Manitoba Skilled Worker Immigration Stream
The Skilled Worker categories operate through an ‘Expression of Interest’ system, whereby eligible candidates complete a series of questions online and receive a score based on the answers they provide.
The highest-scoring candidates may be invited to submit an application to the MPNP. There are no limits on the number of candidates who can submit an Expression of Interest and no deadline.
There are two pathways to Manitoba as a skilled worker, both of which operate under the MPNP Expression of Interest System:
- Skilled Worker in Manitoba Category
- Note: Manitoba will introduce two new pathways under this category: Manitoba Work Experience Pathway and Manitoba Employer Direct Recruitment Pathway.
- Skilled Worker Overseas Category
- Note: Manitoba will introduce two new pathways under this category: Manitoba Express Entry Pathway and Human Capital Pathway
The first is an enhanced pathway for eligible Express Entry pool
candidates and the second is a pathway aligned with Manitoba’s newly
published list of in-demand occupations.
- Note: Manitoba will introduce two new pathways under this category: Manitoba Express Entry Pathway and Human Capital Pathway
The first is an enhanced pathway for eligible Express Entry pool
candidates and the second is a pathway aligned with Manitoba’s newly
published list of in-demand occupations.
It is important to note that the eligiblity criteria for the two categories remain in effect as of today. This page will be updated once renewed criteria for the two categories come into effect.
Skilled Worker in Manitoba Category
Under the Skilled Worker in Manitoba category, applications are accepted from qualified temporary foreign workers and international student graduates who are currently working in Manitoba and have been offered a permanent job with their Manitoba employer. Candidates must meet the minimum requirements listed below to be entered into the Expression of Interest pool where they will be ranked according to a number of factors.
Minimum Requirements for Applicants
In order to be eligible under the Skilled Workers in Manitoba category of the MPNP, candidates must:
- Be either a qualified temporary foreign worker OR an international student graduate;
- International student graduates must have attended an authorized education or training program at a public, or registered private vocational, post-secondary institution in Manitoba. (Language programs are specifically excluded.)
- The academic/vocational program must have been full-time and at least one academic year in length.
- The candidate must have successfully completed the program and have been awarded a diploma, degree, or certificate.
- Have a permanent, full-time job offer from their current Manitoba employer;
- Have worked for their current Manitoba employer continuously for at least six months;
- Any periods of self-employment, unauthorized work, or periods of employment during which candidates were engaged in full-time study (e.g. work experience gained on a co-op permit) will not be included when calculating the period of qualifying work experience in Manitoba.
- Hold a valid Work Permit or Post-Graduation Work Permit from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC);
- Have all qualifications for the position including training/education and any required licence or certification;
- Have job-ready English; specifically, candidates must demonstrate the English or French proficiency to fulfill the duties of their job description;
- Have a connection to Manitoba through employment that is stronger than ties they may have to another province;
- Demonstrate in a Settlement Plan intention and ability to live, work and establish their work and family life in Manitoba as a permanent resident; and
- Demonstrate they have sufficient settlement funds — generally $10,000 CAD for the principal applicant, plus $2,000 CAD for each dependent included in the application.
NOTE: A candidate who has graduated from a post-secondary program in a Canadian province other than Manitoba and who wants to apply to the MPNP under this category because he or she has been offered a job in Manitoba must first have been working for that Manitoba employer for at least one year in order to be eligible.
Minimum Requirements for Employers
Additionally, employers making job offers must:
- Be incorporated or registered by or under an act of the legislature of a province or the Parliament of Canada;
- Be operating as a business that has an established production capability, plant or place of business in Manitoba;
- Demonstrate to the satisfaction of the MPNP that they are an established business with an ability to offer the candidate full-time and long-term employment in Manitoba;
- Provide an offer of employment letter to the candidate that:
- is signed,
- is on company letterhead,
- specifies salary/wage and any other details of the position.
The Process
Manitoba’s Expression of Interest (EOI) system involves a three-step process.
- In step one, potential candidates make an expression of interest in immigrating to Manitoba by answering a series of questions and creating an online profile. The profiles of eligible candidates are assigned a score based on the answers provided and placed in the Manitoba EOI pool with other eligible candidates. Candidates are ranked according to the unique MPNP Ranking Points system and given a score out of a maximum of 1,000.
- In step two, the highest scoring candidates may be invited to apply to the MPNP. When a candidate is drawn from the EOI pool, he or she receives a Letter of Advice to Apply (LAA). After receiving a LAA, candidates will have only 60 days to submit a complete and accurate application to the province of Manitoba.
- In step three, after obtaining a nomination from the province of Manitoba, a candidate then submits his or her complete paperwork to IRCC and applies for Canadian permanent residence.
When Not to Apply
Candidates will not be considered under the Skilled Worker in Manitoba category if they are:
- Self-employed individuals, business owners, owner-operators, or individuals providing services as independent contractors to the business supporting their application;
- Exempt from requiring a work permit to work in Manitoba (e.g. Ministers of Religion);
- Submitting an application based on an employment offer that is part of a work-study program.
- Refugee claimants, or individuals involved in a federal appeal or removal process;
- Live-in Caregivers currently living in Canada;
- Temporary Foreign Workers currently working and residing in a province other than Manitoba;
- Spouses of Canadian Citizens or permanent residents;
- Individuals who have been refused by the MPNP within the last six months and who are not able to address the reason(s) for refusal; and
- Individuals who have an active immigration application with any other provincial immigration program in Canada.