PNP Contents

Exploratory Visit

Qualifications

Exploratory Visit | Business Experience | Business Intent | Preparing the Business Intent | Eligible Investments

What is an Exploratory Visit?

If you are considering immigrating to Manitoba through the PNP-B you may choose to strengthen your knowledge of and connection to the province by making an Exploratory Visit to investigate business and lifestyle opportunities.

The Exploratory Visit is an optional initiative for an applicant, but is recommended and should be completed prior to submitting an EOI or applying to the PNP-B. You are encouraged to conduct an Exploratory Visit to Manitoba. The PNP-B allots an additional 15 points under the “Enhanced Settlement Factors” section of the Adaptability Assessment Matrix for such Exploratory Visits.

The Exploratory Visit must be conducted no more than one year prior to submission of an EOI. You can also conduct an Exploratory Visit after submission of the EOI and update your EOI with this information to enhance your point score.

You must visit Manitoba for a period of not less than consecutive five working days (excluding the days of arrival and departure), to conduct extensive business and lifestyle-related research. Although an Exploratory Visit to Manitoba must be for a minimum of consecutive five working days, longer visits are also recommended as they provide the applicant with a better opportunity to explore Manitoba.

An Exploratory Visit provides you with time to research business opportunities available, as well as the lifestyle in Manitoba. It is expected that you will conduct research activities such as, but not limited to:

• Collecting necessary information to prepare his/her Statement of Business Intent, which may include identifying business, general start-up costs, as well as the costs of leasing or purchasing business space, purchasing tools and equipment, hiring skilled labour, analyzing the competition, targeted customers and suppliers.
• Researching information related to moving to and living in Manitoba such as schooling for children, the costs and availability of housing (rent or purchase), recreational activities, services available for newcomers and the general cost of living.

During an Exploratory Visit, you must dedicate a significant portion of time to conducting business-related research and meeting with various stakeholders and business advisors. You are expected to provide details of your business and lifestyle research through an Exploratory Visit Report which forms part of a Nomination Application.

How to Request and be Approved for an Exploratory Visit
You are not required to send any request to the PNP-B or require any approval from the PNP-B to conduct this visit. The PNP-B will not issue a letter of advice to support an Exploratory Visit to Manitoba. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have the necessary travel documents (such as a Visitor’s Visa) required for travel to Manitoba, Canada. The PNP-B does not provide letters of support for you to obtain a Visitor’s Visa and cannot intervene in cases in which a potential applicant is denied a Temporary Resident Visa.

Weekly Information Seminar
The Business Settlement Office is hosting weekly information seminars on the "Business Investment through Business Immigration". This seminar is designed to serve the needs of potential foreign business investors who wish to explore the opportunity to immigrate and invest in Manitoba through the PNP-B. Please view the detailed information about this seminar here.

Submitting an Exploratory Visit Report with the Nomination Application
If you have conducted an Exploratory Visit to Manitoba, you are required to submit a report of this visit with the Nomination Application. There is no prescribed format for this report; however, you must describe all the activities you have undertaken during this visit. This report must cover the entire period of stay in Canada starting from the first day of entry to the day of leaving Canada and also including time spent in other provinces, if any. You should include pictures, airline tickets, boarding passes, hotel receipts, business cards and all other relevant details to describe the activities undertaken during the visit. Please do not attach brochures, flyers, maps or information booklets collected during the Exploratory Visit with this report.

Business Experience

Qualifications

Exploratory Visit | Business Experience | Business Intent | Preparing the Business Intent | Eligible Investments

Business Ownership or Senior Management Experience

You must have at least three years of full time work experience in the past five years either as a business owner or in a senior management role of a successful business. Your job title, place of employment, responsibilities and business skills must be described clearly in the resume and in the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program Generic Application Form - Business (PNP-B APP). The application will be evaluated taking into consideration your business ownership and management experience, or your senior management experience or a combination of both.

