Saskatchewan announces a major change to its immigration component for international students

To attract and retain qualified international students and assist employers to capitalize on their skills and experience, Saskatchewan has announced a major change in the Student Category of its Provincial Nominee Program (SINP) in alignment with Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s (CIC) Post-Graduation Work Permit Program (PGWP) for international students.

Effective immediately, the change will remove the "restriction on type of employment" for those international students who are working for a Saskatchewan employer under the federal PGWP and want to apply for Canadian Permanent Resident status through the SINP after having minimum of six (6) months work experience in a permanent full-time job. Previously they had to work in their field of study.

In order to qualify under the Student Category, international students must have graduated from a program of at least one academic year of full-time study in Saskatchewan and has received a certificate, diploma, or degree from a recognized Saskatchewan post secondary educational institution; have worked for a Saskatchewan employer for a minimum of six months under a CIC’s PGWP; and have a current permanent full-time job offer from their employer.

The expanded student category now accepts graduate applicants holding permanent full-time job offers in any occupation.

Since the inception of the SINP Student Category, 158 foreign students have been nominated to become permanent residents of the province. The most recent Department of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism statistics show that approximately 3,500 foreign students annually study in Saskatchewan.

To further help international students establish their careers and pursue their goals, Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Advanced Education, Employment and Labor announced the expansion of the Graduate Retention Program last month. This program offers tuition rebates as high as $20,000 over seven years to the graduates of approved programs, including international students, who live in Saskatchewan.