Immigration Announcement
Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program has allowed rural communities to flourish
The Manitoba community of Steinbach merely had a residing population of 8,478 back in the year 1996. The community has since then flourished, and the numbers have almost doubled in the last decade. The province’s immigrant nominee program has contributed significantly to this development.
Kelvin Goertzen, who is the province’s Minister of Education and Training, recently detailed the successes of the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) in an article. He is the representative of Steinbach in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, and his words hold a lot of value.
The MPNP, which was first introduced in 1998, was Canada’s first provincial nominee program and it has enjoyed immense success since then. It has managed to bring in over 130,000 economic immigrants over to Manitoba since the introduction of the program. Over 20% of the immigrants have made a life for themselves in regional communities such as Steinbach which are smaller but progressive.
According to Goertzen, he would have had to get on a plane if he had wanted to travel the world when he was a young boy. Now, however, he could send his son to a local school to understand diversity and inclusivity. Goertzen further emphasized that the influence of the MPNP has proved to be “transformative” for places like Steinbach and more regional communities which needed exposure.
Provincial nominee programs such as the MPNP play a key role in spreading the advantages of immigration across the country. Not only do Canada’s major urban centers enjoy the benefits of immigration, but also the smaller provinces and territories are allowed to nominate economic immigration candidates who can apply for Canadian permanent residence. The MPNP nominated 5,119 immigration candidates in 2018 through streams like Skilled Worker Overseas and Skilled Worker in Manitoba.
