Saskatchewan is being criticized for limiting immigration to workers from only eight countries in their latest Express Entry and Skilled Worker Occupations-In-Demand draws. In mid-August, the province invited candidates from Ireland, India, Poland, Czechia, Germany, Lithuania, Slovakia, and Ukraine. Public policy experts have raised concerns about Saskatchewan’s undermining of Canada’s points-based system. The province defends that the country-specific pilot is an attempt to target newcomers who are most likely to stay in Saskatchewan, and the August draws were inspired by the province’s success in retaining Ukrainians who have arrived in the past year.
