The Saskatchewan government has reworked its immigrant nominee program’s “entrepreneur” category to include a “young farmer” stream for families moving to the province.
The young farmer stream is aimed at experienced farmers under age 40 and is meant to encourage young families to move to rural Saskatchewan “to assist succession planning for farming operations,” the province said in a release Thursday.
The category now also includes “large-scale investor” and “science and technology” streams, the province said.
Large-scale investor applicants will need to invest $10 million or more. Eligible “science and technology” applicants will need a patent, innovative idea or plan to partner with an existing Saskatchewan science and technology entity.
Read Also
Field-by-field mapping could improve yield, productivity predictions
University of Saskatchewan researchers are using field border mapping to collect data on field variability, including problematic weeds, and to predict things like yields.
The province said it will add two more entrepreneur streams in the near future: a stream for entrepreneurs to partner with First Nations and Metis businesses and communities, and a stream to “facilitate business succession” in the province.
The reworked category also now includes accelerated processing under the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP), the province announced.
“Entrepreneur” applicants under SINP can now expect to have their completed applications processed within six months, the province said, as part of a “faster, more transparent and more predictable process.”
As well, the province said, “applicants will be encouraged to work more closely with Saskatchewan stakeholders to ensure that investments will benefit both the applicant and Saskatchewan’s business community.”
The SINP expects to nominate 250 entrepreneurs and managers by the end of the 2010-11 fiscal year, the province said.
The new process “will bring talented managers and entrepreneurs to the province, it will spread opportunities for investment to more communities and create jobs for Saskatchewan people,” Labour Minister Rob Norris, also the minister responsible for immigration, said in the province’s release.
