November 15, 2017
Province Continues to Make Provincial Nominee Program More User Friendly
– – –Helping to Attract, Retain Talented People From Around the World: Wishart
As part of the previously announced renewal of the program, Manitoba is restructuring its economic immigration program to provide new pathways to permanent residence for international students and entrepreneurs, Education and Training Minister Ian Wishart announced today.
“Our first step in renewing the provincial nominee program was clearing the application backlog and improving service standards for applicants,” said Wishart. “We are pleased to continue to make the program more user friendly. This next step includes new pathways to permanent residence to help Manitoba attract and retain talented people from around the world.”
The Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) is an economic immigration program designed to attract job-ready skilled workers and active investors in Manitoba’s economy. It has been an important part of the immigration system and the provincial economy since 1998, the minister added.
Wishart noted an agreement has been reached with the federal government to expand the MPNP to four application streams: international education, skilled worker in Manitoba, skilled worker overseas and business investor. The new and renewed streams will provide more efficient processing and better options to match skilled newcomers with employers, he said.
Effective April 2018, a new international education stream will include faster nomination pathways for graduates of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) programs who are completing internships that support industry innovation. In addition, post-secondary international student graduates from Manitoba institutions who find longer-term employment in an in-demand occupation consistent with their training will no longer have to work for six months before applying to the MPNP.
“The new international education stream will make it easier for international students with a Manitoba education to build careers and settle here in the province,” said Wishart.
Candidates with strong labour market attachments to Manitoba employers will remain a priority in the skilled worker in Manitoba stream, the minister said. Expanded employer recruitment partnerships will provide regional and Winnipeg-based employers with more accessible and timely ways to hire permanent immigrant workers graduating from training programs in the province, he noted.
The skilled worker overseas stream offers a new pathway to nominate qualified applicants for the federal express entry program, Wishart said. Priority will be given to candidates with close family connections in Manitoba and spouses who have the language proficiency, training and experience to quickly find in-demand jobs, he added.
A new business investor stream will give priority to applicants who start a business within the first 12 months of their arrival in Manitoba, particularly those who start a business outside of Winnipeg. Effective immediately, applicants in this stream will no longer be required to submit a deposit to the MPNP. Applicants will instead sign a business performance agreement to purchase an existing business or start a new one, and the MPNP will provide a letter of support for a temporary work permit. These changes will ensure applicants are investing in businesses that create jobs and contribute to Manitoba’s economy, the minister added.
“We are improving the business investor stream to achieve better outcomes that are consistent with the objectives of the program,” said Wishart.
The minister noted the MPNP will continue to support Manitoba’s francophone immigration strategy by providing priority for francophone applicants who meet the required criteria in one or more of the four streams.
Additional details about these changes can be found at www.immigratemanitoba.com, where potential applicants will also find a regularly updated in-demand occupations list and annual nomination plan. These new online features will make the program more user friendly and labour market information more accessible, the minister said.
Previous news about the MPNP can be found at:
- Province improves service standards, clears application backlog: https://news.gov.mb.ca/news/?item=41277
- Premier announces improvements to the MPNP: https://news.gov.mb.ca/news/?item=39952
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