The government of Saskatchewan has unveiled an immigration pathway for international graduates who have completed their education from eligible institutions in Saskatchewan. The program is one of the categories created under Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) with the aim of attracting and retaining highly skilled graduates who wish to work as entrepreneurs in the province.

The program is officially called as International Graduate Entrepreneur Category, and offers a perfect route to obtain permanent residency Canada for the eligible international graduates.

“This new immigration pathway will help retain international students who have often already successfully integrated into communities in the province,” Immigration and Career Training Minister Jeremy Harrison said. He also stated that the pathway will help businesses to create more jobs, and strengthen the economy of Saskatchewan with more investments coming in to the province.

As part of Saskatchewan entrepreneur program, the immigration pathway is one of the key components of Saskatchewan’s Growth Plan for 2020 to 2030, which aims to increase the number of students opting Saskatchewan for higher studies, and also boosting the inflow of entrepreneur newcomers into the province.

“International education is an important driver for Saskatchewan’s future economic and cultural growth and this new category will help encourage international students to make Saskatchewan their home once they complete their studies.” Advanced Education Minister Tina Beaudry-Mellor stated in a release.

International graduates with full-time, post-secondary degree or diploma who have stayed in Saskatchewan for two years are eligible to apply for this program.

Selected applicants will require to operate and manage a business in Saskatchewan for at least one year, and claim one-third of the ownership in the business to be eligible for the provincial nomination.

What are the Program Requirements?

Applicants must meet the minimum eligibility criteria to apply under the International Graduate Entrepreneur Category Process:

• Be at least 21 years of age;
• Have completed a full-time Saskatchewan post-secondary degree or diploma of at least two years in length from a recognized and eligible Saskatchewan institution;
• Have a valid Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) with at least 24-months of eligibility remaining;
• Must have lived in Saskatchewan during their academic studies; and
• Have a minimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level of 7

Please note that the program does not consider distant learning programs and accelerated academic programs to apply for Canada business visa.

What is the Application Procedure?

• Upon meeting the eligibility requirements, you may submit an Expression of Interest to the SINP. You will be awarded scores based on information you submit at the time of EOI creation, after this, your profile will be entered into the pool of candidates.
• The highest-ranking candidates are awarded an Invitation to Apply (ITA) to further apply for the program. Applicants also need to qualify the SINP’s assessment stage and sign a Business Performance Agreement (BPA) based on their Business Establishment Plan (BEP).
• Applicants with a valid PGWP are then allowed to actively operate a business in Saskatchewan for a period of 24 months. However, they must establish their business operations as per the specified terms, and they must fulfill all requirements within their term of their PGWP.
• Once all BPA requirements have been successfully fulfilled, applicants will be eligible to apply for the provincial nomination for permanent residency.

For international students in Saskatchewan with an entrepreneurial spirit, this program is the perfect option to get Canadian permanent residency in no time.