Provincial Nominee Program

The MPNP submits all nominations for skilled workers and entrepreneurs directly to CIC's Centralized Intake Office (CIO) according to the limits established by the annual federal government levels plan. Because Manitoba has a limited number of Certificates of Nomination that can be issued every year, the MPNP selects the strongest eligible applications received for nomination.

The successful provincial nominee must submit a permanent resident visa application to the CIO. Once the visa has been issued, the new Manitoban travels directly to our province to begin working or to start a business according to the terms of their nomination.

MPNP for Skilled Workers in Manitoba

The MPNP for Skilled Workers is locally driven and based on the needs of Manitoba employers. We select internationally trained and experienced workers who have the skills needed in the local labour market, and nominate them to receive Canadian permanent resident visas to settle and work in Manitoba.

The key to the success of the MPNP is the consistently strong and stable economy of our province. The diversity of Manitoba’s growing industries and economic sectors keeps our unemployment rate low. Good wages, safe working conditions, generous benefits and workers’ rights are some of the highlights of working in Manitoba. Plus, with Manitoba’s low cost of living, and high standard of government services such as health care and education, the province offers an affordable, high-quality lifestyle.

The MPNP for Skilled Workers in Manitoba nominates applicants who have a strong connection to our province through ongoing employment and sufficient skills, education and training, work experience and official language proficiency to make an immediate and ongoing contribution to the Manitoba economy and our community at large.

Ongoing Manitoba employment is a means for skilled workers to demonstrate they have the connection to Manitoba required of all applicants to the MPNP for Skilled Workers in Manitoba.

All applicants must submit a Settlement Plan, to explain their plan for settling in Manitoba successfully and contributing economically. Upon nomination, we provide resources to help you put your plan into action toward achieving your goals.

The MPNP for Skilled Workers in Manitoba empowers you to take charge of your proven success finding employment in Manitoba. Our secure and easy-to-use web application, MPNP Online, guides you to enter all the information and documentation that you need to apply.

Immigration through the MPNP for Skilled Workers in Manitoba is a three-step process:

STEP 1

• Submit an Expression of Interest

STEP 2

• The highest-scoring qualified candidates with a connection to Manitoba are invited to submit an MPNP application

STEP 3

• Following a thorough assessment, the MPNP nominates successful candidates to make a separate application to the Government of Canada for permanent resident visas for you and your family.

Determine Your Eligibility – Skilled Workers in Manitoba

Ongoing Manitoba employment is a means for skilled workers to demonstrate they have the Connection to Manitoba required of all applicants to the MPNP for Skilled Workers.

Ongoing Manitoba employment means that a Manitoba company has offered you a long-term, full-time job after you have completed at least six months (continuous) full-time employment with that company as a temporary foreign worker or international student working graduate.

Unlike the other connections to Manitoba in the MPNP, Skilled Workers in Manitoba are not subject to a points-based assessment.

Your employer must be incorporated or registered by or under an act of the legislature of a province or the Parliament of Canada and operating as a business that has an established production capability, plant or place of business in Manitoba.

Your employer must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the MPNP that they are an established business with an ability to offer you full-time and long-term employment in Manitoba.

Any periods of self-employment, unauthorized work, or periods of employment during which you were engaged in full-time study (ex: work experience gained on a co-op permit) will not be included when calculating the period of qualifying work experience in Manitoba.

Self-employed individuals, business owners, owner-operators and individuals providing services as independent contractors to the business supporting their application are not eligible to apply as Skilled Workers in Manitoba and any work experience in Manitoba gained in those capacities will not be considered when calculating the qualifying period of work in the province.

Note

The MPNP will only issue a work permit support letter to you if there is a demonstrated employee-employer relationship.

Requirements for International Students from other provinces

If you have graduated from a post-secondary program in another Canadian province and want to apply to the MPNP for Skilled Workers under this category because you’ve been offered a job in Manitoba, note that to be eligible you must first have been working for that Manitoba employer for at least one year.

Required documents: In MPNP Online, you must upload copies of your valid work permit and, from your Manitoba employer, written confirmation that you’ve been working full-time for at least six months continuous, as well as your job-offer letter, specifying salary/wage and details of the position, signed and on company letterhead, along with all other documents described on the page Documents.

Conditions:

• The offer of long-term employment must be from the same employer for whom you have been working full-time for the required time period.
• You must have all qualifications for the position including training/education and any required licence or certification.
• You must have job-ready English; specifically you must demonstrate the English or French proficiency to fulfill the duties of your job description.
• Your connection to Manitoba through employment must be stronger than ties you may have to another province.
• You must demonstrate in a Settlement Plan your intention and plan to live, work and establish your work and family life in Manitoba as a permanent resident.

