For tech employees in 11 occupations who want to relocate to Saskatchewan, the Tech Talent Pathway will provide a new immigration option.

Saskatchewan's new Tech Talent Pathway was launched on March 7 as part of the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) to recruit tech employees to the province.

The IT Talent Pathway aims to address Saskatchewan's acute labour shortages in the tech sector. Employers in Saskatchewan's technology and innovation industries will be able to attract more talent to promote development and boost Saskatchewan's global competitiveness thanks to this new road to permanent residency for tech professionals.

In a statement, Immigration and Career Training Minister Jeremy Harrison stated, "As Saskatchewan recovers from the effects of the worldwide pandemic, our technology industry will be an essential engine of economic recovery." "The new Tech Personnel 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 employed in Saskatchewan as well as those who have been recruited from outside the country.

"Our ability to recruit and retain highly talented immigrants, who constitute vital anchors of specialised talents in our communities and workforce, is critical to Saskatchewan's economy," said SaskTech President Dr. Aaron Genest in the announcement. "The Tech Talent Pathway is unique in Canada and provides a competitive edge to Saskatchewan industry." It simplifies the immigration process and recognises that we want our immigrants to stay in Saskatchewan and contribute to the creation of new solutions that Saskatchewan can export throughout the world."

Applicants to the Tech Talent Pathway must meet the following criteria in order to be considered:

• 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).

According to the SINP, programme requirements can change at any moment, but decision makers will rely on the information on the government website at the time the application is received.

The SINP is limited in the number of nominations it may make each year by the federal government's Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). According to the SINP, no application is guaranteed to be nominated.

Eligible occupations

Candidates who have a job offer in one of the following occupations, listed below by their National Occupation Classification (NOC) code, may be eligible to apply to the Saskatchewan Tech Talent Pathway.

• 0213 Computer and information systems managers

• 2133 Electrical and Electronics engineers

• 2147 Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers)

• 2171 Information System analysts and consultants

• 2172 Database analysts and data administrators

• 2173 Software engineers and designers

• 2174 Computer programmers and interactive media developers

• 2175 Web designers and developers

• 2281 Computer network technicians

• 2282 User support technicians

• 2283 Information system testing technicians

More eligibility criteria

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.

Regardless of whether you apply through Express Entry or not, you must have an offer for a qualifying permanent, full-time work in the technology or innovation industry in Saskatchewan. To demonstrate proof and attest to your plan to work and remain in Saskatchewan, you'll need a valid SINP Job Approval Letter.

If you are applying from Saskatchewan, you must be actively employed in the province and have worked full-time for the business giving you the suitable employment for at least six months. According to the government, full time implies working at least 30 hours a week.

You must have at least one year of work experience in your occupation within the past five years if you have not been working for your supporting employer full-time for at least six months.

You must have one year of related work experience in your planned occupation within the last five years if you are applying from other provinces in Canada or from outside Canada.

Those who are presently employed will be required to fulfil their employer's language requirements for the language requirement. If you are not presently employed by the company providing the position, you must have CLB 5 or above in English or French.

If your employment demands it, you must be qualified for Saskatchewan licence. Electrical and electronics engineers, as well as computer and software engineers (although not designers), will be required to:

• Provide a letter from the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan (APEGS) showing that an application for registration as an Engineer-in-Training has been approved; or

• Provide a letter from APEGS indicating that they have been assigned Confirmatory Exams.

You must also have a post-secondary education relevant to the position you've been offered, such as a Master's or Bachelor's degree; a three-year degree from a university or college; or a two-year diploma from a university, college, trade or technical school, or other post-secondary institution.

Eligibility for Express Entry candidates

This stream may be open to those who have been approved into the IRCC's Express Entry pool. Different criteria apply to those who choose to apply to this stream as IRCC Express Entry applicants. IRCC prioritised Express Entry applications for permanent residency, with projected permanent residency application processing timelines. Despite the fact that the processing norm is six months or fewer, IRCC is now grappling with an immigration backlog that is significantly lengthening processing timelines. The website will be updated in the coming months, according to Immigration Minister Sean Fraser.

You may qualify for this sub-category as an Express Entry candidate if you live outside of Canada or have proof of legal status in Canada, are not a refugee claimant, and:

• Have a valid Express Entry Profile Number and Job Seeker Code.

• Have a language test result that meets the federal Express Entry language requirements.

You must be eligible for one of the Express Entry-managed programmes in order to create an Express Entry profile. The Federal Skilled Worker Program or the Canadian Experience Class are normally available to tech employees. The Federal Skilled Trades Program, operated by Express Entry, is largely for IT employees who are ineligible for the other two programmes.

At Immigration Experts, we guide your clients with the best possibilities of moving to Canada (https://www.immigrationxperts.com/canada-immigration/67-canada-immigration-point-system/) with regards to their professional background.

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