Group calls on government to make changes because of negative impact on skilled workers
A group of skilled workers in Manitoba is calling on the provincial government to do away with the family-ties consideration in its Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).
Because of the rule, some skilled workers living in Manitoba said they're being passed over for permanent residency, according to a CBC report.
Yatin Joshi, a skilled worker, delivered a letter expressing these sentiments, intended for immigration minister Malaya Marcelino.
"Most of the people do have intentions to settle in Manitoba because you can afford housing here, it's cheap to buy houses.… It's really good to live in Manitoba,” Joshi said in the CBC report.
"We believe that it's not appropriate to judge someone's ability to stay in Manitoba just on the basis of whether they have close relatives here."
Last year, Manitoba made changes to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba (CPSM) General Regulation, allowing internationally educated physicians in specific membership classes to practice in Manitoba without passing the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Exam Part 1 (MCCQE1).
Skilled workers with family ties to Manitoba
In January this year, Marcelino said the provincial government is prioritizing applicants with familial ties in the province under the provincial nominee program, according to another CBC report.
Prior to the announcement, the government conducted three provincial nominee draws in which only candidates with a close family connection to the province were selected. That is going to be the focus going forward, according to the report.
In their letter to Marcelino, Joshi and the group are encouraging the government to bring back the provincial nominee draws for candidates in high-demand jobs. They also want the government to set aside one stream of the program to consider only out-of-province international students who have lived in Manitoba for a minimum of two years, rather than one.
"Such a change aims to attract individuals generally interested in settling in and contributing to the province, thereby" increasing "retention rates," the letter reads, according to the CBC report.
In response, Marcelino’s office issued this statement to CBC: "The primary goal of the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program is to welcome newcomers and help grow the province's economy. Manitoba is currently experiencing its … [worst] outmigration rates in 20 years, and evidence supports that those with a strong family connection are more likely to stay in Manitoba.”
New Canadian permanent residents’ income has improved in comparison to the general population, according to a previous report from The Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO).