Canada has decided to extend the work permits of around 6,700 temporary residents in Manitoba.
This decision was made to help those whose work permits were either expired or about to expire. The Minister of Immigration, Marc Miller, approved this extension, which allows these temporary workers to keep working in Manitoba.
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Policy Announcement
The plan is to offer open work permits to these eligible temporary workers. These permits will be available to those whose work authorizations are expiring in 2024. Minister Miller shared that Manitoba reached out to his department to request this extension for temporary residents who are currently working in Manitoba.
Labour Needs in Manitoba
Manitoba needs these temporary workers to fulfill its labor requirements. Minister Miller mentioned that a new public policy will be introduced to grant open work permits to eligible temporary workers in Manitoba’s Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) Expression of Interest pool. They hope that these workers will eventually become permanent residents in the next two years.
Duration of Work Permits
According to Minister Miller’s statement, it’s expected that these open work permits will be valid for two years, until 2026. Recently, Manitoba PNP issued a large number of invitations for the International Education Stream on May 2nd.
When will this new policy be launched?
Minister Miller‘s official letter to the Immigration Minister of Manitoba states that officials will soon share a letter of intent with details of the public policy and additional conditions and criteria for eligibility. This letter will also outline performance reporting schedules.
Minister Miller also suggested revisiting the renewal of the Canada-Manitoba Immigration Agreement and discussing how Manitoba can use its PNP to transition more temporary residents to permanent residency.
With the implementation of this measure, Canada aims to help prospective nominees by allowing them to work in Manitoba while their PNP applications are being processed. This policy will contribute to Manitoba’s skilled labor supply as these temporary residents transition to permanent status.
MPNP Support
In addition to the temporary policy from the Immigration Minister, the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) has also taken steps to assist temporary residents with expired or expiring work permits.
Starting from April 26, Manitoba has prioritized assessments of MPNP applications filed by holders of post-graduation work permits (PGWPs) and other work permits that are about to expire.
To ensure priority processing, MPNP applicants whose work permits have expired or will expire within the next 45 days must inform the MPNP by filling out the Skilled Worker Webform.
What about other provinces?
This effort in Manitoba highlights the need for a coordinated immigration plan across Canada. It supports thousands of important temporary workers while they wait for their applications for permanent residence.
Discussions about the challenges faced by international students with expired or about-to-expire work permits have led to requests for similar actions in other provinces. It remains to be seen if other provinces will follow Manitoba’s lead in offering routes to open work permits for temporary residents.
The Immigration Minister is scheduled to hold a yearly meeting with all provincial and territorial immigration ministers on May 10. Let’s hope for positive developments for other provinces as well.
