Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP)
Every year, approximately 15,000 people from all over the world relocate to Manitoba in search of new jobs and careers, friendly communities, and affordable family living.
Newcomers prefer living in Manitoba for different reasons, including beautiful landscape scenery, with clean, safe, and friendly cities and towns that offer you and your family a relaxed and enriching lifestyle.
Manitoba has one of Canada’s strongest and most diverse economies, with a low cost of living and many opportunities for quality careers, education, and business ownership.
Manitoba is reasonably priced. In Winnipeg (the capital) for example, housing costs $189,000 less than the national average, and the average monthly apartment rental cost is $1,030 in 2022-23.
Manitoba immigrants are succeeding! According to a recent surtvey, 85% of Manitoba Provincial Nominees were working within three months of arrival, 76% were homeowners within five years, and 95% of families settled permanently in the community, making Manitoba their new home.
The Province’s free public health care and school systems are trusted for their high quality.
If you are interested in immigrating to Manitoba, you have the following 3 streams to consider and select from each with its own pathway, for you to immigrate to the province and become a permanent resident of Canada.
The Skilled Worker Stream
International Education
Business Investor
Federal Immigration Programs
the skilled worker stream
The Skilled Worker Stream is intended for qualified temporary foreign workers and international student graduates who are currently employed in Manitoba and have been offered a permanent, full-time job with a Manitoba employer.
This stream has two pathways—Manitoba Stream and Oversees Stream
Skilled Worker Manitoba Stream (SWMS)
This pathway selects applicants who have strong ties to Manitoba through current employment, sufficient skills, education and training, work experience, and official language proficiency to contribute to the Manitoba economy and communities.
SWMS is subdivided into two, and job offer is required to apply.
The Manitoba Work Experience Stream
is for people currently working in Manitoba on a temporary work permit including international graduates of Canadian post-secondary institutions.
Employer Direct Recruitment Pathway
to be considered for this pathway, you must be interviewed by both an MPNP representative and a Manitoba employer. These interviews take place outside of Canada. Before applying through this route, you must first receive an Invitation to Apply.
General Requirements: Skilled Worker Manitoba Stream
You must meet several requirements including:
- Be a temporary foreign worker or an international student graduate;
- Have a valid Work Work Permit or Post-Graduation Work Permit ;
- Have a permanent, full-time job offer from their current Manitoba employer;
- Must have worked for their current employer for at least six continuous months;
- Have all qualifications needed for the position, including training and or education and any required licence or certification;
- Demonstrate English or French proficiency to fulfil the duties of their job description;
- Have a connection to Manitoba through employment that is stronger than ties they may have to another province in Canada;
- Have the intention and ability to live, work and establish their work and family life in Manitoba as a permanent resident and demonstrate this in a Settlement Plan
- Must have enough money (CAD $10,000 for the main applicant and CAD $2,000 for each dependent in the application);
- Your employer must have a registered commercial business that has been operating for at least three years;
Skilled Worker Oversees Stream (SWOS)
This stream is for qualified skilled workers who may be located outside of Canada but have a strong connection to Manitoba. This category may also be open to skilled workers who are already in Canada.
SOWS has two pathways, and there are no job offers required to apply.
Manitoba Express Entry Pathway
This option is intended for people who have active Express Entry Profile. You must have experience in an occupation listed in Manitoba’s in demand skill occupation list and must also have a strong connection to Manitoba.
Human Capital Pathway
This program is designed for foreign skilled workers with experience in one of Manitoba's high-demand occupations. To qualify, you must
- Have a score of at least 60 out of 100 on the points assessment grid;
- Have a connection to Manitoba through the support of friends or family living in the province, previous work experience or education in the province, or be invited to apply by the MPNP. There are additional requirements depending on the type of connection you have;
- Must have at least six months of experience in an In-Demand occupation;
- Must submit a complete Career Plan;
- Must be at least 18 years old.
Successful applicants will receive a nomination from the province to apply directly to the federal government for permanent residence visa.
