Backgrounder - Canada-Saskatchewan Immigration Agreement

The Canada-Saskatchewan Immigration Agreement defines the respective roles and responsibilities of Canada and the Province of Saskatchewan related to immigrants, temporary workers, students and others wishing to come to Saskatchewan under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. The renewed Agreement affirms a partnership for cooperation and consultation that will enable Saskatchewan to share in the economic and social benefits of immigration.

The Agreement recognizes that many parties have a role in facilitating the integration of newcomers to Saskatchewan, including municipal governments, settlement and immigrant-serving agencies, religious and ethnic organizations, labour and business groups, and individuals.

The Province of Saskatchewan has agreed to new provisions to the Agreement in support of minority official-language communities and recognizes the importance of encouraging the development of Saskatchewan’s Francophone minority-language and other communities through immigration.

In addition, the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program, which is part of the Agreement, provides Saskatchewan with a mechanism to increase the economic and social benefits of immigration to the province. This program takes into account the economic priorities of the province and encourages balanced growth through regional development and the development of minority official-language communities. Saskatchewan will recruit potential candidates who will be of significant benefit to its development and who will be able to establish themselves in the province. Saskatchewan nominees must meet federal admission requirements for health and security. Canada will also continue to issue immigrant visas to the nominees who meet the criteria.

The Agreement acknowledges the Multiculturalism Act of Saskatchewan, which gives authority to Saskatchewan to promote awareness and understanding of the social, cultural and economic benefits of continuing immigration to Saskatchewan and to facilitate the settlement of immigrants in Saskatchewan.

Agreements between the Government of Canada and the provinces or territories are the primary means by which responsibility for immigration is shared between the different levels of government. Section 8(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act authorizes the minister of Citizenship and Immigration, with the approval of the governor in council, to enter into agreements with the provinces or territories for the purposes of the Act.

The elements of the new agreement include the following:

Immigration Programs and Planning

The Agreement outlines Canada’s role in developing an annual immigration plan in consultation with Saskatchewan and other provinces, taking into account Saskatchewan’s immigration planning, including its demographic, social and economic objectives.

Saskatchewan will provide Canada with an annual multi-year provincial nominee plan to be considered in Canada’s immigration projections, and provide comments on Canada’s immigration plan with respect to Saskatchewan.

The Agreement provides for Canada to consult with Saskatchewan on annual refugee targets and other immigration targets by class. Saskatchewan will consult with immigration stakeholders on the province’s immigration policies, plans and programs.

Promotion and Recruitment

The Agreement reaffirms the roles and responsibilities shared between Canada and Saskatchewan for the planning and implementation of immigration promotion and recruitment activities abroad.

Settlement and Integration

In the Agreement, Canada agrees to continue providing programs to settle and integrate immigrants in Saskatchewan, and to provide income support and immediate essential services to government-assisted refugees during their initial period in Canada.

The Agreement acknowledges the appropriate participation of other parties concerned with facilitating the integration of newcomers to Saskatchewan, including municipal governments, education, health and human services sectors, settlement and immigrant-serving agencies, religious and ethnic organizations, labour and business groups, and individuals.

Francophone Minority Communities

The Agreement recognizes the importance of encouraging the development of Saskatchewan’s minority-language community through immigration. It affirms consultation with representatives of Saskatchewan’s Francophone community in developing its recruitment initiatives.

Information Sharing and Research

The Agreement provides for sharing information and cooperating on research related to immigration levels planning, policy development, and program design and evaluation. Specific mechanisms are outlined to share and distribute data on immigrant landings.

Consultation

Under the terms of the Agreement, Canada and Saskatchewan will cooperatively develop and implement new initiatives and projects that meet regional immigration needs. The Joint Program Management Committee will oversee the implementation and other matters related to the Agreement. Canada and Saskatchewan will consult each other, either bilaterally or on a multilateral basis, on immigration issues such as facilitating the movement of temporary workers and international students.