Business Owner: As an entrepreneur, you must be engaged actively and on an ongoing basis in providing goods or services to customers. Also, as an entrepreneur, you should bear the risk of return for the capital investment in your business enterprise.

Being self employed does not qualify you as a business owner for the purposes of the Program. Some examples of small businesses where you would be considered self-employed include a home-based business with no or very few employees, an on-line business with low turnover, a street side vendor, a self-employed trades person, owner-operated transportation, self-employed professionals, such as doctors or dentists managing their clinic, or commission agents. The list is not exhaustive. We encourage you to review the requirements for Manitoba's Skilled Worker Program to see if you can apply under that program.

Senior Management Experience:

• If your application is based on Senior Management experience, you must demonstrate that you have had a role with significant decision-making responsibilities involving a minimum of two of the following aspects of business:
• You have occupied a position in the highest level of the management structure of a major business. In that position, you were responsible for the strategic policy development affecting a major component or a wide range of operations of that major business, and have done so for at least three of the past five years prior to applying.
  • Distribution
  • Production/Operations/Project management
  • Purchasing
  • Sales
  • Marketing
  • Finance
  • Accounting
  • Human Resources/Personnel
  • Research and Development
  • Information Technology management
  • Quality Control
• In addition to the above, you should also demonstrate that your level of income is commensurate with the prevailing income level of senior managers of other major businesses in your country. You must clearly demonstrate this level of income through documentation.

Adaptability Matrix

Adaptability Matrix

The Adaptability Assessment Matrix is used to evaluate your potential to successfully settle in Manitoba and become economically established by starting a business. In order to be nominated, you must score a minimum 60 (out of a maximum 100) points on this matrix.

 1: AGE

2. BUSINESS KNOWLEDGE

3. BUSINESS EXPERIENCE

•  Length of experience is counted only for senior management or business ownership experience as defined by the PNP-B. No points will be awarded for other experience. For example, middle or entry level management experience or self-employed business ownership experience will not score any points under this criteria. 

4. NET WORTH

5: LANGUAGE FLUENCY

To be scored for this criterion, an applicant must submit test results from an approved language-testing organization (IELTS test score or equivalent language competency test score) as proof of language proficiency.

Language tests accepted by the MPNP

The MPNP has approved two English testing agencies – International English language Testing System (IELTS) General and Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP)-General (available in Canada only). These are the same agencies and tests used by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

You must take one of these tests no more than two years before the date you submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) to the PNP-B, and must submit the official results as a required document with your PNP-B application.

Applicants are assigned points based on their Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level. The PNP-B uses the following table to determine CLB levels from language test results.

 « NCLC » signifie niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens/Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB).

You must submit results from the following TEF tests as proof of your French language proficiency: compréhension écrite; compréhension orale; expression écrite; expression orale.

6. ENHANCED SETTLEMENT FACTORS

The Exploratory Visit must be conducted no more than one year prior to submission of an EOI.

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. If your relative has lived in Manitoba for more than one year, provide proof that he/she is well-established in Manitoba (proof of employment, proof of residence, Canada Revenue Agency Notice of Assessment, etc.)

You must provide documents supporting the enrollment of your children in an accredited Manitoba educational institution.

Expression of Interest (EOI)

In order to apply to the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program for Business (PNP-B), a prospective applicant must submit an EOI and receive an advice from the PNP-B to apply. An EOI is not an application and there is no fee for the submission of an EOI. An EOI is an indication that you would like to be considered for a Nomination Application to the PNP-B.

All EOI candidates must answer all EOI questions correctly and completely. An EOI is used to evaluate the potential of an applicant to successfully settle and become economically established by starting a business in Manitoba. The PNP-B does not require a minimum score for the submission of an EOI; however, a higher score increases your chance of being selected from the participating group.

