Eligibility Requirements for the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP)

Under the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP), candidates may qualify under one of the following streams:

• Skilled Worker Immigration Stream
• Business Investor Immigration Stream
• Morden Community Driven Immigration Initiative

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: the Skilled Worker in Manitoba Category and the Skilled Worker Overseas Category.

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

Skilled Worker Overseas Category

The Manitoba Skilled Workers Overseas category is for qualified skilled workers who may be outside of Canada but who can demonstrate a strong connection to the province. This program uses a points-based system to assess candidates according to factors such as age, language proficiency, work experience, education and adaptability.

Minimum Requirements

To be eligible under this category, candidates must:

• Obtain a minimum score of 60 out of 100 points on the points assessment grid; and
• Demonstrate an established connection to Manitoba through the support of friends or family, previous work experience or education in the province, or an Invitation to Apply issued by the MPNP,

Each form of connection to the province has specific requirements.

Manitoba Support

In order to be a Manitoba Supporter, an individual must be:

• Able to provide documents proving that he or she has been living in Manitoba continuously for a minimum of one year;
• A Canadian citizen or permanent resident;
• Able to demonstrate sufficiently close ties to the applicant and the province;
  • For close relatives, both the applicant and the supporter must provide documents proving their familial relationship.
  • Close relatives are considered to be those related to the applicant (or the applicant’s spouse) in one of the following ways:
    • Sister or brother,
    • Niece or nephew,
    • Aunt or uncle,
    • First cousin,
    • Mother or father,
    • Grandmother or grandfather.
• 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.

Paid immigration representatives and Canadian elected officials and their staff cannot be Manitoba Supporters. Children living in Manitoba cannot support their parents; instead, it is recommended they refer to Parent and Grandparents Sponsorship.

Manitoba Experience

In order to apply with the connection of Manitoba Experience, candidates must have lived in the province in the past as either a temporary foreign worker or as an international student.

To be eligible, those with previous work experience in Manitoba must:

• Have worked full-time for a Manitoba employer for a minimum of six consecutive months;
• Submit a signed employer letter of reference on company letterhead; and
• Submit a copy of their work permit proving they worked in the province.

Those with previous educational experience in Manitoba must:

• Have attended and completed an authorized education or training program at a public, or registered private vocational, post-secondary institution in Manitoba; and
• Submit their study permit(s), academic transcripts and certificate, diploma or degree they received upon completion of the program.

Manitoba Invitation

Invitations to apply for permanent residence are issued regularly by the MPNP to qualified candidates identified as part of one of its Strategic Recruitment initiatives. Invitations to Apply are issued at the discretion of the MPNP, therefore applicants may not choose to use this connection to Manitoba on their own.

Candidates are required to submit the Letter of Invitation they received from the MPNP following their interview during a recruitment mission or exploratory visit. The MPNP conducts overseas recruitment missions regularly, often in partnership with Manitoba employers, during which they search for prospective immigrants.

During set periods, the MPNP accepts requests to make an exploratory visit to Manitoba. This visit enables potential MPNP applicants to research communities and employment opportunities in order to decide whether they have the genuine intention and ability to settle in Manitoba as permanent residents. Exploratory visits must be approved by and arranged through the MPNP only by invitation.The MPNP provides instructions on what to do during the visit and what documents candidates are required to bring with them.

In order to be eligible for an exploratory visit candidates must:

• Be between the ages of 21 and 45;
• Be able to demonstrate the employability and adaptability required of all MPNP applicants;
• Have completed, at minimum, a one-year, post-secondary education or training program for which they received a diploma, degree or certificate;
• Have at least two years of full-time work experience in the past five years;
• Demonstrate their ability to find a job in Manitoba in the same occupation in which they have two years of experience;
  • This includes plans to achieve the appropriate licence or certification required in the case of regulated occupations.
• Submit a Settlement Plan that demonstrates their genuine intention and ability to economically establish and settle in Manitoba as a permanent resident; and
• Submit official results of an approved language test taken within the past two years showing they achieved scores equivalent to at least CLB 6 in each component as well as overall.

Points Assessment

In addition to the above requirement of demonstrating a connection to Manitoba, candidates must score at least 60 out of 100 points on the points assessment grid. Points are assessed based on five factors: language proficiency, age, work experience, education and adaptability.

Candidates will not be considered under the Skilled Worker Stream 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.

Business Investor Immigration Stream

The Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program for Business (MPNP-B) is a stream which allows Manitoba to recruit and nominate qualified business people with the intent and ability to reside in the province and make a significant investment in a new or existing business and hold an active managerial role. This stream operates on an Expression of Interest (EOI) system whereby prospective applicants submit their intention to apply to the program. The most qualified are invited to apply by receiving a Letter of Advice to Apply (LAA) from the MPNP-B. After receiving a LAA, candidates have 60 days to submit their application to the program.

