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Saskatchewan has unveiled two new immigration pathways designed to address critical labor shortages in the agriculture and healthcare sectors. Announced on August 30, 2024, these initiatives are part of the province's ongoing efforts to bolster its workforce and support economic growth. Discover more about the eligibility criteria for these programs here.

Key Takeaways

  • The Agriculture Talent Pathway targets workers in 10 agricultural occupations.
  • The Health Talent Pathway targets working in over 40 healthcare occupations.
  • Both pathways require the applicant to have an approved job offer from a Saskatchewan employer. 
  • Under the Health Talent Pathway, applicants can apply under 1 of 2 streams, Express Entry and Non-Express Entry.

Watch this quick overview

The new pathways are tailored specifically for skilled workers in agriculture and healthcare, aiming to attract and retain talent essential for these vital industries. With this strategic move, Saskatchewan hopes to enhance its ability to meet the growing demands in these fields, ensuring continued prosperity and sustainability for the province.

“Saskatchewan continues to align its immigration program with current labour market needs, and these new pathways will attract international skilled workers with industry specific experience to fill in-demand jobs in health care and agriculture. With labour shortages reported across the country, creating new provincial immigration pathways and streamlining our credential recognition process will help employers in Saskatchewan acquire the workforce needed to grow their businesses.”

Immigration and Career Training Minister Jeremy Harrison

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The Health Talent Pathway 

Under this pathway, healthcare workers must be offered a job in Saskatchewan in 1 of 44 healthcare occupations. Additional eligibility requirements vary depending on whether the applicant is applying via the Express Entry route or the Non-Express Entry route.

Under the Express Entry route, the applicant must:

  • Have a valid Express Entry Profile Number and Job Seeker Code.
  • Have an English and/or French language score of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 or higher.
  • Have one year of high-skilled related work experience in the past five years in a targetted eligible occupation.
  • Be eligible for Saskatchewan licensing (if applicable).
  • Have a post-secondary education that relates to the job offered.
  • Intent to work and reside in Saskatchewan.

Under the Non-Express Entry route, the applicant must:

  • Have a language score of at least Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 5. 
  • Have completed secondary school (high school) or higher level education.
  • Have at least one year of full-time work experience in the past three years (in intended occupation); or six months (780 hours) of full-time (30+ hours per week) work experience in the job with the employer providing the Job Approval Letter. The work experience does not need to be consecutive work experience in either case.
  • Intent to work and reside in Saskatchewan.
  • Temporary residents already in Canada must reside in Saskatchewan at the time of submission. 

Which Occupations Are Covered Under The Health Talent Pathway? 

The following high and intermediate-skilled health occupations are eligible through this stream:

30010Managers in health care
31100Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine
31101Specialists in surgery
31102General practitioners and family physicians
31103Veterinarians
31110Dentists
31111Optometrists
31112Audiologists and speech-language pathologists
31120Pharmacists
31121Dietitians and nutritionists
31200Psychologists
31201Chiropractors
31202Physiotherapists
31203Occupational therapists
31204Kinesiologists and other professional occupations in therapy and assessment
31209Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating
31300Nursing coordinators and supervisors
31301Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
31302Nurse practitioners
31303Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals
32100Opticians
32101Licensed practical nurses
32102Paramedical occupations
32103Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists
32104Animal health technologists and veterinary technicians
32109Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment
32110Denturists
32111Dental hygienists and dental therapists
32112Dental technologists and technicians
32120Medical laboratory technologists
32121Medical radiation technologists
32122Medical sonographers
32123Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists n.e.c
32124Pharmacy technicians
32129Other medical technologists and technicians
32200Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists
32201Massage therapists
32209Other practitioners of natural healing
33100Dental assistants and dental laboratory assistants
33101Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations
33102Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates
33103Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants
33109Other assisting occupations in support of health services
44101Home support workers, caregivers and related occupations (Non-Express Entry only)

The Agriculture Talent Pathway 

Under this pathway, Agriculture workers must be offered a job in Saskatchewan in 1 of 10 Agriculture occupations.

In addition to this, applicants must: 

  • Have a language score of at least Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 4. 
  • Have completed secondary school (high school) or higher level education.
  • Have at least one year of full-time work experience in the past three years (in intended occupation); or six months (780 hours) of full-time (30+ hours per week) work experience in the job with the employer providing the Job Approval Letter. The work experience does not need to be consecutive work experience in either case.
  • Intent to work and reside in Saskatchewan.

Which Occupations Are Covered Under The Agriculture Talent Pathway? 

The following high and intermediate-skilled Agricultural occupations are eligible through this stream:

75101 Material handlers
84120Specialized livestock workers and farm machinery operators
85100Livestock labourers
85101Harvesting labourers
85103Nursery and greenhouse labourers
94140Process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing
94141Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers
94143Testers and graders, food and beverage processing
94204Mechanical assemblers and inspectors
95106Labourers in food and beverage processing

Any candidate who qualifies for one of these new programs can apply online via the Saskatchewan Oasis system.

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About the author

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Rebecca Major

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Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant
Rebecca Major is a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (R511564) with nearly 15 years of licenced Canadian Immigration experience, gained after graduating with a Bachelor of Laws in the UK. She specializes in Canadian immigration at Moving2Canada.
Read more about Rebecca Major
Citation "Saskatchewan Announces Two New Immigration Pathways Targeting Healthcare and Agriculture Workers." Moving2Canada. . Copy for Citation

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