Farm Owner and Operator Category

 

This category is for those who’d like to move to Saskatchewan and who:

• Have proven experience in farming;
• Have considerable capital (money, assets) to invest in a farming operation; and
• Plan to buy and run a farm in Saskatchewan.

 

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1. Guidance
If you're interested in applying in this category, contact us to learn more about what you'll need to qualify for the program. We'll also connect you to officials from Saskatchewan Agriculture--Food and Rural Revitalization. They can advise you on the type of farming operation you plan to operate here.

• Please note this category is strictly for business in primary agricultural production (crops and livestock). If you’re 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.

 

 

2. Eligibility
To be approved for nomination in this category, you’ll need all of the following:

• Available Equity: You’ll have to provide financial documents that show a net worth of $500,000 (CAD).
• Refundable Cash Deposit: You must sign a Performance Agreement. By doing this, you’ll be committing to purchase and actively operating a farm operation in Saskatchewan. You’ll also need to make a "good faith" deposit of $75,000 (CAD) in trust. The cash deposit will be returned to you when you’ve met the terms of the Performance Agreement. If you don’t meet the terms within two years of landing in Saskatchewan, the deposit will be forfeited to the Province.
• Mandatory visit to Saskatchewan: You’ll need to make a comprehensive exploratory visit to Saskatchewan for no less than five working days. You must meet with an SINP representative on your visit.
• Farm operation knowledge and experience: You’ll need to provide documentation (e.g. education and training, work experience, financial documents of your previous operations) that demonstrates you’re an experienced farm operator. If necessary, we may verify this information further through an interview when you are in Saskatchewan.
• A practical, well-thought-out proposal for a commercial Saskatchewan farming opportunity. (See Important Terms: Farm Proposal Viability).

The program criteria can change at any time, but we'll use what was on this website when we received your complete application.

The federal government sets the amount of nominations the SINP can make every year. The SINP also has a maximum number of application thresholds for each year. No application is guaranteed to be accepted and/or nominated.

 

Farm Owners and Operators - Young Farmer Stream

The Young Farmer stream of the Farm Owners and Operators category 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 in this stream, you’ll need to:

• Have a personal net worth of at least $300,000 (CAD) that can be confirmed.
• Have accumulated your net worth legally. We should be able to confirm this as well.
• Be under the age of 40 at the time of your application.
• Have at least three years experience in:
  
  • Farm ownership;
  • Farm management; or
  • Practical farming experience.
• Provide a documented 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 don’t qualify. Also, the farming proposal should be a commercial project with a reasonable expectation of profit. In Saskatchewan, a qualified farming business must have a minimum of $10,000 CAD annual revenue.
• In addition to all the above, you or your spouse must have marketable employment skills, based on education and experience that allows you to supplement your farming income.

 

Nomination Requirements

You may be disqualified from this sub-category if:

• You don’t meet one or more of the eligibility criteria listed above;
• You or any dependent family member (accompanying you or not) has a serious medical condition;
• You or any 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 during the application process; and/or,
• You have intentionally committed fraud during the application process.

Before you submit your application:

• Ensure you meet the eligibility criteria;
• Ensure you’re able to access and prepare the required forms and documents for the application;
• Ensure you’re prepared to comply with the requirements and steps involved in the application process, including:
  
  • Paying a $2,500 CAD processing fee;
  • Paying the $75,000 CAD deposit; and
  • Fulfilling the requirements of the program; and
• Make an exploratory visit to Saskatchewan: You’ll stay in Saskatchewan for at least five days, conducting comprehensive research through meetings with service professionals. You’ll also meet with an SINP representative to discuss your proposed farm operation.