You are not required to attach documents to an EOI. However, it is imperative that you enter accurate information in your EOI that conforms to the information in your supporting documents. It is important to remember that, if invited to apply to the PNP-B, the information you have submitted with your EOI becomes part of your application. If you provide false or misleading information in your EOI, it may be considered misrepresentation. The application could be refused and you may be subject to a ban which would prevent you from applying to the PNP-B for a period of two years. If the information supplied in your EOI is not correct, there could also be adverse consequences for your Permanent Residence Visa application.

An advice to file a Nomination Application is based only on the information presented in an EOI. If you later submit a Nomination Application and the points under the Adaptability Assessment Matrix are less than claimed in the EOI, that application will be refused even if you are able to pass the points test or meet other threshold criteria. You will not receive a refund of any Nomination Application fees if your Nomination Application is refused.

There are no deadlines for the submission of an Expression of Interest (EOI) to the PNP-B. However, the PNP-B criteria may change without notice and your application will be assessed according to the criteria in place at the time the PNP-B issues you a Letter of Advice to Apply. The PNP-B is not obliged to assess your EOI for the applicable criteria on the date of its submission. Your EOI may be assessed with any changed criteria irrespective of the date of submission and the EOI criteria applicable on that date.

For more information about how to calculate the points, please review our Adaptability Assessment Matrix, in the Program Eligibility section of our website.

How to Submit an EOI

An EOI must be submitted through the MPNP on-line system. There are no alternative ways to submit your EOI. When you complete the EOI questions, you should take your time and ensure that you understand the questions. If you are not certain about the meaning of a question, use the help icons or visit our website for further information.

You will need an active email address to create your EOI account. You must create a username and password to access the on-line EOI system.

Please read this message carefully before you start ...

Completing your submission of Expression of Interest (EOI) for the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program for Business

1. The EOI is an official submission which will become a part of your future Nomination Application, and great care has to be taken when completing it. The PNP-B will not consider an incomplete submission for selection and subsequent issuance of a Letter of Advice to Apply.
2. Before you submit your EOI, you can preview your submission. We recommend you save/print a copy of this PDF report for your records.
3. You do not need to enter all your information and complete your EOI in one sitting. You can log off, then return to the EOI tool and continue. EOIs should be completed within 90 days of your first login. If you are logged in to the EOI system and are inactive for more than 15 minutes, the system will automatically log you off without saving your information.
4. All representatives must initially register with the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP). Authorized representatives must present their submission through their assigned Username. Otherwise, the submission will not be considered for selection and subsequent issuance of a Letter of Advice to Apply.

After you Submit an EOI to the PNP-B
Periodically the PNP-B will select the highest scoring applicants from the EOI pool and issue them a Letter of Advice to Apply. A summary report of such selection will be periodically published on our website. This will give you an indication of your potential for receiving an advice to apply in the future. You may strive to further increase your points, such as conducting an Exploratory Visit to Manitoba or enhancing your language proficiency through language training.

You must be ready to provide supporting documents for the claims you make in your EOI submission. An advice to submit a Nomination Application may be issued shortly after you submit your EOI and you will have 60 days to submit a complete Nomination Application.

If you do not submit a Nomination Application after receiving a notice of advice to apply, your EOI will be removed from our database and will not be considered for future selection. Your EOI will be considered for selection for a period of one year from the date of your submission subject to the above stated conditions, after which it will also be removed from the PNP-B database.

Business Intent

Business Intent

Qualifications

Exploratory Visit | Business Experience | Business Intent | Preparing the Business Intent | Eligible Investments

The Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program – Business (PNP-B) is for individuals with proven business experience, sufficient available capital to invest, and who intend to establish and operate a new or existing business in Manitoba. The Province of Manitoba requires that applicants provide details of the business which they intend to undertake once they land in Manitoba.

The Summary of Business Intent is required for three reasons:

• A sound business intent is a good indication that the applicant has thought through the idea and has come up with a business plan to operate in Manitoba that will utilize his/her existing skills. The business intent should contain a well-thought out idea to demonstrate that the business has a reasonable chance of success.
• To assess whether the intended business meets the minimum investment requirements and that the applicant will have an active and ongoing role in the management of the business.
• To determine the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement under which the deposit will be released.