Note

Please note that people exempt from requiring a work permit to work in Manitoba (ex: Ministers of Religion) are not eligible to apply to the MPNP under this category.

Employment that is part of a work-study program is ineligible.

Skilled workers applying on the basis of ongoing employment in Manitoba must still provide documented proof of settlement funds in their name. However, the MPNP will consider your current income, so you may not necessarily require the generally recommended C$10,000 in settlement funds.

International Student Working Graduates

Only graduates of Manitoba post-secondary educational institutions are considered. You are eligible if your Manitoba employer offers you a long-term job following at least six months of continuous full-time employment on a valid post-graduation work permit.

Required documents: In MPNP Online you must upload copies of: your valid post-graduation work permit; confirmation from your employer of minimum six months continuous full-time work; your job-offer letter, specifying salary/wage and details of the position, on company letterhead and signed by your employer, as well as education and all other documents described on the page: Documents.

Conditions:

• You attended an authorized education or training program at a public, or registered private vocational, post-secondary institution in Manitoba. (Language programs are specifically excluded.)
• Your academic/vocational program was full-time and at least one academic year in duration.
• You successfully completed your program and were awarded a diploma, degree or certificate.
• You have been continuously working at least six months for the same employer who has offered you a permanent (long-term) full-time job.
• You have a valid post-graduation work permit from Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
• Your connection to Manitoba through employment is stronger than ties you may have to another Canadian province.
• You demonstrate in a Settlement Plan your intention and plan to live, work and establish your work and family life in Manitoba as a permanent resident.
• You have all qualifications and the English or French language proficiency to fulfill the duties of your job. *

*Minimum language for lower-skilled occupations If your job is classified as lower skilled (NOC C or D) you must submit in MPNP Online valid results of an MPNP-approved language test demonstrating official language proficiency at CLB 4 (NCLC 4, French) or higher in all test categories according to the MPNP’s CLB Language Grid. To be considered valid, your test must have been taken no more than two years prior to the date you submit your MPNP Online application. NOC C and D jobs include lower-skilled workers in the trades, primary and manufacturing industries, sales and services, and certain clerical and assistant categories.

Note

Get your post-graduation work permit: Apply to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada within 90 days of completing your school program requirements. If you need help, see the international student advisor at your school.

Students outside Manitoba are NOT eligible to apply to the MPNP as Skilled Workers in Manitoba. However, you may still apply to the MPNP as a Skilled Worker Overseas, provided that you demonstrate a connection to Manitoba that is stronger than your ties to another part of Canada.

(Important: If you want to apply because you’ve been offered a job in Manitoba, note that you must first have been working for that employer for at least one year.)

Overview

The MPNP for Skilled Workers is locally driven and based on the needs of Manitoba employers. We select internationally trained and experienced workers who have the skills needed in the local labour market, and nominate them to receive Canadian permanent resident visas to settle and work in Manitoba.

The key to the success of the MPNP is the consistently strong and stable economy of our province. The diversity of Manitoba’s growing industries and economic sectors keeps our unemployment rate low. Good wages, safe working conditions, generous benefits and workers’ rights are some of the highlights of working in Manitoba. Plus, with Manitoba’s low cost of living, and high standard of government services such as health care and education, the province offers an affordable, high-quality lifestyle.

The MPNP for Skilled Workers Overseas nominates applicants who demonstrate an established connection to Manitoba through:

• the support of family members or friends;
• through previous education or work experience in the province; or
• through an Invitation to Apply received directly from the MPNP as part of a Strategic Recruitment Initiative.

All applicants must submit a Settlement Plan, to explain their plan for settling in Manitoba successfully and contributing economically. Upon nomination, we provide resources to help you put your plan into action toward achieving your goals. Our secure and easy-to-use web application, MPNP Online, guides you to enter all the information and documentation that you need to apply.

Immigration through the MPNP for Skilled Workers in Manitoba is a three-step process:

STEP 1

• Submit an Expression of Interest.

STEP 2

• The highest-scoring qualified candidates with a connection to Manitoba are invited to submit an MPNP application.

STEP 3

• Following a thorough assessment, the MPNP nominates successful candidates to make a separate application to the Government of Canada for permanent resident visas for you and your family.

Determine Your Eligibility – Skilled Workers Overseas

All applicants to the MPNP who are applying as Skilled Workers Overseas must demonstrate an established connection to Manitoba either through the support of family members or friends, through previous education or work experience in the province or through an Invitation to Apply received directly from the MPNP as part of a Strategic Recruitment Initiative. You can find more information about the different types of eligible connections below.

