SINP Students: Saskatchewan PR Route for International Graduates

The Students sub-category is part of the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) category for workers with Saskatchewan experience. It helps international students who studied in Saskatchewan, found a job there and want to stay permanently.

It does not use Expression of Interest (EOI) draws. If you meet the rules and your job qualifies, you can apply. A nomination from Saskatchewan is a recommendation to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), which then decides your permanent residence application.

Saskatchewan is putting weight on its own graduates in 2026. Out of an allocation of 4,761 nominations, 750 are reserved for graduates of Saskatchewan post-secondary designated learning institutions who have job offers in priority sectors. For an overview of every Saskatchewan route, see our Saskatchewan guide and the Provincial Nominee Program overview.

According to the SINP (as of September 2026), you must:

• Have graduated from a Saskatchewan post-secondary designated learning institution with a certificate, diploma or degree.
• Hold a valid permit: a post-graduation work permit (PGWP), a study permit, or a Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) open work permit.
• Have at least six months (780 hours) of paid work experience in Saskatchewan that is related to your field of study.
• Have a permanent, full-time job offer in a NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 occupation or in a designated trade.
• If you are still on a study permit, your job offer must be in a priority sector.

Your employer will also need to take part. As in other SINP worker routes, expect your employer to need an approved Employer Position Assessment (EPA) for your job, and expect to validate it in your SINP online account (OASIS). The Students page on the SINP website lists the current employer steps and documents.

If your job is regulated, such as nursing, engineering or a trade, you may also need proof that you can be licensed or certified in Saskatchewan.

Saskatchewan groups every 2026 nomination by the sector of your job:

The 750 reserved spaces are for Saskatchewan graduates with job offers in these priority sectors: health care, agriculture, skilled trades, energy, mining, manufacturing and technology.

If your job is in a priority sector, there are no intake windows and no rule about how much time is left on your work permit. If your job is in accommodation and food services, trucking or retail trade, your employer can only submit during the scheduled windows in January, March, May, July, September and November, and only once you have six months or less left on your permit. Study permit holders cannot use a capped-sector job at all, because they need a priority-sector offer.

If you are still choosing a program, a few decisions affect whether this route works for you later:

• Pick a Saskatchewan DLI. Only graduates of Saskatchewan post-secondary designated learning institutions can use this sub-category.
• Check PGWP eligibility. For 2026, the list of eligible fields of study for non-degree programs is frozen, while degree holders are exempt from the field-of-study rule. See our PGWP guide.
• Know the study permit limits. Canada caps study permits, and most applicants need a provincial or territorial attestation letter. Our study permit guide explains the steps.
• Aim for a priority sector. Training that leads to work in health care, the trades, technology or agriculture lines up with the reserved spaces.
• Work in your field. Your six months of Saskatchewan work must relate to what you studied.

The Students sub-category is not your only option:

• Skilled Worker With Existing Work Permit covers people with six months of work for their employer on a valid work permit, even if the job is not related to their studies.
• Sector pathways: the Health Talent Pathway, Innovation and Tech Talent Pathway and Agriculture Talent Pathway have their own experience rules.
• Express Entry: after a year of skilled Canadian work, the Canadian Experience Class may be faster. Check your score with the CRS calculator.
• Community pilots: Moose Jaw takes part in the Rural Community Immigration Pilot.

The former International Graduate Entrepreneur category, which let graduates run a business in Saskatchewan, closed permanently on March 27, 2025. See our page on the closed International Graduate Entrepreneur category.

After the SINP nominates you, you apply to IRCC for permanent residence using the base (non-Express Entry) process. IRCC will ask for a medical exam, police certificates and biometrics.

Keep your immigration status valid the whole time. If your PGWP will expire before IRCC decides, look at a bridging open work permit or an extension. If you have ever worked more hours than your study permit allowed, or had a gap in status, talk to a lawyer or licensed consultant (RCIC) before applying.