Changes to Manitoba's provincial nominee program driving permanent residency out of reach for some workers
Immigration minister's office says province trying to address worsening outmigration rates
Some skilled workers living in Manitoba say they're being passed over for permanent residency because the government is instead choosing more applicants who already have family in the province.
Yatin Joshi and a few newcomers visited the legislature Friday to hand-deliver a letter intended for immigration minister Malaya Marcelino.
They represent more than 700 newcomers who are part of a group, in regular contact on WhatsApp, scrambling to stay employed in the province as their work permits expire.
The group is concerned by the provincial government's decision to refocus its provincial nominee program — which matches foreign workers with specific labour needs in Manitoba — to prioritize more applicants with familial ties to the province. The government believes the move will help Manitoba retain more newcomers.
Since the federal government limits how many provincial nominees Manitoba can select annually, the changes to the provincial nominee program has the effect of reducing the number of successful applicants who don't already have family in Manitoba.
Unfairly judged, newcomers say
Joshi said those newcomers, like him, shouldn't be judged because of the actions of others.
"Most of the people do have intentions to settle in Manitoba because you can afford housing here, it's cheap to buy houses.… It's really good to live in Manitoba."
"We believe that it's not appropriate to judge someone's ability to stay in Manitoba just on the basis of whether they have close relatives here."
Every person who applies through the provincial nominee program must first file an expression of interest.
The province periodically selects people from those expressions of interest who are then invited to apply to the provincial nominee program, and a certain number of those applicants are then approved to come to the province.
The draws are not random, but determined using a ranking scale, with points awarded for a range of factors. The factors that award the highest number of points are having a job offer (500 points) or having a close relative in Manitoba (200 points).
WATCH | Skilled workers walk up the legislature steps to deliver letter:
The more points an applicant scores, the more likely they'll be invited to apply to the provincial nominee program.
An applicant, however, loses points if they've worked or studied in another province, which the program considers to be "risk factors."
In the last year of the Progressive Conservatives' tenure in power, many provincial nominee draws were exclusively for candidates who hold specific high-demand jobs Manitoba.
However, since the NDP's election last October, a lot of draws are only for candidates with close family connections to the province.
While data surrounding the retention of provincial nominee arrivals is lacking, Manitoba uses individual tax filings to determine how many immigrants — whether they entered through the nominee program or another stream — are still in Manitoba five years later.
As of 2020, the last year in which data is available, the five-year retention rate of immigrant tax filers was 67.7 per cent — a number that's decreased annually since 2014.
Originally from India, Joshi moved to Manitoba more than two years ago after obtaining a diploma in business administration in Quebec.
He said Manitoba has become his home. He's found a job in technical support, and a community of friends and colleagues he relies upon.
"Now I'm planning to buy a new house, but I just want to make sure that I get a permanent and a stable [life] so I can go for those options," Joshi said.
Jasica Tung, originally from India as well, is a collections clerk whose work permit is expiring this July.
"I've studied here and came so far, but now there is no option," she said.
Federal work permits expiring
There's an added urgency among some newcomers to obtain permanent residency because the federal government is no longer extending work permits for 18 months as it did during the pandemic.
In its letter to Marcelino, the group is encouraging the government to bring back the provincial nominee draws for candidates in high-demand jobs.
Their letter also proposes that one stream of the program only consider out-of-province international students who have lived in Manitoba for a minimum of two years, rather than one. "Such a change aims to attract individuals generally interested in settling in and contributing to the province, thereby" increasing "retention rates," the letter reads.
Joshi also worries the province's labour shortage will worsen as a result of the government prioritizing family applicants.
He said a number of employers have written to the province to request changes to the provincial nominee program so they can keep their staff.
Marcelino was not available Friday for an interview, but her office said she appreciates the input.
"The primary goal of the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program is to welcome newcomers and help grow the province's economy. Manitoba is currently experiencing its … [worst] outmigration rates in 20 years, and evidence supports that those with a strong family connection are more likely to stay in Manitoba," the statement said.
Joshi said the group had a positive conversation last week with NDP MLA Mintu Sandhu, who represents The Maples, but they still wanted to bring the issue to the minister's attention.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
