Changes to Manitoba's provincial nominee program driving permanent residency out of reach for some workers

Some skilled workers living inManitoba say they're being passed over for permanent residency becausethe government is instead choosing more applicants who already have family in the province.

YatinJoshiand a few newcomers visited the legislatureFriday 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 isconcerned bythe provincial government's decision torefocusits provincial nominee program which matches foreign workers with specific labour needs in Manitoba to prioritize more applicants with familial ties tothe province. The government believes the move willhelp Manitoba retain morenewcomers.

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 ofsuccessful 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 Manitobajust 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 provinceperiodically selects people from those expressions of interestwho 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, withpoints awarded for a range of factors.The factors that award the highest number ofpoints are having a job offer (500 points) orhaving a close relative in Manitoba (200 points).

WATCH|Skilled workers walk up the legislature steps to deliver letter:

Skilled workers say changes to Manitoba's provincial nominee program hurt their chances at permanent residency

7 months ago

Duration 1:40

Skilled workers who moved to Manitoba say they're being penalized by the government's decision to allocate more of its provincial nominee slots to people with familial ties to the province.

The more points an applicant scores, the more likely they'll beinvited to apply to the provincial nominee program.

An applicant, however, losespoints 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 nomineedraws were exclusively for candidates who hold specific high-demandjobs Manitoba.

However, since the NDP's election last October, a lot ofdraws are only forcandidates withclose family connections to the province.

While data surrounding the retention of provincial nominee arrivals is lacking, Manitoba uses individual tax filingsto 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 centa number that'sdecreasedannually since 2014.

Originally from India, Joshi moved to Manitoba more than two years ago after obtaininga diploma in business administration in Quebec.

He said Manitoba has become his home. He's found a job in technical support, and a community offriends 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, originallyfrom India as well, is a collections clerk whose work permit is expiring thisJuly.

"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 candidatesin high-demand jobs.

Their letteralso proposes thatone stream of theprogramonly considerout-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 requestchanges 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.

Joshisaid the group had a positive conversation last week withNDP MLAMintu Sandhu, who represents The Maples, but they still wanted to bring the issue tothe minister's attention.