Saskatchewan gets immigration increase, but shortages remain

SaskatchewanSaskatchewan has received more than 1,100 additional nominations from Ottawa this year, slightly easing pressure on the province’s struggling immigrant nominee program.Province’s nominee program rises to 4,761 spots after Ottawa approves more allocations, far below past levelsJeffery Tram · CBC News · Posted: Aug 25, 2025 7:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours agoSaskatchewan is receiving 1,136 new spots for foreign workers. (Kirk Fraser/CBC News)Saskatchewan has received more than 1,100 additional nominations from Ottawa this year, slightly easing pressure on the province’s struggling immigrant nominee program.Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada approved 1,136 new nominations for 2025, bringing the province’s total allocation under the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) from 3,625 to 4,761.The provincial government says the increase is welcome, but still well below historic levels.Healthcare, agriculture and skilled trades will continue to get priority processing as the province tries to address labour shortages in critical sectors.Up to 25 per cent of the new nominations will go toward jobs in trucking, accommodations, food services and retail trade.The Ministry of Immigration and Career Training said the extra spaces will support employers, but do not reverse the impact of Ottawa’s cuts.”Reducing the number of permanent and temporary residents in Canada should not come at the expense of economic immigration to Saskatchewan,” Diane Robinson, communications director for the ministry, said in a statement to CBC.The increase comes after the province rebooted its nominee program in March with stricter criteria, following Ottawa’s decision to slash Saskatchewan’s allocations by half — the lowest level since 2009. The federal government also requires that 75 per cent of nominees already live in Canada as temporary residents.Under the retooled rules, Saskatchewan has capped nominations in hospitality, food services, retail trade and trucking at 25 per cent of the total. Other industries, such as spas, salons and pet care services, are no longer eligible.ABOUT THE AUTHORJeffery is a reporter with CBC Saskatchewan in Regina. He previously worked at CBC Toronto as an associate producer. You can reach him at jeffery.tram@cbc.ca.