Minimum Requirements

In order to be eligible for MPNP-B, applicants must:

• Have a minimum verifiable personal net worth of $350,000 CAD;
• Have a minimum three years of successful business ownership and management experience or executive-level experience as senior manager of a business within the past five years;
  • Business ownership experience: the applicant has been actively engaged in providing goods or services to customers and bears the risk of return for the capital investment in the business enterprise.
  • Senior management experience: the applicant has held a position in the highest level of management of a major business in which he or she has been responsible for strategic policy development.
    • The applicant's position must have significant decision-making responsibilities involving at least two of the following aspects of business:
      • Distribution
      • Production/Operations/Project management
      • Purchasing
      • Sales
      • Marketing
      • Finance
      • Accounting
      • Human Resources/Personnel
      • Research and Development
      • Information Technology management
      • Quality Control
    • The applicant must demonstrate that his or her level of income is comparable to the prevailing income level of senior managers of other major businesses in the same country.
• Make an Eligible Business Investment in Manitoba;
• Attend an interview with an MPNP-B officer;
• Demonstrate sufficient language proficiency by providing results from a language competency test taken in the past two years at an approved testing agency;
  • English:
    • International English Language Test System (IELTS)
    • Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) - available in Canada only
  • French:
    • Test d'Évaluation de Français (TEF)
    • Test de connaissance du français pour le Canada (TCF Canada) 
• Have the intention and ability to reside in Manitoba with all dependent family members; and
• Score a minimum of 60 points in the Adaptability Assessment Matrix.

Candidates may also be required to conduct an Exploratory Visit to Manitoba. Applicants will need to provide proof of research conducted during the visit in the form of a visit report and other documents.

Adaptability Assessment Matrix

The Adaptability Assessment Matrix is used to evaluate applicants' potential to successfully settle in Manitoba and become economically established. Applicants must score 60 points or more in order to be nominated.

Age (Maximum 15 points)

Business Knowledge (Maximum 15 points)

• If the applicant owns multiple businesses, only the percentage of ownership of the main/principal business will be considered for the purpose of this criterion.
• If the applicant's spouse owns shares in the same business, the combined ownership will be counted together for the purpose of this criterion.
• If the applicant owns less than 20% share in a business then he or she must be a senior manager to qualify for the MPNP-B.

Business Experience (Maximum 15 points)

• Length of experience is counted only for senior management or business ownership experience as defined by the MPNP-B.  No points will be awarded for other experience.

Net Worth (Maximum 15 points)

English and/or French Fluency (Maximum 20 points)

• To be scored for this criterion, an applicant must submit test results from an approved language-testing organization (IELTS, CELPIP, or TEF) as proof of language proficiency.
• The test must be taken no more than two years before the date that the Expression of Interest (EOI) is submitted to the MPNP-B, and the official results must be submitted as a required document with the MPNP-B application.

Enhanced Settlement Factors (Maximum 20 points)

• The Exploratory Visit must be conducted no more than one year prior to submission of an EOI.
• Applicants must provide documents supporting the enrolment of their children in an accredited Manitoba educational institution.

• A close relative must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and residing in Manitoba for more than one year. A close relative is defined as a sister/brother, aunt/uncle, niece/nephew, grandparent or first cousin. Proof of relationship must be provided. Proof that he or she is well-established in Manitoba is required as well (proof of employment, proof of residence, Canada Revenue Agency Notice of Assessment, etc.).

Refundable Deposit

Once an applicant receives a nomination from the MPNP-B, he or she will be required to submit a good-faith deposit of CDN $100,000. When the applicant has met the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement, it will be refunded in whole, without interest. If an applicant should choose to withdraw his or her application prior to landing in Canada as a permanent resident, he or she will have the deposit refunded as well.

When Not to Apply

Candidates should not apply if they:

• Have an unresolved refugee claim in Canada;
• Are in Canada illegally;
• Are subject to a removal order in Canada;
• Are prohibited from entering Canada;
• Have an application pending with another Provincial Nominee Program in Canada;
• If your intention is to establish a primary production farming operation;
• Had a prior MPNP-B application refused within the last 12 months; or
• Had a prior MPNP-B application refused for misrepresentation or false documentation within the last 24 months.

Morden Community Driven Immigration Initiative

The Morden Community Driven Immigration Initiative takes an active role in identifying new permanent residents to the community under the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP). Successful candidates and their dependent family members will become permanent residents of Canada. Morden, Manitoba is a city lying 112 km southwest of Winnipeg with a population of around 9,000. The local unemployment rate is around three percent.

Minimum Requirements

In order to be eligible to apply for the Morden immigration initiative, candidates must:

• Be between 21 and 45 years of age;
• Have no other connection to other parts of Canada (i.e. through friends, relatives, or previous employment or education);
• Have completed a post-secondary education or training program of at least one year duration, for which they received a diploma, certificate, or degree;
• Have at least two years of full-time work experience in the past five years;
• Have passed a General IELTS test with a minimum score of five in each band;
• Have the genuine intention and ability to economically establish themselves and settle in Morden; and
• Have settlement funds as required by MPNP ($10,000 for the Principal Applicant and $2,000 for each dependent). This is in addition to any funds needed for exploratory visit expenses.

The Morden immigration initiative works with local employers to identify these targeted occupations and satisfy local labour market needs. Candidates must fall within one of the following targeted occupations:

• Cabinetmakers;
• Manufacturing (specifically at entry level);
• Factory sewing machine operators, and
• Heavy vehicle mechanics.

The initiative will favour candidates who have experience of living in a rural area, with the ability to adapt to culture and climate. Candidates who fulfil the criteria and have been selected as potential immigrants to Morden under the initiative will be required to make an exploratory visit to the area. The main purpose of the visit is to pass the MPNP interview, though making local contacts and seeking employment opportunities are also suggested.

To learn more about your Canadian immigration options, take a free eligibility assessment