PNP Contents

Eligibility

Are you the kind of skilled worker Manitoba needs?

To qualify to apply to our program, you must be a skilled worker who can make an immediate economic contribution to the Province of Manitoba.

A skilled worker has specialized education, training and work experience in their occupation. In Manitoba, skilled workers can receive excellent salaries and benefits.

There are two pathways to Manitoba

• Skilled Workers in Manitoba
  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.
• Skilled Workers Overseas
  Applications are accepted from qualified skilled workers who can demonstrate a strong connection to the province through family or friends, past education or employment, or by invitation of the MPNP, and be assessed sufficient points for five eligibility factors – age, English proficiency, work experience, education and adaptability.

Who cannot apply to the MPNP?

The following are NOT eligible to submit an application to the MPNP:

• 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
• Individuals who have an active immigration application with any other provincial immigration program in Canada

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.

Qualifying Employment

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.

Temporary Foreign Workers

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.
• Financial rewards for settling in Manitoba: Grads who stay in our province to work are eligible for a 60 per cent tuition rebate.
• 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.)

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.

Manitoba Support

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.

For friends and distant relatives, their household must not be currently supporting the settlement of another MPNP applicant, nominee or person under another Canadian immigration program.

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

Can children support parents?

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

Manitoba Experience

• 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.

Manitoba Invitation

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.

General Exploratory visits – 2016 intake is NOW CLOSED

The MPNP – Skilled Worker category has now received a sufficient number of requests for Exploratory Visits to meet current operational requirements.

A notice will be provided on this website indicating the next intake period for those interested in making exploratory visits to Manitoba in support of a potential application to the Skilled Worker category of the MPNP.

For those that have already submitted a request for an exploratory visit under the MPNP – Skilled Worker, if chosen, you will be contacted with further information. We will retain profiles for a 1 year period. If you do not receive an email from MPNP within that year, continue to monitor our website for a recruitment mission or the next available Exploratory visit intake period.

IMPORTANT: When corresponding through email with MPNP, please ALWAYS use your name as it is spelled on your passport.

General Exploratory Visits

The MPNP accepts – only during set periods – requests to make an exploratory visit to Manitoba. Watch this page for news of 2016 intake dates.

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.

The MPNP conducts exploratory visits as resources allow in order to provide opportunity for qualified skilled workers/professionals, 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 and then arranged through the MPNP only by invitation.

Requests for exploratory visits which indicate that the applicant has booked a trip to Manitoba, has already arrived in Manitoba, or will be in Manitoba for a specific duration of time during the year will not be given priority when MPNP selects applicants to consider for exploratory visits and the subsequent interview by an MPNP officer.

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

• are between the ages of 21 to 45
• 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 submit your request, official results of an approved language test taken within the past two years showing you achieved scores equivalent to at least CLB 6 in each test category and overall.

Exploratory visit itinerary:

The MPNP provides 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 application.

Note: We cannot accept requests for Exploratory visits from immigration representatives or other individuals on behalf of potential candidates. A request must come directly from a prospective applicant.

Points Assessment

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.