Manitoba Immigration Minister Malaya Marcelino says she got a letter from her federal counterpart Tuesday, confirming the federal government has approved the province’s request to extend federal post-graduate work permits for more than 6,700 newcomers in Manitoba. (Travis Golby/CBC)
According to Manitoba’s labor and immigration minister, more than 6,700 immigrants whose federal work permits were scheduled to expire this year will be permitted to remain in the province for a minimum of an additional two years.
Malaya Marcelino reports that on Tuesday, she received a letter from federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller verifying that the province’s request to extend the post-graduate work permits that are about to expire had been accepted by the federal government.
At the Manitoba Legislature, Marcelino told reporters, “This is really great news for our province.”
“This is really great news for about 6,700 … workers, their families, and for employers across the province, who have been put into this desperate situation.”
After providing 18-month extensions to post-graduate work permits in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, Ottawa had earlier stated in December that it was discontinuing the program.
Temporary foreign workers have been protesting the policy change for months, coupled with another modification in the Manitoba provincial nominee program’s selection procedure that gives preference to new immigrants with familial ties to the province.
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A restricted number of candidates are accepted into the nomination program each year, therefore thousands of newcomers with expiring visas have applied and suffered lengthy wait times.
Miller stated in a letter shared on social media on Tuesday that, if they are employed in Manitoba and meet the requirements of the province’s nominee program, he is willing to provide open work permits to immigrants whose permits expire in 2024.
“Within two years, it is expected that eligible foreign nationals will receive an official nomination from Manitoba and eventually become permanent residents through the [provincial nominee program],” Miller wrote in the letter.
Marcelino anticipates that almost every candidate will be able to join Manitoba’s nominee program thanks to the extension granted by the federal government.
Marcelino declared, “Immigration is needed in Manitoba.”
“We will work very hard to make sure that they can be included as part of the nominations for the Manitoba provincial nominee program, and at the same time, we are still going to be able to use a lot of our spots for other types of newcomers as well.”
In 2024, the province may submit a maximum of 9,500 nominees. The previous year, Manitoba received the same amount of applications, although it was short by around 2,000.
An extension gives newcomer father ‘a chance’
It’s a good development, according to Tianyu Xie, whose post-graduate work visa expires at the end of May.
For the past two years, Xie has been employed in the social services industry and resides in Winnipeg. He hopes to bring his wife and three-year-old son to Manitoba with him. He responded that now it feels more plausible.
In a phone conversation, Xie stated, “This policy… gave me a chance, so my emotions are more stable than before.”
“I’m very thankful to governments.”
But he’s eager to learn more information, especially about the terms and other qualifying requirements Miller mentioned in his letter. Miller said those will be released to the public shortly.
Although Marcelino said those specifics are still being worked out, they could have to do with labor market requirements.
Tianyu Xie is pictured here, protesting outside the provincial nominee program’s office in Winnipeg in March. On Tuesday, he expressed hope and relief that the federal government will offer open work permits to those newcomers in Manitoba whose post-graduate work permits expire in 2024. (Trevor Brine/CBC)
Xie said that he would have been compelled to return to China if Ottawa had not approved the continuation of his work visa.
“That plan is altered today,” Xie declared. “Manitowich is my favorite province. My goal is to remain in Manitoba.”
Yatin Joshi, the Manitoba branch head of the International Students and Skilled Workers Union, was likewise pleased with the news.
“Some of the candidates I personally know were in depression, but when this news came, and I saw the post on X by Mr. Miller, I was so thrilled to see that post.”
Minister optimistic permit holders will stay in Manitoba
Tuesday’s announcement comes after Marcelino was accused last month of threatening people who protested changes to Manitoba’s provincial nominee program.
The nominee program, which pairs foreign laborers with particular labor requirements in Manitoba, is one of the ways the government picks individuals from expressions of interest. The permission to enter the province is then granted to a specific percentage of those applicants.
Instead of being chosen at random, the drawings are made using a ranking system in which points are given for a variety of criteria. In an attempt to keep more immigrants in Manitoba, the NDP administration has emphasized skilled workers who already have relatives there. This policy has garnered criticism in addition to support from the province.
During the April question period, the Opposition Progressive Conservatives, who demanded Marcelino’s resignation, produced a heavily redacted letter claiming that Marcelino had threatened to purposefully postpone some of the nominee program’s draws if individuals persisted in protesting the modifications.
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Marcelino strongly denied the allegation last month.
“That is completely false,” she said. “I have never threatened folks.”
In order to assist keep newcomers, many of whom depart Manitoba after obtaining permanent residency, Marcelino has previously stated that the government modified its nominee program selection procedure in favor of immigrants having familial links to the province.
Although Marcelino did not provide specifics, she stated on Tuesday that she is planning to take further measures to ensure that the 6,700 people with work permits who are selected via the nominee program remain in Manitoba.
“In general, I’m quite confident and optimistic that these folks are going to be staying in Manitoba, because they’ve told me that they would,” she continued.
“It makes perfect sense to include these people in our nominations that we draw since many of them are already here.”
