Premier of Manitoba, Canada announces a new Labour Market Strategy for Immigration

The Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) for Skilled Workers and Business will be renewed with a stronger emphasis on candidates with high potential to meet the Province’s projected labour market needs over the next five years, and who can establish higher investment businesses that create jobs for Manitobans. The specific details of changes to MPNP criteria and processes, as well as the new cost recovery model with application fees, will be announced in early 2017 after program changes have been approved by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

The premier noted the changes announced are part of a new Labour Market Strategy for Immigration that focuses on:

• innovative partnerships with industry and post-secondary institutions that build pathways to employment for international students and skilled newcomers, including those in regulated occupations, to better prepare and match them to in-demand jobs in Manitoba;
• the selection of skilled workers with high potential for early and strong attachment to the labour market and who meet education, training and language requirements;
• the selection of entrepreneurs with a strong potential to establish high-investment, job-creating businesses in all regions of the province; and
• the elimination of the current MPNP backlog by April 2017 to ensure all future applicants receive a higher standard of service and are processed in less than six months.

The premier said that Manitoba will work with the government of Canada to improve the speed with which visa applications are processed.

Manitoba’s most recent labour market forecast projects 177,800 job openings in the province between now and 2021, with demand spread across multiple sectors including business, finance, services, trades and transportation, agri-business and rural health care.  At least 25 per cent of projected job-openings are expected to be filled by immigrants, the premier said.

Source: Government of Manitoba (www.gov.mb.ca)