Manitoba’s Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) is being criticized for excluding graduated international students through its prioritization of work experience in a recent draw.
Last week, the provincial government conducted its first expression of interest (EOI) draw since early February for international students graduating from designated learning institutions (DLIs) in Manitoba.
The April 24 draw, which was the 215th EOI draw, prioritized those applicants under the International Education Stream who possessed at least four years of work experience in the past five years, with 66 Letters of Advice to Apply were issued for this demographic.
This was met with criticism and protest from international students who did not meet this requirement.
Manitoba, however, has promised that more draws will be held in the upcoming weeks for international graduates with less than four years of work experience.
Read More
Canada’s Tightest Provincial Jobs Market Is British Columbia
Canadian Employers Increased Reliance on Temporary Foreign Workers in 2023
Canada Announces Cap on Start-Up Visa Applications to Reduce Processing Times
It has chosen to divide IES draws into smaller segments to ensure that applications are processed as quickly as possible, while also ensuring that Canada attracts skilled workers.
The federal government’s unwillingness to extend work permits for 18 months, as it had done during the COVID-19 pandemic, has also created tension in the system. Many international students are fearing for their status in the country.
The protest also comes a week following an allegation made by the Progressive Conservatives against the NDP government’s immigration minister, Malaya Marcelino, regarding her having threatened protesters with immigration delays.
While Marcelino denied the allegation, CBC wrote that the Opposition presented a heavily redacted letter that contained the allegation.
The Tories have demanded a resignation from Marcelino, saying that the alleged interference is a breach of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Early April, hundreds of people gathered outside Manitoba’s legislature to protest the lags in the MPNP.
According to Global News, there was a lot of unrest among the protesters regarding the nearly two-year wait time to hear back.
Watch Video
According to a provincial spokesperson, “budget 2024 will significantly increase the number of staff in the immigration division who can process Manitoba Provincial Nominee applications.”
“Our government is exploring every available option to ensure that people who hold post-graduate work permits have every opportunity to stay in Manitoba after the recent announcement by the federal government that their permits would not be extended any further.”