Manitoba Business Investor Stream
Entrepreneurs who are interested in doing business in Manitoba have two pathways to choose from;
The Entrepreneur Pathway enables Manitoba to recruit and nominate qualified foreign business owners to relocate to the province. You must have the desire and ability to start or buy a new business or co-own an existing one and must do so within the first two years of your temporary work permit in Manitoba.
Minimum Eligibility Requirements
- You must have three years of experience as an active business owner, or senior management in a successful business in the past five years;
- You must meet the minimum language requirement of CLB 5;
- You must have a minimum of a Canadian high school certificate equivalent;
- You must make a minimum investment of CAD $250,000 if the business is in the Manitoba Capital Region (Winnipeg area), or a minimum investment of CAD $150,000 if the business is outside the Manitoba Capital Region;
- Your business must create at least one job for a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident in Manitoba;
- You must submit a business plan;
- You must conduct a Business Research Visit no more than one year before submitting an Expression of Interest (EOI)
- You must sign a Business Performance Agreement after the application is approved;
- You must have a net worth of at least CAD $500,000.
Application Process
- Applicants must research the business concept, explore Manitoba, and prepare the Business Concept Form (BCF) as well as complete a Self-Assessment Form.
- These forms are then submitted together with an Expression of Interest. If your business concept is approved, you will receive an official Letter of Advice to Apply (LAA).
- This will enable you to submit a complete application to the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program.
- Once you meet the terms and conditions of the Business Performance Agreement (BPA), you will receive provincial nomination for permanent residence
Farm Investor Pathway
The Farm Investor immigration program is intended for individuals who have farm business experience and want to immigrate to Manitoba to set up and run a farm.
Manitoba has some of Canada’s best arable farmland, and the successful applicant will be expected to establish a farm business that is compatible with Manitoba's farming sector.
Eligibility Requirements
- You must have at least three years of farm business management or farm ownership and operation experience;
- You must be proficient in English or French;
- You must invest at least CAD $300,000;
- You must intend to establish the farming business in rural Manitoba
- You must submit a farm business plan;
- You must conduct a Farm Business Research Visit;
- You must intend to live on the farm and participate in the management of the farm business;
- You must have a net worth of at least CAD $500,000.
Application Process
- Candidates must complete a Farm Research Visit in Manitoba within one year of beginning the process.
- Candidates must also complete the Interest Guidelines (self-assessment of their situation) and the Farm Business Concept Forms. If your business concept is approved, you will receive an official Letter of Advice to Apply (LAA).
- This will enable you to submit a complete application to the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program.
- Once you meet the terms and conditions of the Business Performance Agreement (a contract between you and the province), you will receive provincial nomination for permanent residence.
- The nomination certificate can now be used to apply for permanent residence directly to the federal government.
International Education Stream
The International Education Stream (IES) for Manitoba graduates provides international students graduating in Manitoba with faster pathways to nomination while also meeting the needs of industry. There are three pathways;
- Career Employment Pathway
- Graduate Internship Pathway
- International Student Entrepreneur Pilot (ISEP)
Career Employment Pathway
The Career Employment Pathway (CEP) offers post-secondary students with faster nomination pathways to long-term employment in Manitoba in an in-demand occupation consistent with their training.
If you meet these requirements, you will be able to apply to the MPNP as soon as you graduate and receive your job offer.
Eligibility Requirements
Education
You must have completed at least an 8-month program at a post-secondary institution in Manitoba within the last three years.
Language Proficiency
Minimum CLB/NCLC 7 OR equivalent
Current employment in Manitoba
You must have a full-time job offer from an eligible Manitoba employer, with a minimum 1-year contract on Manitoba's In-Demand Occupations List that is consistent with your completed program of studies in Manitoba.
You must be working full-time in Manitoba with a valid work permit at the time your application is assessed.
Note: The MPNP may impose program or occupation-specific limits. Manitoba degree-program graduates qualify provided they have a job offer in any TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3 (previously NOC 0, A, or B) on the In-Demand Occupations List.
Settlement Funds
You must demonstrate liquid fans equivalent to low-income cut-off (LICO) requirements for independent financial resources for a period of six months. OR You must be employed full-time, long-term position in Manitoba.
