Canadian Immigration Minister Mark Miller has approved a request from Manitoba to extend temporary resident status to province-identified Selected Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates.
According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), these candidates, primarily holders of post-graduate work permits (PGWPs), face work permit expiration in 2024 while they hold them Manitoba’s Skilled Worker Program which aims to fill significant job vacancies.
The temporary expansion will allow about 6,700 temporary workers to maintain employment while the province processes their PNP applications. Manitoba expects eligible foreign nationals to obtain provincial registration and eventually transition to permanent residency within two years.
IRCC has indicated a willingness to cooperate with other provinces and territories to develop strategies to facilitate new temporary permanent residents, to help meet the country’s workforce needs. Further details could emerge after the May 10 meeting of the Ministerial Council on Immigration.
Manitoba provincial selection process
Manitoba was the first province in Canada to introduce the Provincial Nomination Program (PNP) in 1998, aimed at attracting immigrants who might otherwise have settled in larger cities like Toronto or Vancouver whose policies were adopted
According to IRCC data, in 2023 alone, 10,000 individuals in Manitoba transitioned to temporary resident status through the PNP. From January to March this year, the province invited 1,560 skilled labor applicants to apply, resulting in 1,478 shortlisted candidates.
In addition, the PNP accounted for 20% of permanent admissions to Canada by 2022. Canada’s Multi-Year Immigration Status Program aims to admit 110,000 new permanent residents through the PNP by 2024, up to 120,000 per year between 2025 and 2026
shifting attention to temporary residents
This Manitoba plan is consistent with the government’s declared priorities for 2023 and beyond. On March 21, Minister Miller outlined plans for more domestic attractions to ease the pathways for temporary residents to become permanent residents.
Specifically, IRCC aims to coordinate with people already in Canada on their journey to permanent residence, rather than to increase the previously unrestricted annual permanent population. By 2023, there will be more than 2.5 million transient residents in Canada, accounting for 6.2% of the total population.
In 2023, 157,000 people in Canada turned out to be temporary residents. This shift in the number of temporary residents comes amid challenges such as a lack of affordable housing for newcomers and Canadians, complex healthcare systems and rising costs of living In 2023, . surveys show a decline in public support for increased immigration rates.
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