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Some Ukrainian residents say they are worried about their future residency in the province following recent rule changes to Saskatchewan’s Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP).
This year the Government of Saskatchewan is limiting applications for certain program sectors such as trucking, retail trade and food services, stating these jobs have historically filled the majority of program nominations.
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The SINP is the only immigration program the province has control over.
According to the province’s Ministry of Immigration, the policy change prioritizes workers facing the most immediate risk of losing immigration status in Canada.
However, the policy changes affect residents like Vladislav Chonka, who fled Ukraine with his wife in 2022. He works as a trucker in Saskatchewan and said he hasn’t seen his daughter since she was a baby.
“I come here because (of the) war in Ukraine,” he said. “I didn’t see my daughter almost four years.”
Chonka said he can only talk to his daughter on the phone during specific times because Ukraine only receives power for one to two hours each day, and there is a significant time difference between countries.
“It’s very hard for me to really talk about this story,” he said.
Chonka explained permanent residency would help him reunite with his daughter, but now he faces an uncertain timeline with the new program rules.
Bohdan Roman Dumenko left Ukraine in 2022 and works in Saskatchewan as a delivery driver and said he doesn’t plan on living anywhere else.
“This makes me feel upset because you never know what’s going to happen tomorrow,” he said.
Dumenko said he believes that Ukrainian residents wouldn’t want to risk losing their legal status in Canada by allowing their worker visas to inch towards an expiry date.
“Lots of people are left in a situation where they almost have to play a game of chicken in terms of immigration,” NDP MLA Keith Jorgenson for Saskatoon Churchill-Wildwood told reporters on Monday.
“There’s virtually no Ukrainian national that I know that has a visa that’s about to expire,” he said, noting the program change is poor timing by the province.
Jorgenson said a vast majority of Ukrainians have renewed their visas to keep their legal status in Canada, and are now left to decide whether to continue maintaining their federal status or risk it in hopes of securing provincial sponsorship.
“I don’t think (the province) realized the implications of the change and they clearly didn’t consult broadly with immigrant communities,” Jorgenson said.
A statement from the province’s immigration ministry said “the opposition is overtly mischaracterizing the intent and nature of the changes to the SINP program.”
“Due to a reduction in nominations from the federal government, the Government of Saskatchewan has implemented targeted intake windows to ensure that any individuals in capped sectors with expiring permits who are currently contributing as a part of the Saskatchewan labour force are treated with appropriate priority, irrespective of their nationality.”
“The changes made to the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) in 2026 do not favour one group of newcomers over another. While immigration remains a shared federal-provincial responsibility, the Government of Saskatchewan is committed to maximizing provincial flexibility to support Ukrainian newcomers within our jurisdiction.”
According to the Government of Saskatchewan, over $2.6 million has been invested since 2021 to support displaced Ukrainians by funding settlement services, employment programs and community support.
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