Objective 2: Promote Our Capabilities, Strengths & Advantages

Promote Immigration

Advance Trade & Investment Develop Transportation Linkages Promote Immigration Promote Tourism Promote Energy, Science & Technology Advance International Education

Immigration has always played an important role in Manitoba's economic development and will continue to be essential to meeting our labour force needs.

Newcomers bring with them many skills as well as a desire to invest or start-up small- or medium-sized businesses. They enrich the province culturally and bring inside knowledge and back-home connections for our international trade. A large, skilled workforce not only contributes directly to our economic prosperity, it makes Manitoba more desirable to foreign business looking to relocate and to foreign capital looking to invest.

Under Canada's constitution, immigration is a shared responsibility between the Government of Canada and the provinces. The Government of Manitoba has taken its responsibility seriously and is known for being at the forefront of national efforts to improve immigration and settlement. In June 2003, the Province negotiated a new Canada-Manitoba Immigration Agreement, which expanded its role and responsibilities in immigration, and laid the foundation for innovative initiatives to increase our overall number of immigrants.

We have already made significant progress. In 2004, we welcomed over 7,500 immigrants - the highest level in over a decade and double the 1999 level. The Province's achievements in immigration are especially noteworthy given that most provinces in Canada experienced a decrease in their proportional share of Canada's total immigration.

An important portion of those who settled in Manitoba came as refugees. In 2004, 15% of Manitoba newcomers came as refugees; otherwise said, over 1,100 people found refuge in Manitoba in 2004 alone. Over half of these refugees were privately sponsored, which attests to the hard work and commitment of Manitoba's vibrant sponsorship network. Manitoba strives to maintain a balanced approach to immigration that acknowledges the skills and contributions of all immigrants and refugees.

Fundamental to this success is the Provincial Nominee Program; which provides the flexibility needed to recruit and nominate skilled individuals and their families. The Provincial Nominee Program accounts for over 50% of our current arrivals. In recent years, over 30% of Provincial Nominees settled in centres outside Winnipeg and contributed to regional growth.

This innovative program is designed to increase immigration in partnership with communities, businesses and employers. Its dynamic selection criteria reflect our changing economy, development priorities and future challenges. Priority streams have been developed to facilitate timely processing of prospective nominees with strong ties to Manitoba and the greatest potential to establish successfully. The Province works directly with employers to match labour shortages with specific incoming skills. Through working with employers, the Province is able to process applicants quickly through targeted promotion and recruitment partnerships. By complementing local initiatives with off-shore recruitment of skilled immigrants, the Province can better match the demand for specific labour needs with the supply of well-trained available workers.

Strategic Actions

The Government of Manitoba will:

• Work with the Manitoba Immigration Council to continue to increase the province's annual immigration levels to 10,000 individuals.
• Improve the promotion of our province as a destination of choice for immigrants.
• Fulfill Manitoba's Action Strategy for Economic Growth's immigration elements:
  • attract skilled Francophone workers and entrepreneurs in collaboration with the federal government and community partners;
  • allow qualified international learners who graduate from Manitoba post-secondary institutions to apply to become permanent residents in Manitoba;
  • increase support for Manitoba's Qualifications Recognition Initiative to better recognize the qualifications immigrants bring to Manitoba;
  • increase overall Provincial Nominee certificates in both skilled and business components from 2,100 to between 2,500 and 3,000 per year; and
  • provide responsive settlement services that support immigration, such as developing new models of English as a Second Language (ESL) service delivery for faster integration of immigrants into Manitoba's labour force and community.