SINP: General Questions

Entrepreneurs should have financial resources appropriate for their business plans in Saskatchewan and have a minimum personal net worth of CDN $250,000;  Farmers must prove a net worth of CDN $500,000.

I am eager to move as soon as possible.  When should I make arrangements to move to Saskatchewan?

Applicants should not make irrevocable arrangements to move from their current country of residence (such as quitting their job, selling their house or business) until they are notified by Citizenship and Immigration Canada that a visa is being issued to them.

I have applied for refugee status in Canada.  Can I also apply under the SINP?

No.  The SINP will not process applications from individuals that currently have a refugee claim in Canada.

I have submitted an application to CIC.  This application has not been assessed yet.  Would it be beneficial for me to apply to the SINP?

Generally speaking, the processing time for applicants to apply for permanent resident status through the SINP will be shorter than the processing time for going through the federal process without provincial nomination.  Most SINP applicants will complete the full process in approximately 12-18 months if all the required documents are provided with the initial application.  You should check the average processing time for federal applicants at the visa office where you submitted your federal application.  You should also contact the relevant visa office for further details about their specific requirements to process your application as a provincial nominee.  Visa offices in different countries may have different requirements and practices related to this issue.

You should also consider the following:

• If you decide to apply to the provincial nominee program while you have an application waiting for processing in another federal class, you may be charged twice by CIC;  once for your current application in the federal visa office, and again for your application as an SINP nominee.  The SINP, however, does not change a fee.
• You may have to fill out your forms and prepare your supporting documents again because the federal immigration office may not return your application documents for you to use in order to file your application to the SINP.

If you believe you will benefit from submitting a provincial nomination application to the visa office, you can apply to the SINP.  Once you receive a nomination letter from us, you must notify the visa office that is currently processing your federal application for further instructions on paying fees and submitting your new application.

Do the principal applicant and their accompanying spouse both need to meet the SINP criteria?

No.  Only the principal applicant needs to meet the SINP criteria.

How can I meet the language requirements?

If you were educated in a country where the first language is English you may not need additional proof of your language ability.  If your first language is not English you must prove your English language ability with one of the following:

• SINP 500-8 Affidavit of English Language Ability
  • If you have a job offer from a Saskatchewan employer, they must complete this form to verify that you have language skills necessary to do the job;
• Education/training documents that demonstrate you have attended education institutions where the language of instruction was English/French and show the length of the program;
• Language testing results that equal a score of six or greater on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS);
• Certificates of English/French Language training with a letter that shows the length of the program; or
• Employment references with English/French as the principal language of communication.

Do I need to hire a lawyer, immigration consultant, or representative to help me complete my application or advise me?

You do not need to hire a lawyer, immigration consultant or representative to access this immigration program or to advise you on your application if you feel you do not need one.  They may be of assistance in completing your application if you have difficulty understanding the forms.

Hiring someone does not mean that your application will receive special attention or be handled differently from any other application that we receive.