December 01, 2005
Manitoba will launch a stronger focus on provincial immigration strategies to increase employer participation and involvement at a special forum set for Dec. 9, Labour and Immigration Minister Nancy Allan announced today.
The new approach will provide employers in urban and rural areas with direct access to recruit and select applicants under the successful Provincial Nominee Program when local skilled labour is not available.
“One of the key factors in the success of Manitoba’s immigration recruitment strategy has been our ability to build partnerships between communities, business and government,” said Allan. “At this forum we are asking employers to work directly with our department to address their specific labour needs with skilled workers from within Manitoba and abroad.”
The Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program is an immigration program negotiated through the Canada-Manitoba Immigration Agreement. It allows Manitoba to recruit and select immigrants to meet the province’s unique economic and labour needs. The program’s skilled worker and business immigration streams have become models that are followed in other provinces in Canada.
Manitoba’s Provincial Nominee Program for skilled workers is designed to assess applications through six different streams. In the employer direct stream, the province works closely with local employers to meet demands for immigrant workers from abroad and within the province.
“We are proud of Manitoba’s leading role in the development and implementation of highly-successful and effective immigration programs,” said Allan. “Other Canadian provinces are following our immigration model because it works and offers incredible flexibility to adapt to changing needs within our province.”
Employers and their human resource specialists are invited to register and attend the free Employer Direct Forum Friday, Dec. 9 at the Delta Winnipeg (panel session from 9 to 11 a.m., networking fair from 11 a.m. to noon). Participants may register by e‑mailing employerdirect@gov.mb.ca or calling 204-945-5110. For more information about the forum or the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program go to http://www.immigratemanitoba.com.
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