Success: Fast MPNP NC

Due to strong demand in Manitoba and many applicants trying to get PR status through the MPNP program, we have seen long processing times. This has been an issue that has been reported on CBC News and CIL has been advocating on behalf of our clients to speed up processing at MPNP.

MPNP Update from April 2024

Alastair Clarke met with senior MPNP Officers at the end of April 2024. During this meeting, we covered many topics, included all the steps that are being done at MPNP to process applications as quickly as possible. Officers and Managers at MPNP are acutely aware of the high stress levels among applicants. After Mr Clarke met with Managers and Officers at MPNP, we posted an update on our website. Please click here to review the update which we published on our website here. Here are some key points from that post:

Yesterday, Alastair Clarke met with MPNP managers and Senior Officers to get an update on the MPNP program. Here are key points:

• As reported, MPNP has been granted 9,500 NOMINATION CERTIFICATES by IRCC for 2024;
• There are between 20,000 to 27,000 EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST (EOI) in the MPNP pool;
• There are more than 47,000 individuals with temporary status in Manitoba;
• MPNP has hired more Officers to process MPNP applications and, the latest budget from the Manitoba government provides funding for more Officers in future;
• MPNP will prioritize applicants who have been selected (at LAA stage) with expiring Work Permits (eg. PGWP or CUAET); however, they cannot guarantee that all applicants will be able to apply for the T13 Work Permit while they are in status;
• Applicants must disclose the expiry date of their Work Permit for the MPNP Officer to give the applicant priority consideration;
• If Applicants hire agents and/or consultants who make mistakes, the applicants are liable;
• MPNP Officers will be flexible with Ukrainian applicants who cannot obtain documents, despite “best efforts”;
• The Skilled Worker Webform is the best way to request a Work Permit Support Letter; and,
• Current IRCC Regulations regarding T13 Work Permits do not allow MPNP to provide Work Permit Support Letters on a provisional basis.

Since that meeting in April 2024, MPNP has made many improvements to the program. We have done our best to share our clients’ concerns to both MPNP and to IRCC.

Public Policy for Manitoba PGWP Workers

In May 2024, Alastair Clarke met with IRCC Officers and other lawyers at the CBA Immigration Law conference in Montreal. Around that time, IRCC announced a special program that is only available for workers in Manitoba. I can report that immigration lawyers in Ontario and other provinces are quite envious. This program does not apply for workers in other provinces – only Manitoba.

As reported by MPNP:

This temporary public policy allows post-graduate work permit holders employed in Manitoba with work permits expiring in 2024, who are eligible to apply to the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) and who have submitted a valid MPNP Expression of Interest (EOI) profile prior to May 10, 2024, to be eligible to apply for a province-specific open work permit that will be valid for up to two years.

This program may be extremely valuable for many workers who have PGWPs that are set to expire.

MPNP NC issued after only 2 months

We are pleased to report that our client were just issued their MPNP Nomination Certificate. We did their EOI and submitted their application once they received their LAA. We know many of our clients want fast processing. This file has been processed extremely quickly.

Clients often ask, “If we hire CIL, will you make it go faster?” We have always been completely transparent that a great application, submitted directly by the client or by our office, will be processed in the same fashion. That said, I would like to think that when an MPNP Officer or an IRCC Officer sees the CIL logo, they know it is a strong application.