Saskatchewan to launch public Employer Registry in January 2027

Prepared with the assistance of Terri-Lynn Mitchell, an articling student at our Saskatoon office.

Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Immigration and Career Training’s Program Compliance Branch (PCB) has announced plans to launch a public Employer Registry in January 2027. This Employer Registry will list all employers that hold an active Certificate of Registration (COR) under The Immigration Services Act. According to PCB, the purpose of the Employer Registry is to support compliance with The Immigration Services Act by increasing transparency and protecting foreign workers from immigration fraud. It will further allow foreign workers and other members of the public to confirm whether an employer holds an active COR and is thereby authorized to recruit foreign workers on employer-specific (closed) work permits in Saskatchewan.

What is a COR?

Under The Immigration Services Act, Saskatchewan employers must obtain a COR from the provincial government before recruiting foreign nationals for employer-specific work permits, whether through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program or Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)-exempt streams. Employers must also hold a COR to support employees under the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP). Registration is generally not required to hire open work permit holders or foreign nationals exempt from needing a work permit, but the requirement still later applies if the employer will support an SINP application for the worker.

Information to be displayed

The Employer Registry will display the following information:

• Operating and business name
• Business address
• Location of business
• COR expiry date
• Industry sector

This information will be publicly accessible in an online database linked to the Employer Registry. The PCB has not yet indicated where the Employer Registry will be located or an exact publishing date.

Opting out by cancelling a COR

If an employer does not wish to be listed in the Employer Registry, they can request to have their COR cancelled before the registry goes live. Cancellation requests must be submitted to the PCB by November 30, 2026. However, as a valid COR is required to access various immigration options, including the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program, the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and closed LMIA-exempt work permits, employers who choose to cancel their COR as a result of these changes will lose access to these programs and thus have very limited options for recruiting or retaining foreign workers. Further, the PCB has indicated that cancelled CORs will not be reinstated. Therefore, an employer who cancels their COR and later wishes to regain access to these immigration programs will be required to submit a new COR application, which will be processed through the regular application queue. Once a new COR is issued, the business will be added to the Employer Registry.

There is no option for an employer to hold a COR without being listed on the Employer Registry.

Cancellation deadlines

As noted above, any business that does not wish to be included in the Employer Registry must make a request via email to cancel its COR by November 30, 2026. Employers that hold an active COR and have not requested cancellation by November 30, 2026, will be listed when the Employer Registry launches in January 2027.

MLT Aikins has significant experience advising clients in Immigration and Labour and Employment matters. Our lawyers in these practice areas would be pleased to discuss the Employer Registry and how the COR changes may affect your business.

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