Guidelines for Preparation of the Business Intent

Preparing Business Intent

Qualifications

Exploratory Visit | Business Experience | Business Intent | Preparing the Business Intent | Eligible Investments

Guidelines for Preparation of the Business Intent

The following is an outline of what the Summary of the Business Intent should contain:

I. Business Idea/Venture

Describe proposed business idea or venture and include:

• A description of the proposed business idea.
• Products or services that will be provided.
• Market segment business will compete in.
• Who the target customers are.
• The geographic coverage – local, regional or national.
• Identify whether this is a new business start-up or a partial/whole takeover of an existing business.

II. Personal Details

• Education background
  
  • Does your education relate to the proposed business idea?
  • Business experience?
  • Do you have business experience in the proposed business idea?
  • If no relevant experience, can your knowledge or experience be applied to the proposed business idea?
• Qualifications and skills
  
  • Other training or learned skills that are relevant to the proposed business idea.
• Language skills
  
  • Language proficiency
  • Language barriers

III. Critical Factors

• Identify government regulations that will be applicable to the proposed business idea such as environmental regulations, health regulations, municipal zoning requirements, and labour rules.
• Are there special insurance requirements?
• Outline any overall anticipated challenges in addition to those identified above.

IV. Market Analysis

• Market size
  
  • What is the size of the market? Is it local, regional, national, or export-oriented?
• Market segment
  
  • Which segment of the market will the proposed business target? For example, the motor vehicle market is made up of many segments: luxury, family, compact, 4WD.
• Market trends
  
  • Is the market growing, contracting, or static? What is the industry forecast?
• Target market and customer profile
  
  • What kind of customers will your proposed business target? Provide demographics data.
• Competition
  
  • List the existing competitors.
  • How will the proposed business compete against competitors?
  • How to differentiate product from competitor (can be part of marketing/promotion).
• Marketing and promotion
  
  • What marketing efforts will be required to promote the business and products?

V. Resource Requirements

• Location and distribution
  
  • Will the premise be owned or leased?
  • Where will the premise be located?
  • Is the planned location close to suppliers, customers, trucking routes?
• Plant and equipment
  
  • What type of equipment will be required? Is there any special equipment?
• Suppliers
  
  • Identify suppliers that will supply the raw material or services.
  • Is there a contingency plan if a vital supply source fails?
• Distribution Channel
  
  • What channel will be used to distribute products or services–retail, internet, door-to-door?
  • Will you be the exclusive distributor, or will you resell to other retailers?
• Professional Advisors
  
  • Do you plan to use outside professional services? Normally accountants and lawyers are required for financial and legal matters.
  • Others may include web developers and marketing consultants.

VII. Human Resource Requirements

• Your role
  
  • You must outline your intended role and clearly demonstrate that you will have an active and ongoing day-to-day role in the management of the business.
  • Please provide an organization chart.
• Employees
  
  • Will you employ workers? If so, what are the strategies around finding, hiring and keeping employees?
  • Have you taken into consideration federal and provincial regulations around occupational safety and health, as well as labour issues such as wages?
  • Will you employ an accountant for payroll issues? If not, are you familiar with requirements for making payroll deductions, such as Income Tax, Employment Insurance (EI) and Canada Pension Plan contributions (CPP)?

VI. Financial Feasibility

• Capital requirements
  
  • How much capital is required to get the business started?
  • How much capital is required to keep the business going before break-even occurs?
• Credit requirements
  
  • Will financing be required? How much?
  • Source of financing? (Financial institutions? Private investors?)
• Breakdown of investment
  
  • List the total amount of investment.
  • List how the investment will be broken down.
  • List the amount of personal funds to be invested as well as amount to be financed (borrowed).

Eligible Business Investments