This article is written by Immigrate President and Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant, Dirk Propp (license #R417407).
On March 14th, the Saskatchewan Government made changes to the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) Entrepreneur Category, affecting many international entrepreneurs considering starting a business in the province.
These new changes affect those in the Expression of Interest Pool for future draws. Many of the applicants already in the pool will need to look for different options, or be able to meet the new criteria.
The most important changes are:
- New minimum language requirement: Applicants must have a CBL 5 in English. Previously no English was required.
- Mandatory exploratory visits: Visits are required for five calendar days, when applicants should conduct comprehensive research for their proposed business plan. This will mean that applicants will need to obtain a visitor visa to visit Saskatchewan.
- Extended operation: Applicants must operate the business for a minimum of 12 months on their work permit prior to removing conditions to get a nomination for permanent residence.
- Business purchases: Applicants cannot buy a business that a previous SINP applicant has started for at least five years after its inception.
- New ineligible businesses: More business types are not considered for investment.
- New definition of eligible business investments: This change affects which investments are eligible to meet the minimum investment criteria in the business plan and in operations to remove the conditions and obtain the nomination for permanent residents.
- Applicant requirements: This restricts applicants to live within 50km of their business, and extends the boundary of major cities to include urban communities.
- New interview requirements: There is now a mandatory interview which must take place within 90 days of the request by the province.
In conclusion, these changes will give international business investors a better chance to build a successful business. For example, the language requirement will help with integration into English-speaking communities and likely a higher chance of success in business operations. These changes will also help rural businesses thrive in Saskatchewan.
Secondly, these changes will limit the amount of applications and increase opportunities in certain countries where English is more prominent. The interview gives the officers the discretion to refuse any applicant based on their opinion, which may be frustrating for some applicants. However, it should also give successful applicants a higher chance of success if approved.
This change removes Saskatchewan as one of the last provinces to not require English testing to become business immigrants in Canada.
If you would like to know more about the changes or get help setting up an exploratory visit, completing your business plan and SINP application, and meeting all other requirements, please contact me directly through sales@immigrate.biz so we can see if this may be the right fit for you and your family to make Saskatchewan your new home.
Refuse to process regions in Canada are affecting nearly all metropolitan areas in Canada, and more regional changes were announced on October 10th. The regions that are still available to keep your trained and employed foreign workers or obtain new if local people are not available are: BC - Victoria Saskatchewan - Saskatoon Ontario - Thunder Bay New: Peterborough Quebec - Drummondville, Trois-Rivieres, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Saguenay PEI - Entire province The following regions, before October 10th, qualified and no longer qualify to keep their foreign workers in low-wage positions: BC - Kelowna Alberta - Red Deer, Lethbridge Saskatchewan - Regina Manitoba - Winnipeg Ontario - Sudbury, Guelph All other metropolitan cities in Canada do not qualify to keep their foreign workers in low-wage positions. The other occupations businesses qualify to keep their workers are: Rural communities outside of the metropolitan areas. Health care workers Care home workers Construction workers Food Manufacturing Seasonal businesses requiring workers for 120 or 270 days or less Simplify Hiring, Stay Compliant Canada’s hiring landscape is shifting quickly, with refuse-to-process regions expanding, new unemployment data set to be released in October, and employers under pressure to act fast. Fill a Role was built to give you an advantage. If you’re an employer, this means fewer wasted hours and faster hires. If you’re a job seeker, it means your application rises to the top where employers can see it. Don’t wait until the next round of immigration changes catches you off guard. Start posting with Fill a Role today.
Canada’s Staffing Challenges Saskatchewan-built platform aims to reduce agency nurse reliance and fill critical roles with permanent hires. Saskatchewan, Canada – August 20, 2025 – FillaRole has officially launched FillaRole Health, a Saskatchewan-built, AI hiring and onboarding platform, designed for Canada’s healthcare sector. It gives busy HR teams one centralized tool to post jobs, track applicants, manage interviews and onboard hires, without the spreadsheet chaos. The platform arrives at a crucial moment: Saskatchewan alone spent over $70 million on contract nurses in 2024, nearly triple the cost just two years ago. In Nova Scotia, the 2024 bill hit $141.7 million despite policy changes, while BC and Quebec are each spending over $1.5 billion annually on agency staffing. The physician shortage is just as troubling. Manitoba recently contracted a consultant $5.25 million to recruit 150 physicians and only two were hired. Across Canada, billions are being diverted to temporary and stop-gap staffing initiatives. “We’re watching the healthcare system drown in contract costs,” said Keli Propp, CEO of FillaRole. “FillaRole Health offers a long-term solution: permanent hires, both local and international, without the 40% premium in wage costs that health authorities are paying right now. You can curb it now or let the bill keep climbing.” To strengthen their presence in the Canadian healthcare space, FillaRole has joined the Coordinated Accessible National (CAN) Health Network, which is dedicated to accelerating the adoption of Canadian technology in healthcare. Through this collaboration, FillaRole gains access to new tools, strategic insights, and opportunities that drive meaningful change with this solution for patients, providers, and communities across Canada. All-in-One Platform Purpose-Built for Healthcare FillaRole Health combines essential hiring systems into one streamlined pl atform: Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) : AI-powered job descriptions, resume scraping and one-click interview invites. Immigration & Compliance Software : Built-in LMIA-exempt tracking, international recruitment support and permit workflows. T alent Pool Building : Advertise positions worldwide, funnelling applicants into one centralized pool. Track their engagement to spot the most promising candidates. Additional features include automated posting to 19+ job boards, intelligent applicant ranking, customizable document templates, real human support and performance reports within 48 hours. All of which are securely hosted on Canadian servers. Designed for the Frontlines of Care FillaRole Health is especially suited for: Long-term care homes Private clinics and pharmacies Mental health and allied health practices Regional health authorities Medical recruiters supporting multiple locations The platform prioritizes local hires first, automatically filtering candidates by licensing and credentials, while tracking documentation and renewal dates. All but eliminating those dreaded back-and-forth email chains. The Time to Fix Healthcare Hiring Is Now FillaRole’s core platform already supports 100,000+ users and nearly 40,000 applicants across Canada and was selected earlier this year for VentureLAB’s Accelerated Growth Program. With the launch of FillaRole Health by a Canadian team with decades of experience in HR technology and immigration workflows, the company brings its proven hiring engine directly to Canada’s most urgent frontline staffing crisis. “You shouldn’t need six tools and an immigration lawyer to fill one role,” added Propp. “FillaRole Health makes hiring healthcare workers fast and finally affordable again.” To learn more about FillaRole Health or the CAN Health Membership Program, visit: www.fillarole.ca/healthcare About FillaRole FillaRole is an AI-powered hiring platform developed to simplify employment for Canadian businesses. By automating job postings and applicant sorting, FillaRole enables employers to save time, improve efficiency, and focus on hiring the right talent. Proudly Canadian, FillaRole supports local and international hiring with expert guidance every step of the way. Media Contact: Keli Propp CEO, FillaRole Email: kpropp@fillarole.ca Phone: 306-805-0113