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Saskatchewan has issued its first invitations through the new Expression of Interest system for its Occupations In-Demand immigration sub-category.

In an update published September 20, the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) says it issued 140 invitations to candidates in the , which targets eligible skilled workers with work experience in one of .

The lowest-ranked candidate had a score of 75 points on and the SINP specified that those invited all had Educational Credential Assessments, which are required in order to apply for a provincial nomination from Saskatchewan.

Anyone interested in immigrating to Saskatchewan through the Occupations In-Demand sub-category must first complete an , a pre-application process that determines one's eligibility.

Candidates must meet the minimum threshold of 60 points out of a possible 100 on factors such as education and training, skilled work experience, language ability, age, and connections to Saskatchewan's labour market / adaptability. Those who meet this minimum and the sub-category's other criteria are then entered into the pool of candidates, where they are ranked against the competition.

EOI candidates with the highest scores are issued invitations to apply for a provincial nomination from Saskatchewan through periodic draws from the EOI pool. The SINP says the number of invitations issued in each draw "is dependent on annual processing targets and employment demands."

Candidates whose provincial nomination application is approved by Saskatchewan can then apply to Canada's federal government for permanent residence.

Saskatchewan switched to an EOI system for its Occupations In-Demand and immigration sub-categories in July. Both are components of Saskatchewan's .

Saskatchewan issued its first invitations to EOI candidates in its Express Entry sub-category on August 21.

The SINP says the change allows it to better target immigration candidates who are most likely to succeed in Saskatchewan’s labour market and that "a goal of the EOI system is to ensure strong economic outcomes and long-term retention in Saskatchewan for those invited to apply.”

Previously, the SINP had employed a first-come, first-served approach to applications through the two sub-categories that favoured those quickest to apply when they were opened periodically to candidates.

EOI systems, which prioritize a candidate’s so-called human capital, are now employed by most Canadian provinces. The Government of Canada's is also EOI-based, as is Quebec's new approach to selecting candidates through the popular Quebec Skilled Worker Program.

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