Farm Owner and Operator Application - SINP

For further guidance on this category, contact us to learn more about what you need to qualify. We will also connect you with staff at Saskatchewan Agriculture. They can help you with the type of farm you plan to have here.

• This category is only for business in primary agricultural production (crops and livestock). If you are interested in agri-business operations, you may qualify under the SINP Entrepreneur Category.

See the Saskatchewan Farm Land Security Board to learn more about farm ownership legislation.

To be eligible, you must have:

• Available Equity: You must provide financial documents that show a net worth of $500,000 (CAD).
• Refundable Cash Deposit: You must sign a Performance Agreement to purchase and actively operate a farm in Saskatchewan. You will also need to make a "good faith" deposit of $75,000 (CAD) in trust. The cash deposit will be returned when you have met the terms of the Performance Agreement. If you do not meet the terms within two years of being in Saskatchewan, the deposit will be paid to the Province.
• Mandatory visit to Saskatchewan: You must make an exploratory visit to Saskatchewan for at least five working days.
• Farm operation knowledge and experience: You must provide documentation that demonstrates you are an experienced farm operator. We may verify this further through an interview.
• A practical, well-thought-out proposal for a commercial Saskatchewan farming opportunity. (See Important Terms: Farm Proposal Viability).

Provincial and Federal immigration program criteria can change at any time. Please see IRCC's website for up-to-date information on the requirements for Permanent Residence applications.

The federal government sets the amount of nominations the SINP can make every year. Applications are not guaranteed to be accepted.

Farm Owners and Operators

Application Criteria

To be approved for nomination, you must:

• Have a personal net worth of at least $500,000 (CAD).
• Have accumulated your net worth legally.
• Have at least three years experience in:
  • Farm ownership.
  • Farm management.
  • Practical farming experience.
• Give a proposal for a commercial Saskatchewan farming opportunity with plans to invest a minimum of $150,000 (CAD). Your proposal should be based on research, consultations or formal coursework relevant to Saskatchewan agricultural conditions. Hobby farms do not qualify. The proposal should be a commercial project with an expectation of profit. In Saskatchewan, a qualified farming business must have a minimum of $10,000 CAD in annual revenue.
• Score at least 55 points on the Farm Owner/Operator Category Intent Grid. (see Application Guide for information on the Intent Grading Grid)

Farm Owners and Operators - Young Farmer Stream

The Young Farmer stream was created to allow young farm families to establish their lives and farming operations in rural areas of Saskatchewan.

Application Criteria

To be approved for nomination, you must:

• Have a personal net worth of at least $300,000 (CAD).
• Have accumulated your net worth legally.
• Be under the age of 40 at the time of your application.
• Have at least three years experience in:
  • Farm ownership.
  • Farm management.
  • Practical farming experience.
• Give a proposal for a commercial Saskatchewan farming opportunity. Your proposal should be based on research, consultations or formal coursework relevant to Saskatchewan agricultural conditions. Hobby farms do not qualify. The proposal should be a commercial project with an expectation of profit. In Saskatchewan, a qualified farming business must have a minimum of $10,000 CAD annual revenue.
• You or your spouse must have employment skills, based on education and experience, to supplement your farming income.

Nomination Requirements (Both Category Streams)

You may not qualify if:

• You do not meet one or more of the criteria listed above.
• You or a dependent family member (accompanying you or not) has a serious medical condition.
• You or a dependent family member over the age of 18 (accompanying you or not) has a criminal record.
• You have unresolved custody or child support disputes affecting any member of your family.
• You have intentionally committed misrepresentation or fraud in your application.

Before you submit your application:

• Ensure you meet the criteria.
• Access and prepare all forms and documents.
• Comply with the steps involved in the application process, including:
  • Paying a $2,500 CAD processing fee.
  • Paying the $75,000 CAD deposit.
  • Fulfilling the requirements of the program.
• Make an exploratory visit to Saskatchewan: You must stay in Saskatchewan for at least five days to conduct research through meetings with service professionals.

Accompanying Farm Employee (Both Category Streams)

You may qualify under the International Skilled Worker: Employment Offer subcategory if you:

• Live outside of Canada or have proof of legal status in Canada;
• Are not a refugee claimant;
• The principal applicant under the SINP Farm Category has been nominated;
• Score a minimum of 60-points in the points assessment grid;
• Have at least one-year work experience in the past 10 years as a Farm Employee with the nominated principal applicant;
• Have a language score of at least Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 4; and
• Have completed the SINP 100-8 Form and provide a valid nomination certificate number for the nominated principal applicant.

