The recent announcement by the federal government regarding a reduction in the allocation of nominations for each province has drastically impacted immigration processes across Canada. Saskatchewan, a favorite destination for immigrants due to its two most sought-after categories—Express Entry and Occupation-in-Demand—has been particularly affected.

Many applicants who did not have enough points in the Express Entry system chose Saskatchewan as their pathway to Canada. However, with the recent cuts, they now face significant challenges.

The federal government has reduced Saskatchewan’s nomination allocation by 50%, cutting it from 7,250 to 3,625.

The Saskatchewan government, deeply disappointed with this decision, had no choice but to take drastic measures to manage the limited nominations for 2025. From January 2025 to March 27, 2025, the government remained silent while evaluating the best way to distribute these allocations to meet the province’s labor shortages. Finally, on March 27, 2025, Saskatchewan announced the following measures:

  1. Applications currently in process under the Occupation-in-Demand and Express Entry categories will be returned to applicants along with a refund of their application fees.
  2. Job Approval Forms—an approval required by employers in Saskatchewan to recruit foreign non-resident employees for permanent residency—will be restricted to certain sectors. Only candidates in healthcare, agriculture, and skilled trades will be approved from overseas, while all other sectors must recruit candidates already working in Canada on a work permit.
  3. A cap of 25% will be imposed on nominations in the food service, retail trade, and trucking sectors.
  4. Spas, salons, and pet care services will no longer be eligible under SINP for recruitment.
  5. The Entrepreneur, Student Entrepreneur, and Farm Owner categories will be permanently closed.

Conclusion:

  1. SINP is unlikely to grant nominations to candidates without a job offer, so applicants should not expect any draws in the SINP-Express Entry and SINP-OID categories in 2025.
  2. SINP has acknowledged that a disproportionate number of nominations have previously gone to the food sector, creating an imbalance among other industries. As a result, a 25% cap has been imposed on the food, retail, and trucking sectors.
  3. Categories that contribute less to addressing labor shortages have been permanently closed.
  4. Overseas candidates will be prioritized in healthcare, agriculture, and skilled trades, where there is a significant shortage of workers.
  5. Candidates already working in Canada will be given priority in other sectors.

These cuts are a result of the growing population of migrants on study permits, work permits, and asylum seekers, which has placed an increasing burden on Canada’s infrastructure, including housing, healthcare, and job availability. Rising immigration has led to skyrocketing rent prices and long wait times for medical appointments. The Canadian government is implementing various measures to control the situation.

Former Immigration Minister Marc Miller played a key role in implementing these changes. With the federal elections scheduled for late April 2025, the future of immigration in Canada remains uncertain. While we see no impact on applications submitted and will be submitting in Healthcare, Construction, Skilled Trades, Other secotrs may face hard time.

While these cuts have had a significant impact on many businesses in Canada, leading to widespread concern, we continue to hope for the best for those already in Canada and for those aspiring to make Canada their home.