Saskatchewan salons warn SINP changes cost staff

Passion Salon staff told Saskatchewan lawmakers on May 12 that changes to the Saskatchewan Immigration Nominee Program, or SINP, are costing salons workers and making it harder to keep two Regina locations open, according to legislative remarks and local media reports. GX94 and 620 CKRM reported on May 13 that a delegation from the Regina salon appeared at the Legislature to press for changes. NDP immigration critic Noor Burki raised the issue in Question Period with Immigration and Career Training Minister Eric Schmalz, according to the reports and the Legislative Assembly's Hansard index. TJ Veghal, identified by GX94 as a business owner at Passion Salon, said hairstyling and aesthetics were excluded from approved SINP categories "as of last March." Veghal said the salon had apprentices directly affected by the change and asked the government to include hairstyling and aesthetics in the program because they are Red Seal professions. He said the business was "losing workers fast" and did not want to close its two locations. (gx94radio.com) ### What exactly are salon owners saying they lost? Passion Salon said apprentices and other staff tied to immigration pathways were affected after the policy change, according to GX94's May 13 report. Veghal said the business had trouble finding Red Seal workers and that current employees were already part of Saskatchewan's economy and paying taxes. (gx94radio.com) Regina was the setting for the delegation's appearance at the Legislature on May 12. Burki said the staffing strain was serious enough that the salon was having trouble keeping both locations open, according to the reports. ### Which SINP rule change is at the center of this? The Saskatchewan government's SINP FAQ says the province's initial 2026 nomination allocation is 4,761. (gx94radio.com) The same page says at least 50% of nominations are reserved for priority sectors — healthcare, agriculture, skilled trades, mining, manufacturing, energy and technology — while capped sectors include accommodation and food services, trucking and retail trade. Hairstyling and aesthetics are not listed in either group on that page. December 19, 2025 is the update date shown on the province's FAQ page. The government also says priority sectors may exceed the 50% minimum if demand warrants, which could reduce the share available for other sectors, and that the SINP will conduct a mid-year assessment. ### What did the minister say in the Legislature? (saskatchewan.ca) Eric Schmalz said in Question Period that Saskatchewan's SINP quotas had been cut and that the province had been forced to make choices about where to direct nominations, according to GX94's account of his Hansard remarks. The report quoted Schmalz as saying quotas were cut "in half" and that 40% of nominees were no longer available to Saskatchewan. (saskatchewan.ca) Schmalz also said the government had been lobbying the federal government and had prioritized immigration into energy and resources, health care and education, the reports said. That explanation was Schmalz's account of why the province made what he called "hard decisions." ### Why are opposition MLAs pointing to Manitoba? Noor Burki said Manitoba had offered extensions and argued Saskatchewan should do the same, according to GX94's May 13 report. (gx94radio.com) The comparison surfaced in his remarks to reporters after Question Period, not in a government announcement. May 12 minutes from the Legislative Assembly show Burki presented a petition that day, and the Assembly's records calendar lists debate materials for that sitting. (gx94radio.com) The Assembly says Hansard for each sitting is produced the following morning, making the Legislature's records the next official place to track the exchange. ### What should readers watch next? (gx94radio.com) The Government of Saskatchewan says additional nominations may become available during 2026 at the discretion of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. The province also says it will carry out a mid-year assessment of how nominations are being distributed across sectors. (docs.legassembly.sk.ca) May 12, 2026 Hansard and future SINP updates on the Saskatchewan government website are the clearest next documents to watch for any response affecting salons, apprentices or Red Seal occupations. (docs.legassembly.sk.ca) (saskatchewan.ca)