Manitoba To Welcome Exploratory Visits From Francophone Immigration Candidates

Manitoba immigration has launched a new initiative to allow Francophone skilled worker immigration candidates to make exploratory visits to the province.

The province is accepting requests from bilingual francophones interested in making the visits, aimed at helping them decide if Manitoba is the right place for relocation.

“These pre-arranged visits allow potential skilled-worker applicants to research employment opportunities and communities to help them make an informed decision whether to relocate to Manitoba,” a Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program statement said.

The visits are part of a partnership between the Manitoba provincial government and the Conseil de développement économique des municipalités bilingues du Manitoba (CDEM), designed to attract and integrate more French-speaking immigrants to the province.

“As immigration is critical to our economic growth, we are strengthening our partnership with CDEM to support the economic and cultural vitality of our francophone communities and Manitoba as a whole,” said Ralph Eichler, Economic Development and Training Minister.

“Our renewed partnership aligns with Manitoba’s Growing Through Immigration Strategy as it will help increase the size and diversity of the talent pool available to Manitoba industry.”

To qualify to make an exploratory visit, candidates must be between 21 and 45 and have at least Canadian Benchmark level 5 for French in all four language disciplines, as well as meet the education and experience requirements below.

Manitoba Exploratory Visit: Candidate Requirements

Candidates must

Be aged between 21 and 45.
Have a minimum of one-year post-secondary education, with a diploma or certificate.
Have held a full-time professional position for at least two years in the last five years, and have at least 6 months of continuous full-time professional experience on the list of high-demand jobs in Manitoba, or in the areas of: Media and Communications Education and Training (at primary, secondary and university levels).
Have at least Level 5 of the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) in each of the four French Assessment Tests competencies. The results of the French Assessment Test (TEF) or the French Knowledge Test (TCF) are required. NCLC 5, 6 or 7 is a requirement for some professions.
Officials must believe candidates do not have stronger ties with other Canadian provinces and that there is a good chance the candidate will settle permanently in Manitoba.
Have liquid funds that match the Low-Income Cut-Off requirements for independent financial resources for a period of 6 months.
Have a prior agreement with a PCM official to have an interview with you during your exploratory visit.

Colin Singer

Colin Singer is an international acclaimed Canadian immigration lawyer and founder of immigration.ca featured on Wikipedia. Colin Singer is also founding director of the Canadian Citizenship & Immigration Resource Center (CCIRC) Inc. He served as an Associate Editor of ‘Immigration Law Reporter’, the pre-eminent immigration law publication in Canada. He previously served as an executive member of the Canadian Bar Association’s Quebec and National Immigration Law Sections and is currently a member of the Canadian Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Colin has twice appeared as an expert witness before Canada’s House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration. He is frequently recognized as a recommended authority at national conferences sponsored by government and non-government organizations on matters affecting Canada’s immigration and human resource industries. Since 2009, Colin has been a Governor of the Quebec Bar Foundation a non-profit organization committed to the advancement of the profession, and became a lifetime member in 2018.