The highest number of immigrants ever landed in Manitoba last year.

Almost 19,000 new Canadians took up roots in the province.

Of those 19,000, 75% are of working age. Program Director for Eastman Immigration Services, Gwen Reimer, sees the increase as an opportunity. “I think as we grow as a community, in business, and jobs, more and more people are going to hire newcomers.”  

The province understands that it has work to do in creating opportunities, and therefore Manitoba’s Economic Growth Action Plan has set out to create 40,000 jobs over the next four years.  65% of the immigrants that arrived in Manitoba last year came through the Action Plan's Provincial Nominee Program.

(Gwen Reimer, Program Director at Eastman Immigration Services)

“There are four pathways into the program,” explains Reimer, “the business investor stream, international education stream, skilled worker in Manitoba stream, and skilled worker overseas stream.” Referencing numbers on skilled workers overseas, Reimer says “A year ago, we had 14 work permits, this year, we’ve already had 33 so, that’s a 43% increase.”

Over the last five years, 88% of the labour force growth has been the result of Manitoba’s increasing need for workers. “We hear a lot of our employers are willing to train the newcomers for their specific work places,” she says, “so, that’s a definite positive impact on them.”

Reimer shares that two years ago Eastman Immigration Services hired a provincially funded settlement worker to assist their two federally funded ones. “They saw the need, they saw the increase, we applied for that settlement worker and we were granted that request.”

The influx of newcomers does come with its own challenges. “Definitely there is a language barrier,” says Reimer. “They might be a doctor, they might be a teacher, or have expertise in an area, but when their level of English is low, they can’t get those jobs right away.”

Even with those challenges, immigrants remain eager to enter the province, and with worker-to-retiree ratios narrowing, and birth rates stabilizing, Reimer suggests it may be beneficial for both sides.

“I think we can grow, and learn,” she offers, “and incorporate some of the newcomers ways,”