As of March 14, the Saskatchewan Provincial Nominee Program (SINP) has undergone several changes to the Entrepreneur category. These updates are designed to improve the program's efficiency, integrity, and alignment with provincial economic goals.
These changes will only affect Expressions of Interest (EOI) applications that are selected after March 14. All EOI applications that were selected prior to the change will still be evaluated based on the criteria and requirements existing at the time of submission.
The reform of Saskatchewan entrepreneur immigration mainly has the following aspects.
01Added language requirements
Adjusted from no hard language requirement to meet CLB5 English or French requirements.
02Mandatory business inspection
Applicants must complete at least 5 full calendar days of business visits before submitting their application, and it should be noted that this time it is clearly defined as five calendar days, which is a full five days.
03Extension of the operating hours of commercial projects
In the past, after the applicant obtained a work permit to start operating, it was necessary to operate for 6 months before submitting the final application for business acceptance, and finally obtaining the nomination documents to apply for permanent residence. The new rules extend the time to submit for commercial acceptance to 12 months.
04Adjust the criteria for determining the amount of investment
Remove non-essential business vehicles and limit upfront rental or insurance costs to ensure that the total investment is of real benefit to the Saskatchewan community.
05 Restrictions on the purchase of businesses
A business project that has already applied for a provincial nomination must be officially operated for 5 years before it can be used for a provincial nominated business project.
The announcement is very clear: only after the previous owner's application for permanent residence has been approved by the Federal Migration Service, or after the early applicant has returned the good faith deposit, and the business has been in continuous operation for at least 5 years, the new applicant can purchase a business from the former SINP entrepreneur category applicant.
06Expanded the list of industry categories that are not eligible for provincial nomination
In response to emerging challenges, SINP has expanded its list of prohibited businesses. Wholesale distributor operations, landscape operations, seasonal operations, and appliance/home furnishings retail operations are now on the list.
07New interview requirements
All applicants are now required to attend face-to-face interviews, and interpretation services are not allowed.
These interviews, which must take place within 90 days of the Saskatchewan Provincial Nominee Program (SINP) issuing the requirements, are essential to assess an applicant's suitability for the program.
Failure to attend the interview without a valid reason will result in the rejection of the application.
08 Residency requirements for applicants and their families
Applicants and their families must now reside within 50 kilometres of their business location in Saskatchewan. In addition, the definition of "city" has now been expanded to include the Regina and Saskatoon Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) as defined by Statistics Canada.
As a result of this reform, the Canadian immigration program, which previously had no mandatory English or French language requirements, also has a mandatory language requirement.
At present, many immigration program policies in Canada are rapidly adjusting, suddenly raising requirements or closing channels. For those who are still waiting to see Canada, plan as soon as possible, and welcome you to come to consult.