Manitoba seeking increase for nominee program

11/11/2020

Asks Ottawa to open immigration tap

Manitoba is urging the federal government to increase the number of immigrants its provincial nominee program can receive, while introducing legislation to make it easier for skilled professionals to have credentials recognized.

The house passed a resolution Tuesday, calling on Ottawa to bolster the nominee program quota to help restart the provincial economy when the borders reopen after the COVID-19 pandemic is under control.

The program brought more than 130,000 new Canadians to Manitoba since the Filmon PC government pioneered it in 1997. Without it, the province’s gross domestic product would be 30 per cent lower, officials say.

Via a recent provincial report on the issue, the Pallister government says it’s eager to welcome such immigrants.

Manitoba labour market projections for 2016-22 forecast 167,700 job openings, with two-thirds created by retirements and an aging population, and most being skills-specific.

About 25 per cent of those openings will need to be filled by immigrants, the report says.

This year, Manitoba was allotted 6,125 individual nominee program applications, which would include a spouse and any dependants.

Once an application is approved by the provincial program, the applicant applies for permanent residence through the federal government.

Not all of those approved by the program become a permanent resident during the same year.

As of Aug. 31, Manitoba had received 5,755 new permanent residents, 3,920 of whom were provincial nominees, a provincial government spokesman said.

He could not say how many nominee applications Manitoba wants next year, only that the province lets Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada know what it is hoping to get through the Canada Manitoba Immigration Agreement.

"We will continue to work with them to ensure we receive our fair share of the provincial nominee allocations for 2021."

To hit the ground running, the province on Monday introduced the Fair Registration Practices in Regulated Professions Amendment Act. Bill 41 aims to help professionals trained abroad find work by speeding up the process to recognize credentials and ensure a fair assessment of qualifications and training, so they can maximize skills on the job.

It will help all professionals trained abroad, including provincial nominees, as they enter Manitoba’s workforce, the provincial spokesman said.

"The goal is to remove barriers, so qualified, internationally-educated applicants can practise their profession in Manitoba sooner and are treated fairly when they apply for a licence to practice," he said.

However, one expert who has worked for decades with newcomer professionals says the bill doesn’t go far enough because it doesn’t require regulated professions to help those having difficulty with the process.

The legislation needs to have some "teeth" in order to make a difference, said Monika Feist, chief executive officer of Success Skills Centre.

"I want to know if there will be teeth and real censure put in the legislation and for the fairness commissioner’s office."

Feist helped establish the Office of the Fairness Commissioner of Manitoba, which is charged with implementing Fair Registration Practices in Regulated Profession Act and ensure registration practices are transparent, objective, and impartial.

Amended legislation needs to empower the commissioner to ensure applicants who are having difficulty get help, she said.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca

By: Carol Sanders

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/manitoba-seeking-increase-for-nominee-program-572977312.html