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.
    
    • Manitoba In-Demand Occupations List

 It is important to note that the eligibility 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 an 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.

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 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. 

Expression of Interest

By completing an Expression of Interest, eligible candidates are automatically ranked according to a score based on six criteria. The highest-scoring candidates in the pool will be invited on a regular basis to provide a full application to the MPNP. The criteria are as follows: language proficiency, age, work experience, education, adaptability, and risk assessment. 

Manitoba In-Demand Occupations List

Visit the Manitoba government's website to see its latest In-Demand Occupations List.