How to Immigrate to Saskatchewan, Canada in 2026
Last updated: March 2026
Saskatchewan has long been one of the more accessible provinces for immigrants to Canada, particularly because its provincial nominee program historically allowed candidates to apply without a job offer and with modest CRS scores. That picture changed significantly in 2025. Here is an honest, current overview of how immigration to Saskatchewan works — what is still possible, what has been paused, and what to realistically expect in 2026.
Why Saskatchewan?
Saskatchewan is located in the prairie region of Canada, bordered by Alberta to the west and Manitoba to the east. It is known as Canada's sunniest province, averaging 2,000 to 2,500 hours of sunshine annually. The economy is built on agriculture, natural resources, mining, and manufacturing — and increasingly, healthcare and technology.
The province offers some of the most affordable housing and living costs in Canada. Cities like Saskatoon and Regina are liveable, well-serviced, and have established immigrant communities. The newcomer retention rate is around 85%, which reflects genuine satisfaction among those who settle here. Saskatchewan offers permanent residents the same access to universal healthcare as any other province.
For immigrants willing to settle outside of major urban centres like Vancouver or Toronto, Saskatchewan represents genuine value — lower cost of living, real job opportunities, and a welcoming environment.
What Happened to the SINP in 2025
This is the most important thing to understand before diving into the streams: the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) effectively paused draws for most international applicants throughout 2025.
In early 2025, the federal government cut Saskatchewan's nomination allocation by approximately 50% — from around 8,000 spaces in 2024 to roughly 4,761 by year-end after a mid-year top-up. In response, SINP paused the intake of new Job Approval Forms in February 2025, conducted a program review, and implemented major policy changes effective March 27, 2025.
The last EOI-based draw for international skilled worker streams was held in September 2024. No draws under the Occupations In-Demand, Express Entry, or Employment Offer streams were conducted for international applicants through most of 2025.
The key policy shift: a federal requirement that 75% of all SINP nominations go to temporary residents already in Canada. This effectively closed the door on overseas recruitment except in three sectors — healthcare, agriculture, and skilled trades. Sector caps were also introduced — accommodation, food services, retail trade, and trucking are now capped at 25% of total annual nominations.
The Entrepreneur pathway, International Graduate Entrepreneur sub-category, and Farm Owner/Operator category were all closed to new applications as of 2025.
For 2026, the national PNP allocation has increased significantly — up to 91,500 nationally — which gives Saskatchewan more room to operate. Draws are expected to resume, but the priority and eligibility structure that was put in place in 2025 remains. The program is operating more selectively than it did in 2022 or 2023.
The SINP Streams That Still Exist
International Skilled Worker — Occupations In-Demand This is the stream the original version of this post focused on — no job offer required, open to candidates with TEER 0 to 3 occupations not on Saskatchewan's excluded list. You score points on the SINP grid based on age, education, work experience, language proficiency, and Saskatchewan connections. You need a minimum of 60 points out of 110 to be eligible, and at least CLB 4 in language. Draws select the highest-scoring candidates from the pool.
This stream is still open in principle, but overseas applicants face significant constraints in the current environment. Priority is given to candidates already in Canada, and draws for this stream have been minimal. If your occupation is in healthcare, agriculture, or skilled trades, your chances improve considerably.
International Skilled Worker — Saskatchewan Express Entry For candidates who have an active federal Express Entry profile. You need at least 60 points on the SINP grid, CLB 7 or higher language scores to match your Express Entry profile, and work experience in a TEER 0 to 3 occupation on Saskatchewan's in-demand list. A provincial nomination through this stream adds 600 CRS points. Like the Occupations In-Demand stream, this has been largely paused for international applicants — but is expected to resume as the 2026 allocation is distributed.
International Skilled Worker — Employment Offer For candidates who have a full-time, permanent job offer from a Saskatchewan employer in a TEER 0 to 3 occupation. This pathway is more active than the no-job-offer streams, particularly for healthcare, agriculture, and skilled trades employers. You still need a minimum of 60 SINP points and CLB 4 language proficiency.
Saskatchewan Experience Category For temporary foreign workers and international graduates already living and working in Saskatchewan. This is currently the most active pathway given the federal requirement that 75% of nominations go to candidates already in Canada. If you are already in Saskatchewan on a work or study permit, this should be your first consideration.
The SINP Points System
Across all International Skilled Worker streams, your score on the SINP points grid determines your competitiveness. Points are awarded for age, education level and field, work experience, language proficiency in English and French, and adaptability factors. Adaptability points are given for past work or study in Saskatchewan, and for having family members who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents living in Saskatchewan — including parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, first cousins, and step-family or in-laws.
Having Saskatchewan connections makes a meaningful difference to your score. If you have family in the province or have previously studied or worked there, it is worth calculating how that affects your standing.
Occupations in Demand
Saskatchewan has consistently prioritized the following sectors in recent draws and policy statements for 2026: healthcare workers including nurses, paramedics, and allied health professionals; agriculture and agri-food workers; skilled trades including welders, electricians, carpenters, and heavy duty equipment mechanics; and technology professionals.
The trades have historically been selected at lower point thresholds than other occupations — welders, electricians, carpenters, and heavy duty equipment mechanics have appeared at the lowest cutoffs in past draws, meaning even candidates with modest language scores have been selected when their occupation is in demand.
What This Means for Your Strategy
If you are already in Saskatchewan on a work or study permit, the Saskatchewan Experience Category is your strongest pathway right now and you should move quickly given limited spaces.
If you are in Canada on a temporary permit but not yet in Saskatchewan, relocating to Saskatchewan and gaining local work experience significantly strengthens your position.
If you are outside Canada with no existing Canadian ties, the realistic pathways in 2026 are a job offer in healthcare, agriculture, or skilled trades from a Saskatchewan employer — or federal Express Entry with Saskatchewan as your preferred province, accepting that provincial draws may take time to resume for your occupation.
The SINP has not been permanently closed — it is adjusting to a new federal reality, and draws are expected to increase in 2026 as the national PNP allocation grows. But if you are planning your immigration timeline around Saskatchewan, build in flexibility and explore parallel federal pathways in the meantime.
If you want to assess your SINP eligibility and figure out the most realistic timeline for your situation, book a consultation with Magellan Immigration.
About the author Sao Khadjieva (R515185) is a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant licensed by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants. With over 10 years of experience, she advises on Express Entry, Provincial Nominee Programs, study permits, work permits, and business immigration. Sao is the principal consultant at Magellan Immigration in Vancouver, BC.