Recently, Canada’s immigration department, IRCC, accepted Manitoba’s PNP candidate work permit extension request. This means the Manitoba government aims to extend temporary resident status for a few nominees under the regional Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) as per this measure.

Understanding Manitoba’s PNP Candidate Work Permit Extension

The immigration department, IRCC, noted that all the nominees hold work permits with validity expiring in 2024. These nominees are specifically the holders of a Post Graduation Work Permit (PGWP).

Notably, these nominees presently have applications in the pool for the Manitoba Skilled Worker Program. It’s an immigration pathway.

These individuals have applications in the pool to fill critical job vacancies within the province.

As per this temporary measure, around 6,700 temporary workers will be able to continue working while the province processes their PNP application.

The province of Manitoba anticipates that foreign nationals who qualify will obtain an invitation from the province and ultimately become permanent residents within the period of two years.

IRCC declared that it is ready to work with other provinces and territories in Canada and will assist in the transition of more temporary residents into permanent residents. This will help the country address labor market needs.

The department said that additional information on this might be available after the Federation of Ministers Responsible for Immigration (FMRI) meeting that will occur on May 10.

Manitoba’s Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)

Manitoba was the first Canadian province to employ a PNP. It was started in 1998 with the aim of inviting immigrants who would otherwise want to immigrate to one of Canada’s major cities, such as Toronto or Vancouver.

This program was very effective in distributing economic immigration benefits. As a result, all the Canadian provinces and territories, other than Quebec and Nunavut, implemented the program in their regions.

According to data, in 2023, around 10,000 individuals transitioned from temporary worker status to permanent residents.

Moreover, during the period of January and March 2024, it invited 1,560 skilled workers by issuing Expressions of Interest, resulting in 478 approvals.

According to IRCC data, PNP accounted for 20% of all permanent resident admissions in 2022

Furthermore, as per Canada’s Immigration Levels Plan, around 110,000 new permanent residents will be welcomed to Canada by the end of 2024, and 120,000 per year in both 2025 and 2026.

Modifications to Temporary Resident Immigration Levels

Notably, this is an unusual initiative in Canada’s immigration system and is consistent with a previously announced focus for the current year and the future years.

The immigration minister, March Miller, disclosed his intention to hold more domestic draws on March 21 to assist temporary residents in transitioning to permanent residents.

This means that IRCC intends to help immigrants already residing in the country become permanent residents instead of raising the number of previously unrestricted temporary residents entering Canada each year.

Canada’s temporary resident population exceeded 2.5 million people last year, or 6.2% of the total population. Additionally, 157,000 people transitioned from temporary to permanent residents in the same year.

The modifications to Canada’s temporary resident levels occur when the country is dealing with an affordable housing shortage for both newcomers and Canadians. Meanwhile, the country is also dealing with a stressed healthcare system and high living costs.

According to various polls conducted in 2023, there was a drop in support for high immigration levels.

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