On March 7, Saskatchewan launched the new Tech Talent Pathway under the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) to attract tech workers into the province.
The Tech Talent Pathway is intended to ease critical labour shortages in Saskatchewan’s tech sector. With this new pathway to permanent residence for tech workers, employers in Saskatchewan’s technology and innovation sectors will be able to attract more talent to support growth and increase Saskatchewan’s global competitiveness.
“As Saskatchewan emerges from the impacts of the global pandemic, our technology sector will be an important driver of economic growth,” Immigration and Career Training Minister Jeremy Harrison said in a media release. “The new Tech Talent Pathway provides our Saskatchewan employers with a dedicated stream for the attraction of highly skilled talent into our thriving technology sector.”
This new stream will facilitate and expedite the immigration process for tech workers already working in Saskatchewan, as well as those who have been recruited outside Canada.
“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 the 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.”
To be eligible, applicants to the Tech Talent Pathway must have:
- 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 past five years; or six months working in Saskatchewan;
- post-secondary education; and
- be eligible for Saskatchewan professional licensing (applicable to eligible computer, software, electrical and electronics engineers).