IMMIGRATION
In Manitoba, a province that relies heavily on immigration and particularly the Provincial Nominee Program to connect skilled workers with workforce needs, those changes are creating uncertainty.
have also made it more costly and time-consuming for them to bring in foreign workers. Many of the immigration programs that are working for companies are employer-driven. Pagtakhan says. That means employers file applications, make attestations, submit documentation and undergo assessments, all of which can chew up valuable time and resources. “There’s a lot of paperwork. That’s tough, especially for smaller busi- nesses that are trying to just fill one or two positions and might not have the bandwidth in their organizations to put together a full compliance program and understand what they’re doing every time they fill out an appli- cation,” he says. “Some small businesses have said to me, ‘I don’t even want to bother. It’s just too much work. I can’t afford to do this. Forget the fees. I just can’t afford to do it on the basis of time and then all this record keeping.’ Even for larger busi- nesses that have that sort of framework set up, it’s still a very large adminis- trative burden, especially if you have multiple employees to deal with.” Pagtakhan has some advice for busi- nesses looking to bring in workers from other countries. First, keep up to date on any changes to federal or provincial immigration policies. Changes can occur on an almost-monthly basis and businesses need to be aware of them in order to make timely and appropriate decisions. Next, find an immigration program that works for you and helps address your business’s specific needs. Once you’ve done that, submit your applica- tion as soon as possible before that program’s quota is filled.
of whom work part-time while studying); and a significant shift in the number of skilled foreign workers allowed into Manitoba through the province’s nomi- nee program (6,239 for 2026 compared to 9,540 in 2024). In Manitoba, a province that relies heavily on immigration and particu- larly the Provincial Nominee Program to connect skilled workers with workforce needs, those changes are creating uncertainty. Reis Pagtakhan, a Winnipeg immi- gration lawyer with MLT Aikins, says these changes have impacted all kinds of businesses, making it especially difficult for businesses looking to fill lower-skilled positions. That’s particularly true for many retail and hospitality businesses because most of the openings they need to fill are entry-level positions. “People that aren’t entering as trades- people or professionals or executives are having a much more difficult time getting a work permit, and employers are having a much more difficult time getting them work permits,” he says. Pagtakhan says one of the concerns he’s heard from many business owners is that these changes could jeopardize Manitoba’s ability to attract and retain workers from other countries. “If you’re a worker looking for something long-term and know that the long-term guarantee is no longer there, you might say, ‘Why am I even going to bother starting a career in Canada if I’m just going to have to go home in couple of years?’ For people seeking permanent residency, it becomes very discourag- ing,” he explains. Not only have these recent changes reduced the labour talent pool businesses have to draw from, they
M anitoba businesses are fac- ing a familiar challenge. A persistent labour shortage and the mismatch between available jobs and the workers needed to fill them are limiting growth and impacting workforce participation. The pressure on businesses is intensifying as recent federal immi- gration changes redefine Canada’s labour pipeline. Among the changes: a drastic reduction in the number of low-wage temporary foreign workers a company can employ (now capped at 10 per cent of an employer’s total workforce, down from the previous limit of 20 per cent); cuts to the number of study permits granted to international students (many
9 SUMMER 2026
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