FRANCAIS

March 11, 2002

Denis Coderre, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and Becky Barrett, Manitoba Minister of Labour and Immigration, have agreed to expand the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), allowing more skilled immigrants to enter the province.

"Since its inception in 1998, the agreement has clearly demonstrated its value to the people of Manitoba and Canada both," said Coderre. "Minister Barrett and I have agreed to expand the number of skilled immigrants from 750 to 1,000. This shows how important federal, provincial and territorial partnership is to the success of our immigration program," he said.

"Our Provincial Nominee Program is a tremendous success. Welcoming these additional skilled workers and their families further enriches our province's cultural diversity which is one of Manitoba's great competitive advantages," said Barrett. "This growth and success is due to the support we have from the federal government, the business sector, the community and the private sector."

The PNP gives Manitoba a direct hand in the identification of skilled individuals who could provide significant industrial and economic benefits to the province. Under the expanded program, Manitoba can nominate 1,000 nominees and their families to fill labour market shortages this year.

Ray Pagtakhan, Minister of Veteran's Affairs Canada, applauded the increase in the number of provincial nominees for Manitoba. "It is clear that Manitoba does need immigrants, and I know what a warm welcome Manitobans can offer to its newcomers, as it did for me when I came here in 1968."

Coderre and Barrett also talked about other immigration issues during their meeting, including the possibility of launching a pilot project in the province that would determine whether immigration could be used as a tool to help minority francophone communities achieve their goals. As well, they explored the possibility of a federal-provincial territorial meeting of immigration ministers.

"The program shows that a proactive, innovative strategy, built on co-operation and partnership works," said Barrett. "I support a meeting with my federal, provincial and territorial colleagues and sharing our experience in the near future."

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For more information, visit:

Citizenship and Immigration Canada: http://www.cic.gc.ca

BACKGROUNDER

• The Provincial Nominee Agreement provides the province with a mechanism to increase the economic benefits of immigration to Manitoba, based on industrial and economic priorities and labour market conditions.
• Manitoba will nominate potential candidates who will be of significant benefit to its industrial and economic development and who will be able to establish themselves successfully in Manitoba.
• Manitoba will be entitled to nominate 1,000 provincial nominees and their accompanying family members until the end of the current agreement, to fill labour market shortages.
• Manitoba will provide recruitment plans to the Government of Canada to identify target markets and potential source countries and regions.
• The Government of Canada will ensure that candidates nominated by Manitoba meet the admissibility criteria, which include security, criminal record and medical checks, and will issue immigrant visas to provincial nominees who meet the criteria.
• Canada and Manitoba have developed an evaluation framework to carry out evaluations of the provincial nominee program.
• The agreement will remain in effect until October 2002.

The Provincial Nominee Program has been very successful in recruiting immigrants to come to Manitoba to work and live. In 1999, 418 individuals in 137 families entered Manitoba through the program. In 2000, this increased to 1,088 individuals in 313 families. Provincial nominees have been approved from all regions of the world although a significant number of the arrivals are from Germany or the Philippines. The majority are married with children. It takes an average of one year from the time an individual applies under the program until that person arrives in Manitoba.

Of the Provincial Nominee Program participants recently surveyed:

• 90% of those who initially came to Manitoba continue to live here.
• 77% plan to stay in the town or city where they are living for at least the next five years.
• About 34% of those arriving by October 2001 settled outside of Winnipeg compared to 15% of other recent non-program related immigrants.
• About 94% of principal applicants and 44% of adult dependants who came to Manitoba through the program are employed.
• The overall employment rate is 71%, similar to that of all Manitobans.
• About 60% are working in their intended occupations.
• At least 59% are working in high demand occupations.
• The longer they live in Manitoba, the higher their employment rate.
• Employment problems most frequently reported were related to credential recognition or a lack of English verbal, writing or reading skills.
• Most who have lived in Manitoba for at least a year have taken language training classes and a substantial minority have taken other occupational training courses.
• None reported receiving any social assistance payments in Manitoba.
• In the longer term, many hope to move into more highly skilled and managerial occupations and/or become self-employed.