Use the Points Assessment information below to estimate your eligibility under the MPNP Skilled Workers Overseas stream.

A Manitoba Supporter is an established resident of the province who is a friend or relative of the applicant and is willing and able to review and endorse the applicant’s plan for settling and finding employment in their destination community. A Manitoba Supporter must be the applicant’s close relative or friend/distant relative, and must be:

• able to provide documents proving they reside and are established in Manitoba and have been living in the province continuously for at least one year (ex: copy of Manitoba Health Card)
• a Canadian citizen or permanent resident (ex: copy of Permanent Resident Card)
• able to demonstrate sufficiently close ties to the applicant and to Manitoba
• able to demonstrate that any applications they previously supported resulted in successful, permanent economic establishment in Manitoba
• able to support the applicant’s Settlement Plan

For close relatives, both the applicant and the supporter must provide documents proving their familial relationship.

Close relatives may support the application of more than one skilled worker at a time provided they satisfactorily demonstrate their ability to do so.

Finally, your supporter cannot be and the MPNP will not accept a Settlement Plan Part 2 signed by:

• a paid immigration representative
• anyone who is not a demonstrated relative or friend of the applicant or the applicant’s spouse
• a Canadian elected official or their staff

Your Manitoba supporter is your connection to the province; to be eligible for the MPNP you must also demonstrate you can be assessed sufficient points for language, employability, education, age and adaptability according to the MPNP Self-assessment Worksheet.

Note: Applicants with Manitoba Supporters should declare that person and their address as local contact for correspondence with the MPNP so that your supporter is authorized to discuss your application.

Important: The Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program is not a sponsorship program. Because the MPNP is a labour market-driven, economic immigration program, all applicants must be employable and adaptable skilled workers with job-ready English, sufficient settlement funds and the genuine intention and ability to economically establish in Manitoba as permanent residents.

Familial relationships

To be considered a close relative, a Manitoba Supporter must be related to the applicant (or the applicant’s spouse) in one of the following ways:

• sister or brother
• niece or nephew (ex: child of your sister or brother)
• aunt or uncle (ex: brother or sister of your mother or father)
• first cousin (ex: child of your aunt or uncle)
• mother or father
• grandmother or grandfather

No. Children living in Manitoba cannot serve as Manitoba Supporter for their parents’ MPNP application. Instead, visit IRCC > Sponsor your parents and grandparents.

Can Canadians or Permanent Residents support an application for their spouse?

If you are married to a Canadian Citizen or permanent resident, you are not eligible to apply to the MPNP, but you may qualify under IRCCs Spousal Sponsorship category. Please visit IRCC > Spouse and Common Law Application.

Important: The MPNP requires up-to-date contact information for your Manitoba supporter. Your supporter MUST inform the MPNP if they move to a new address or there are any other changes to their contact information. If the MPNP is unable to contact your supporter using the information on file, your application may be refused.

Manitoba Experience means that in the past you lived in the province as a temporary foreign worker or as an international student.

Manitoba Experience is your connection; to be eligible for the MPNP you must also demonstrate you can be assessed sufficient points for language, employability, education, age and adaptability according to the MPNP Self-assessment Worksheet.

Skilled workers considering applying with connection of Manitoba Experience may refer to the points worksheet to see how many points you may be assessed for your past employment, or for your past education (dependent on your level and duration of studies).

Past employment in Manitoba:

• In the past, you worked full-time for a Manitoba employer at least six consecutive months.
• Submit signed employer letter of reference on company letterhead and copy of work permit proving you worked in Manitoba.

Past education in Manitoba:

• As an international student you attended and completed an authorized education or training program at a public, or registered private vocational, post-secondary institution in Manitoba. (Language studies are not authorized.)
• To prove you studied in Manitoba, you must submit your study permit(s), your academic transcripts and the certificate, diploma or degree you received for completing the program.

The MPNP for Skilled Workers regularly issues Invitations to Apply to qualified candidates who are identified as part of one of our Strategic Recruitment initiatives in Manitoba and overseas. Issuance of an Invitation to Apply is at the sole discretion of the MPNP and applicants cannot self-select for eligibility with this connection to our province.

Required documents

To apply to the MPNP with the connection of Manitoba Invitation, you must upload in MPNP Online the Letter of Invitation you received directly from the MPNP after being interviewed by a program officer during a recruitment mission or exploratory visit.

Recruitment missions

The MPNP regularly travels overseas on recruitment missions, often in partnership with Manitoba employers. Watch this page for news of the next MPNP initiative.