An accompanying farm worker application will not be accepted if the principal applicant's nomination certificate is expired.

The skilled worker application will only be processed after the Farm Category principal applicant has been approved and has received an SINP nomination number.

The program criteria can change at any time and applications will be assessed against criteria and requirements in place at the time the application was received.

You must submit all the documents listed in the SINP Farm Category Application Document Checklist. Use the checklist to prepare your application.

If you live in, or are a citizen of a country in the Country Specific Checklist, make sure you include the documents required for this country in the application. If you do not, your application cannot be accepted for processing.

Document Translation

All documents must be in English of French. If they are in another language, you must submit:

• A photocopy of the original document.
• A photocopy of its translation.
• A Translator Affidavit that describes the ability of the translator.

Translations may be done by anyone, except:

• Your spouse.
• A member of your family.
• A paid third party that has prepared your application to the SINP.

Some Canadian visa offices ask that documents are translated by a certified translator. The SINP does not ask for this, but your translated documents must meet all federal requirements.

Who to Include in Your Application?

You may include the following as part of your application for nomination:

• Your spouse. (See SINP Important Words and Definitions: spouse).
• Your common-law partner (See SINP Important Words and Definitions: common-Law partner).
• Your dependent children (See SINP Important Words and Definitions: dependent children).
• An employee in your current farming operation. The employee must submit their Skilled Worker Application.
  • This skilled worker application can be part of the Farm category application.
  • You, as the Principal Applicant of the Farm category application, must provide a letter of offer to the accompanying employee.

Net Worth Evaluation - Third Party Financial Service Providers

The SINP uses two third-party financial service providers to assess the net worth and legal accumulation of net worth of applicants to this category.

The SINP uses two third-party financial service providers to assess the net worth and legal accumulation of net worth of applicants to this category.

1. Submit all documents listed on the Third Party Document Checklist, along with your file number, to one of the third-party providers listed above.
2. Make sure your information (financial statements, property evaluations, and bank account information) is correct.
3. Once your assessment is complete, you will get a report from the service provider.
4. To complete your application, submit the report by email to saskentrepreneur@gov.sk.ca.
5. Be sure to send your final report by the deadline.

Passports

Send photocopies of all passports for you and all family members that will be coming with you. Each photocopy must include passport pages showing:

• The passport number.
• The date of issue and expiry date.
• The bio-data page showing the photograph, name, date and place of birth.
• All passport pages showing exit and entry stamps.

If you do not submit complete passport documents, your application will be returned to you.

Submit your application by email to saskentrepreneur@gov.sk.ca

Provide an up-to-date email address that can be used to communicate with SINP officers for faster processing times.

The SINP Application Review and Assessment Process:

Intake

Once we have your application, you will get a Letter of Receipt and file number. You will be able to use this Letter of Receipt to retain one of the Third Party Financial Service Providers.

Pre-Screening

Your application will be screened for completeness. Only applications that are complete and have a third party financial verification report will be accepted for SINP assessment.

• If your application is considered complete, you will be sent an Acceptance of Application and Request for Processing Fee letter. This letter will tell you how to make the $2,500 CAD application processing fee by wire transfer.
• If your application is considered incomplete, you will be sent a Return of Incomplete Application letter. This letter will tell you what documents are needed to meet pre-screening requirements. Your application will not be returned to you.

Application Processing Fee

Once you have paid the application fee, your application will be accepted for assessment.

Assessment and Optional Interview

We will evaluate your application using the eligibility criteria.

• If we need more documentation, we may ask for more information.
• If we do not get the documentation we ask for, your application may be closed.
• If we need more information or clarification, we may ask for an interview with you.
  • If an in-person interview is not possible, other arrangements can be made on a case-by-case basis.

Following the review and evaluation process, we'll let you know the outcome of the assessment.

• Following the review and evaluation process, we'll let you know the outcome of the assessment. Nomination Approval and Request for Deposit letter and a Business Performance Agreement.
• The letter will tell you how to make the refundable $75,000 CAD Good Faith Deposit by wire transfer. It will also give details on what is needed for the Business Performance Agreement.

We must receive the full Good Faith Deposit within three months of the Nomination Approval and Request for Deposit letter, or your application will be closed.

• If your application is ineligible, you will be sent an Ineligible Letter.

Nomination:

Once you return the signed and dated Business Performance Agreement to the SINP, and we confirm that the Good Faith Deposit has been received, you'll be nominated.

