talent Pathway provides a dedicated stream for our Saskatchewan firms to recruit highly competent talent into our growing technology industry. This new stream will make the immigration process easier and faster for IT employees who are currently in Saskatchewan and those recruited from outside Canada.

The Saskatchewan economy depends on our capacity to recruit and retain highly talented immigrants who constitute vital anchors of specialised talents in our towns and workforce, stated Saskatchewan Tech President Dr . Aaron Genest in a press statement. The Tech Talent Pathway, which is unique in Canada, provides a competitive edge to Saskatchewan sectors. As well, it simplifies the immigration process and recognises that we want our immigrants to stay in our province and work with us to develop new solutions for Saskatchewan to sell throughout the world. To be eligible for the Tech Talent Pathway, applicants must have the following qualifications: an employer-specific SINP Job Approval Letter for an eligible technology sector occupation; a minimum official language level of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 5 if the applicant is not working in Saskatchewan when they apply, or CLB level 7 if applying for Express Entry; at least one year of work experience in that occupation in the previous five years; or six months working in Saskatchewan; post-secondary education; and post-secondary education (applicable to eligible computer, software, electrical and electronics engineers).

According to the SINP, programme requirements can change at any moment, however, decision-makers will consider the information on the government website at the time the application is received. Every year, the federal government, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), determines the number of nominations that the SINP can make. However, according to the SINP, no application is guaranteed to be nominated.

Eligible occupations Candidates who have a job offer in one of the occupations listed below by their National Occupation Classification (NOC) code may be eligible to apply to the Saskatchewan Tech Talent Pathway. NOC 0213 Computer and information systems managers NOC 2133 Electrical and Electronics engineers NOC 2147 Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers) NOC 2171 Information System analysts and consultants NOC 2172 Database analysts and data administrators NOC 2173 Software engineers and designers NOC 2174 Computer programmers and interactive media developers NOC 2175 Web designers and developers NOC 2281 Computer network technicians NOC 2282 User support technicians NOC 2283 Information system testing technicians If you live outside of Canada or have legal status in Canada and are not a refugee claimant, you may be eligible for the programme.

The Express Entry sub-category is an enhanced Provincial Nomination Program (PNP) linked to federal Express Entry system. Express Entry is a system used by the Canadian government to manage Canadian permanent residence applications for three of its popular economic immigration programmes: Federal Skilled Worker Class (FSWC), Federal Skilled Trades Class (FSTC), and Canadian Experience Class (CEC) Express Entry applicants who receive a provincial nomination from Saskatchewan earns an additional 600 points toward their Comprehensive Ranking System score at the federal level, effectively guaranteeing an Invitation to Apply for Canadian permanent residence.

Check out Owlspriority Immigration’s Canada Settlement Resources to learn more about ways to find a new job in Canada, making your initial days in Canada stress-free and confident, etc.