Exploratory Visits

The MPNP accepts – only during set periods – expressions of interest to make an exploratory visit to Manitoba. Watch this page for news of future intake dates.

Eligibility criteria to participate in visits and missions are subject to change but generally include that you:

• are between the ages of 21 to 45
• can satisfy the MPNP that you do not have a stronger connection to another province
• can demonstrate the employability and adaptability required of all MPNP applicants
• have completed at least a one-year, post-secondary education or training program for which you received a diploma, degree or certificate
• have worked at least two years full-time in the past five years and can demonstrate your ability to find a job in Manitoba in that occupation (including plans to achieve licence/certification in the case of regulated occupations)
• have the genuine intention and ability to economically establish and settle in the Canadian province of Manitoba as a permanent resident demonstrated, in part, with a Settlement Plan
• provide to the MPNP, at the time you apply to participate in the initiative, official results of an approved language test taken within the past two years showing you achieved scores equivalent to at least CLB 5 in each test category and overall.

What is an MPNP exploratory visit?

An exploratory visit is a pre-arranged trip that potential MPNP applicants may make to the Province of Manitoba, Canada to research communities and employment opportunities to help them make an informed decision on whether they have the intention and ability to find employment and settle with their family in Manitoba as permanent residents.

After the MPNP interview included in a pre-approved exploratory visit, we may invite you to submit an MPNP Online application. Note that it is the Letter of Invitation, not the exploratory visit, that establishes a candidate’s requisite Manitoba connection.

The MPNP conducts exploratory visits at our discretion as resources allow in order to provide opportunity for qualified skilled workers, otherwise ineligible for our program, to establish the Connection to Manitoba that is required of all provincial nominee program applicants.

Exploratory visits must be approved by, then arranged through, the MPNP only by invitation following our acceptance of your request.

Exploratory visit itinerary:

Only to candidates whose request is accepted does the MPNP provide instructions on what to do during an exploratory visit and what documents to bring with you (ex: education certificates and employer letters of reference). Activities to undertake during an exploratory visit include: meeting with prospective employers; consulting with occupational regulatory bodies, and exploring housing, school and lifestyle opportunities in your chosen Manitoba community.

Note: Neither an accepted request, nor an actual visit and interview, nor an Invitation to Apply to the MPNP suggest guarantee of approval of your eventual MPNP Online application, nor approval of a nominee’s subsequent, separate permanent resident visa application to the Government of Canada.

In addition to demonstrating a strong connection to Manitoba, every candidate who wants to be considered under the Skilled Worker Overseas stream must score at least 60 points based on five factors in order to be eligible. If you do not have a connection to Manitoba, you are not eligible under this stream, regardless of your points total. The MPNP points system illustrated below is for your self-assessment and information only. The MPNP will complete a full assessment of any application it receives and scores each candidate based on the information supporting documentation you provide at that time, and according to the current criteria and information on eligibility, policy and procedure published on this website.

Language Points are calculated according to documented proof of training and ability in one or both of Canada’s official languages, Englishand French. If you are proficient in both, choose as your first language the one you are most comfortable using. You must submit valid official results of a recent MPNP-approved language test as proof of your language proficiency. To be considered valid, your test must have been taken no more than two years prior to the date you submit your MPNP Online application. CLB refers to Canadian Language Benchmark/Niveaux de competence linguistique canadiens (NCLC). For information on approved tests and how test scores relate to CLB levels, please use the tools provided in the Language Proficiency section of this website.

Applicants whose occupation is classified at National Occupational Classification C or D must, in order to be eligible to apply, have at least CLB 4 in English (or NCLC 4 in French).

Age points are calculated according to the date your application is received by the MPNP.

Work experience points are based on documented proof of full-time employment in the past five years. Only full-time jobs of six months (continuous) or longer are considered.

Education Points are based on documented proof of completed education and /or training programs at recognized education institutions. A completed program is one for which you have met all requirements and received a certificate, diploma or degree. The MPNP reserves the right to require a third-party assessment to demonstrate trades education and training are comparable to Canadian standards.

Adaptability points are calculated according to documented proof of a strong connection to Manitoba and employability in your assessed occupation, demonstrating that you have the genuine intention and ability to successfully settle and economically establish in Manitoba as a permanent resident. A connection to Manitoba is required of all applicants. You can only receive points for one type of connection, even if multiple apply to you. In addition to Adaptability points, you may also score points for Regional Immigration for having a connection to, and planning to settle in, a region of Manitoba outside the city of Winnipeg. Regional points are supplemental only and cannot be a substitute for another connection to the province.