• We will send you a nomination package including a Confirmation of Nomination letter and info on how to proceed with an Application for Permanent Resident Status with IRCC. If asked and we can verify the need, we can issue you a Temporary Work Permit Support letter.
• This gives you the opportunity to come to Saskatchewan earlier to prepare your farm. SINP does not issue Temporary Work Permit Support letters for all applicants.
• We'll send a Nomination Certificate to the appropriate IRCC Visa Post. Certificates are valid for six months.

After Nomination:

Applying for Permanent Residence

After you have been nominated by the SINP, you are responsible for submitting an Application for Permanent Residence to IRCC.

• Be sure to apply for permanent resident status before your Nomination Certificate expires or your application will be closed.

The Confirmation of Nomination letter includes detailed instructions on how to apply to the appropriate Visa Post. Send your Application for Permanent Residence to IRCC at the Visa Post given in the letter.

• IRCC will conduct security, criminality and health checks. Then you will get instructions on medical exams or asked for more info. You may have to attend an interview.

If you meet all federal requirements, IRCC will issue Permanent Residence Visas for you and your accompanying family members.

Landing in Saskatchewan

Once you have arrived in Saskatchewan, you will need to attend a Landing Interview with an SINP Official within 90 days. You can request this interview by emailing saskentrepreneur@gov.sk.ca.

• After the interview, we will continue to be available to you. We can help with your farm through referrals to business service providers.
• You are encouraged to use the settlement services available in Saskatchewan. You can access these through the Regional Newcomer Gateways.
• These organizations are welcoming centres for newcomers to Saskatchewan. They provide language assessment services, career services, and advice from a Settlement Coordinator. The Regional Newcomer Gateways can also connect you to community and ethno-cultural groups.

Return of the Good Faith Deposit

You may apply for your Good Faith Deposit to be returned:

• Within two years of your landing in Saskatchewan.
• When all terms of the Business Performance Agreement have been met.
• When you can show that you have invested in the Saskatchewan-based farm for at least six (6) months.

You must submit an Application for Deposit Refund Request and all documents to prove that the terms of the Business Performance Agreement have been met. We will assess your application using the criteria set within the Business Performance Agreement.

• If all conditions have been met, we will return the $75,000 CAD Good Faith Deposit and any interest accumulated on it to you. Be sure to give your financial institution's updated contact information for this transaction.
• If the conditions have not been met, you will be informed of the outstanding criteria that you must meet for the deposit to be returned.
• If you are responsible for any of the following, we'll retain the Good Faith Deposit and any interest accumulated on it:
  • You do not complete the process to become a Permanent Resident.
  • You do not complete the process to land in Saskatchewan.
  • You do not meet the conditions of the Business Performance Agreement.
• If you purposefully misrepresented yourself and/or committed fraud to obtain permanent residence, we will retain the Good Faith Deposit and any interest accumulated on it.

What You Need to Know about Using Immigration Representatives

You do not need to use an immigration representative or consultant to apply to the SINP. If you want one, you must make sure they are a lawyer in Canada in good standing with a provincial law society or licensed by the Government of Saskatchewan. Visit Using an Immigration Representativefor more information or see a list of approved immigration consultants. . You can learn more about Saskatchewan's laws that protect foreign workers by visiting Protection for Immigrants and Foreign Workers.

Application Guides and Forms (Both Category Streams)

Provincial

• Application Guide for the Farm Owner/Operator Category
• SINP Farm Owner/Operator Category Document Checklist
• Third Party Farm Category Document Checklist
• SINP-100-3 Farmer Owner/Operator Application
• SINP-200-2 - Personal/Business Net Worth
• SINP-100-8 Family or Accompanying Farm Employee Application
• Translator Affidavit
• SINP - Ethical Conduct Disclosure and Applicant Declaration and Consent Form

Federal

• Generic Application Form for Canada
• Additional Dependants/Declaration
• Schedule A - Background/Declaration
• Schedule 4 - Economic Classes
• Schedule 4A - Business Nominees
• Additional Family Information Form
• Use of a Representative
• Instructions for Use of a Representative
• Authority to Release Personal Information to a Designated Individual
• Statutory Declaration of Common-Law Union
• Supplementary Information - Your Travel

For help with filling out the federal forms, watch the following videos:

• Immigration and Citizenship Forms: The Basics
• Save Time: Send a Complete Application
• Use of a Representative Form (IMM 5476)