Newcomers, who are attracted to Manitoba because of its reputation for fast-tracking immigration for those with in-demand skills and education, say they’re starting to get the impression they’re not wanted.
“We don’t know what’s going on,” one hopeful temporary resident said after the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program held back information about its latest draw, which was posted Tuesday. “Now there’s less transparency.”
He said he scored high in the program, works in finance and is married to a woman who studies business at Red River College Polytechnic. He’s concerned they are no longer welcome.
CAROL SANDERS / FREE PRESS
Trina Chin (left) and Bruce Li with Manitoba International Students Union at the legislature last Thursday, asking the province to reinstate regular provincial nominee program draws for local international students.
“If they don’t want more immigration, then say ‘Go back to your home country,’” said the man who agreed to an interview on the condition of anonymity and fears repercussions for speaking out.
“I will go to another province — I can go to Alberta or Nova Scotia,” although he doesn’t want to leave, he said.
“I have already been here for almost a year. I have a good friend, a good manager and co-workers.”
The province has blamed application-processing delays on the former Tory government and last year’s announcement by the federal government that it would no longer grant 18-month work permit extensions to foreign nationals.
A final “special immigration measure” draw was held Tuesday for people from Ukraine, but the number of applicants and the score of the lowest-ranked candidate were password-protected and not available.
Later in the day, the website was updated to show 451 applicants to the nominee program had been invited to stay in Manitoba, but still no score was provided for the lowest-ranked candidate.
International students who are about to graduate have complained they are shut out of the draws in recent months.
A draw last week was only open to people who have four years of work experience in the previous five years.
“We don’t know what’s going on.”–Hopeful temporary resident
The nominee program offers multiple pathways to immigration. The skilled worker stream is for internationally trained and experienced workers who have the skills needed in the local labour market. The international education stream offers a nomination fast-track to students who graduate in Manitoba and meet industry needs.
The program uses a point system, which is based on criteria that includes job and language skills, education, and family ties to the province, to determine who is eligible to apply for permanent resident status. Draws are held periodically and posted on a government website, showing from which stream applicants are drawn, how many are drawn and the score of the lowest-ranked candidate.
A group who demonstrated in front of the Manitoba Legislative Building Thursday said their eligibility to stay in Canada is running out.
Bruce Li, who studies electrical applications and will graduate from the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology in June, said he’s keen to stay and work in the province.
The former sports marketer from Beijing showed off his MITT school transcript, which had all A+s and high English language benchmark scores.
He said he studies and works hard and is committed to settling down in Manitoba with his wife and young daughter.
“We want to live here,” Li said. “I want to start a new life and be a Canadian.”
“We want to live here. I want to start a new life and be a Canadian.”–Brian Li
His study permit expires in a few months.
Trina Chin said she and her husband — who is studying electrical engineering technology at Red River College Polytechnic — are in a similar situation. He had hoped to work for Manitoba Hydro in northern Manitoba upon graduation.
“We all want to make Manitoba better,” she said.
To those who came to Manitoba to study with the understanding they could apply to the provincial nominee program upon graduation, their exclusion has been a gut-punch because their permits are about to expire, said Liberal MLA Cindy Lamoureux.
“There’s a lot of concerns about the eligibility for the draws,” she said. “A lot of the folks who are here in Manitoba came with the assumption that they would ultimately build towards this,” she said of provincial nominee program eligibility. “By changing the rules and the eligibility, that’s disqualifying a lot of people,” Lamoureux said.
“Imagine being here and investing your life into something… then having the program switched up on you so much that it actually affects your ability to stay.”
On Friday, the Immigrate Manitoba website said it will temporarily prioritize assessments of submitted applications with expired or expiring work permits.
It invited those whose permits have expired or are expiring within the next 45 days to notify the program.
“We all want to make Manitoba better.”–Trina Chin
Immigration Minister Malaya Marcelino has asked Ottawa to grant a three-year work-permit extension so candidates can stay while the backlog of 6,700 applications can be processed.
She said she expects an answer on May 10 when she meets her federal and provincial counterparts.
carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
Carol Sanders
Legislature reporter
After 20 years of reporting on the growing diversity of people calling Manitoba home, Carol moved to the legislature bureau in early 2020.