Ottawa extends temporary resident status for immigrants with expiring work permits

The federal government has granted Manitoba’s request to extend temporary resident status for potential Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) nominees who have work permits that will expire in 2024.

“Supporting Manitoba’s skilled workers will help the province meet their regional economic immigration goals. This measure supports our priority of transitioning a greater portion of current temporary residents to permanent residence and meeting local labour market needs,” said Marc Miller, minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship.

“We remain open to collaborating with other provinces to transition more temporary residents to permanent residence, ensuring a strong and diverse workforce that has the skills, education and work experience to grow Canada’s economy.”

In March, a group of skilled workers in Manitoba called on the provincial government to do away with the family-ties consideration in its PNP. Because of the rule, some skilled workers living in Manitoba said they're being passed over for permanent residency, according to a previous CBC report.

Official nomination expected within 2 years

The extension will authorize 6,700 temporary workers identified and supported by Manitoba to continue working while the province processes their applications for the PNP, according to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

These workers are mainly post-graduation work permit holders who are currently in the Manitoba Skilled Worker PNP Expression of Interest pool.

Ottawa expects that eligible foreign nationals will receive an official nomination from Manitoba within two years. 

In April, skilled trade workers in Manitoba called on the provincial government to resume the National Occupational Classification (NOC) to help fill in-demand jobs in the province.

They also want the provincial government to: 

• prioritize in-demand jobs and other streams
• reduce processing times for the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program applications to three to four months
• implement special draws for individuals awaiting their draws for over two years

IRCC is also open to exploring options with other provinces and territories to “transition a greater portion of current temporary residents to permanent residence and address their labour market needs,” it said.

In Quebec, Premier François Legault talked about holding a “referendum” on immigration if the federal government doesn’t act fast to control the rising number of temporary immigrants, said CTV News. The premier claims the number of immigrants is straining Quebec’s healthcare, education and housing systems.

However, the Conseil du patronat du Québec claimed that temporary immigration is needed to help fill the more than 150,000 vacant job positions in the province.