New Pathway Announced
Today Immigration Minister Sean Fraser announced the launch of a new federal immigration pathway. The Municipal Nominee Program that is announced today is part of the federal government’s initiative to drive new immigrants to rural Canada largely away from the popular urban centers such as Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary.
Background
The Municipal Nominee Program was established in response to a 2019 mandate from the Minister of Immigration and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. The mandate tasked the Minister with creating a program that allows local communities, chambers of commerce, and local labor councils to sponsor permanent immigrants directly.
The delay in launching the MNP is partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The stakeholder consultations were completed in December 2020
This was then again included in the mandate letter to Sean Fraser in 2021 and since has been work in progress.
What is the MNP program?
The MNP program will help immigrants settle in smaller cities across Canada. This program will offer a minimum of 5,000 spots for qualified applicants.
Applicants are expected to fill labor gaps and show a genuine desire to live in and contribute to their supporting community. Communities that are eligible and interested in participating in the program have been selected based on their existing infrastructure, labor shortages, and ability to support new immigrants.
The MNP program may begin as a pilot project, but based on its success and feedback from participants, IRCC will decide if it should continue permanently. The program is similar to the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot program (RNIP) and other Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) aimed at increasing Permanent Residence in smaller communities.
The program aims to attract immigrants to municipalities that have historically had lower rates of immigration. In addition, the program aims to encourage these immigrants to stay in the community long-term.
Concerns had been raised about the ability of the Municipal Nominee Program to retain immigrants in the chosen community, similar to Provincial Nominee Programs. To address this, the government has identified key factors that contribute to retention, such as access to meaningful employment and career development opportunities for immigrants and their families, welcoming communities, and community infrastructure such as affordable housing, schools, and healthcare services. These factors will likely be taken into consideration when selecting immigrants for the Municipal Nominee Program.