Adaptability
You must be residing in Manitoba at the time of application.
You must show the intent to continue to reside in Manitoba after nomination, including the submission of a Career Employment Plan demonstrating opportunities for a successful career track in Manitoba.
Graduate Internship Pathway
The Graduate Internship Pathway expedites nomination for international master and doctoral graduates through internships that contribute to industry innovation in Manitoba.
Graduates who complete an Accelerate or Elevate internship with Mitacs in Manitoba are eligible to apply to the MPNP immediately after graduation, regardless of whether they have a job offer.
Eligibility Requirements
- You must have a master’s or doctoral degree from Manitoba in the last three years;
- Must meet the minimum language requirement of Canadian Language Benchmark 7;
- Must have completed a Mitacs Elevate or Accelerate (including Accelerate Entrepreneur) internship within an eligible industry and research enterprise in Manitoba
- You must have enough money for a six-month period or be employed in a full-time long-term position in Manitoba;
- You must be living in Manitoba at the time of application.
International Student
Entrepreneur Pilot (ISEP)
The International Student Entrepreneur Pilot (ISEP) allows up to 20 international students who have graduated in Manitoba to pursue entrepreneurship rather than employment.
They will be nominated for permanent residence once they have fulfilled the terms of their Business Performance Agreement.
Eligibility Requirements
You must meet the following requirements to receive a provincial nomination:
- You must submit a business plan;
- You must operate the business daily in Manitoba for at least 6 months before being nominated;
- You must own at least 51% of the business;
- You must meet the language requirement of CLB 7;
- You must complete a full-time post-secondary education program in Manitoba that is at least 2 years long;
- You must be between 21 and 35 years old;
- You must have enough money for a six-month period;
- You must have a valid Open Work Permit of Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP);
- You must have lived in Manitoba since graduation;
- You must intend to continue to live in Manitoba;
- You must sign a Business Performance Agreement once application is approved.
Application Process
Applicants must submit an Expression of Interest form. Applicants with higher scores may be invited to complete an application to the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program.
If your application is approved, you will receive a provincial nomination from Manitoba to apply directly to IRCC for permanent residence visas for yourself and your family.
Application fee
- Career Employment Pathway: CAD $500
- Graduate Internship Pathway: CAD $500
- International Student Entrepreneur Pathway: CAD $2,500
Processing Time
The processing time is 6 months.
Who Cannot Apply to the MPNP?
The following are not eligible to apply to the MPNP:
- Refugee claimants or individuals involved in a federal appeal or removal process
- 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 or federal immigration program in Canada.
Morden Community Driven Immigration Initiative
The International Student Entrepreneur Pilot (ISEP) allows up to 20 international students who have graduated in Manitoba to pursue entrepreneurship rather than employment.
They will be nominated for permanent residence once they have fulfilled the terms of their Business Performance Agreement.
Welders
Assembly workers
Simple machine operation
Carpenters
Cooks
Plumbers
Eligibility Requirements
To qualify, you must:
- Be between the ages of 21 and 45
- Have no 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 you received a diploma, certificate, or degree
- At least two years of full-time work experience in the past five years
- Meet language requirement with a minimum score of 5 in each band
- Have a genuine intention and ability to economically establish and settle in Morden
- 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 visits expenses.
- Applicants must have experience living in a rural area with the ability to adapt to the culture and climate.
- Show genuine intention in living and working in Morden, with no previous connections with other parts of Canada.
Application Process
To qualify, you must:
- Have an active Express Entry profile (except for welders and carpenters)
- If you are selected, you will receive an invitation to come for an exploratory visit
- During your exploratory visit, you will research Morden and prepare for your interview with an MPNP officer at the end of your visit.
- If after the interview with the MPNP officer, he/she deems you a good fit for MCDII and MPNP, you will be given an invitation to apply for MPNP.
- Apply online for MPNP. This is usually done after you return home from your exploratory visit.
- If it is determined that you meet all minimum qualifications of MPNP, you will be given a Nomination Letter from the MPNP.
- Using this Nomination Letter, apply to Citizenship and Immigration Canada as a Provincial Nominee.