Nominee program ‘can be done better’: Premier

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This article was published 26/11/2016 (3630 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister announced yesterday in Brandon his government will improve the provincial nominee program — such as eliminating the backlog of applications — but he did not divulge how.

“It can be done better,” Pallister said when asked of specifics after his press conference at Westman Immigrant Services. “We got to do a better job of helping them land on their feet when they come here. They’re coming here with hope, they’re not coming here to want to sit at home or in rented accommodation or in a shelter.”

The premier explained his enhancements include prioritizing entrepreneurs and skilled workers, which is already the program’s intention. The province will also seek “innovative partnerships” with industry and post-secondary institutions to help international students and skilled newcomers find work.

The province explained it would erase the backlog of provincial nominee applicants next April.

Education and Training Minister Ian Wishart said the Progressive Conservative government whittled down the number of applicants waiting on a reply from 8,000 to 10,000 when they took office to 4,000 applicants.

Some individuals had not heard back from the province since 2008, he said.

Once the backlog is eliminated, applicants can expect to hear if they are approved within six months, Wishart said.

To pay for the planned improvements, applicants will start paying a $500 fee. Expressions of interest will remain free of charge, and the new cost would only be instituted once an employment opportunity is found.

“It’s a fee only upon success,” Pallister said.

Revenue from the fee will be directed to language training programs and helping refugees.

The provincial nominee program lets Manitoba choose immigrants with the skills, education and work experience to contribute to the province’s job market.

Manitoba often has thousands more applicants than the yearly 5,000 cap permits.

Pallister referenced in his address the importance of finding immigrants to fill the province’s jobs, citing as many as 200,000 openings within the next five years.

And he hopes the federal government can increase the amount of economic immigrants accepted, to 6,000 per year.

“I think that’s a good start point,” Pallister said. “The big thing here is to continue to do the analysis to determine what your labour needs are and link that to the number (of immigrants).”

Guest speaker Joy Escalera, who emigrated from the Philippines, smiled broadly when she showed the crowd her acceptance letter in 2009 when she applied for Manitoba’s provincial nominee program.

The mother of three now works for Westman Immigrant Services as the settlement services manager. She said her family’s life in Canada is a blessing.

“I am confident my children are getting the education we dreamed of,” she said.

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