Labour and Immigration Minister Jennifer Howard today released findings of an independent study which shows Manitoba’s Provincial Nominee Program is a success.
The evaluation, undertaken by University of Winnipeg professor Dr. Tom Carter, indicates an overall positive assessment of the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) and shows that nominees who come to Manitoba have mainly positive settlement experiences.
“We are pleased that many newcomers are finding jobs, buying homes and building a good life with their families here in Manitoba,” said Howard. “The study also provides us with some useful information on how we can continue to improve our programs and services.”
Some of the main findings of the study show that:
• 85 per cent of provincial nominees were working after three months and 89 per cent had permanent jobs;
• 83 per cent were working in their fields or in a related field over time;
• after three to five years in Manitoba, 76 per cent of nominees were homeowners;
• there is a high level of satisfaction with the type, nature and quality of settlement and language-training services available;
• 95 per cent of principal applicants do not plan on moving to another province over the next five years;
• 91 per cent of nominees can communicate easily in English over time; and
• provincial nominees express high levels of satisfaction with their communities as a place to live and a growing proportion are engaging in community activities.
“This study shows that our programs are on the right track, however the number of newcomers who have difficulty getting their credentials recognized remains too high,” said Howard. “We must continue to build on our programs to ensure that newcomers get jobs that match their skills and experience.”
Manitoba government efforts to assist newcomers get jobs that match their qualifications include:
• More pre-arrival labour market preparation services and language training services available to provincial nominees destined to Manitoba.
• Job-specific language classes offered at the workplace to assist immigrants to function more effectively in jobs they currently hold or advance to higher positions.
• Qualifications-recognition projects for internationally educated engineers, agrologists, nurses, doctors, accountants, early-childhood educators, bank and credit union workers, teachers, medical laboratory technologists and midwives.
• The 2007 Fair Registration Practices in Regulated Professions Act which ensures that registration and assessment practices are fair, transparent, objective and impartial. The Office of the Fairness Commissioner has been established to support self-regulatory bodies to comply with the fair practices outlined in the act.
• Manitoba’s contribution to the development of the First Ministers’ Pan-Canadian Framework on Foreign Qualifications Recognition to improve the assessment and recognition pathways of internationally trained immigrants.
• The Credentials Recognition Program which provides financial assistance to immigrant professionals as they proceed through the licensing process set by their profession’s regulatory body.
Recently, the federal government has signalled that Manitoba’s Provincial Nominee Program will be capped at 5,000 nominees this year and next year, said Howard. The most recent information shows that Manitoba attracted 13,500 newcomers in 2009, 75 per cent through the PNP.
“The results of this survey will help us demonstrate to the federal government that Manitoba’s Provincial Nominee Program has been successful in recruiting and retaining newcomers who help our economy grow,” said Howard. “This very successful model should be allowed to continue to grow.”
The study was based on personal interviews with 100 principal applicants and 50 spouses who arrived under the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program.
The main components of the survey included the PNP application process, pre-migration information, employment, income, language, education and training, health and other services, housing, financial assistance, settlement orientation, participation in community activities, retention issues, advice to future immigrants, and demographic and household information.
