Skilled Workers in Manitoba
The Skilled Workers Program in Manitoba is for experienced immigrant workers who have the abilities required to fulfill jobs in the confined labour market and want to make ongoing contributions to Manitoba’s economy and society.
This stream is regionally driven and based on the requirements of employers in Manitoba. They select internationally qualified and skilled workers who have the skills required in the local labour market and specify that they gain a Canadian permanent resident visa to live and work in Manitoba.
Eligibility Criteria for Skilled Workers in Manitoba
To qualify for the Skilled Workers in Manitoba category of the MPNP, applicants must meet the following minimum requirements:
- Status: Applicants must be either a qualified temporary foreign worker or an international student graduate.
- Education: International student graduates must have completed an authorized education or training program at a public or registered private vocational post-secondary institution in Manitoba. Language programs are excluded.
- Program Length: The academic or vocational program must have been full-time and lasted at least one academic year.
- Completion: Candidates must have completed the program and received a diploma, degree, or certificate.
- Job Offer: Applicants must possess a permanent, full-time job offer from their current Manitoba employer.
- Work Experience: They must have worked continuously for their current Manitoba employer for at least six months, excluding specific circumstances such as self-employment, unauthorized work, or full-time study.
- Permits: Hold a valid Work Permit or Post-Graduation Work Permit from Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
- Qualifications: Meet all qualifications for the position, including training, education, and required licenses or certifications.
- Language Proficiency: Demonstrate job-ready proficiency in English or French to fulfill job duties.
- Connection to Manitoba: Establish a stronger connection to Manitoba through employment compared to ties with other provinces.
- Settlement Plan: Present a Settlement Plan indicating the intention and ability to live, work, and establish a family in Manitoba as a permanent resident.
- Settlement Funds: Demonstrate sufficient settlement funds, generally CAD 10,000 for the principal applicant plus CAD 2,000 for each dependent included in the application.
Note: Candidates who graduated from a post-secondary program in a Canadian province other than Manitoba and wish to apply to the MPNP under this category must have worked for their Manitoba employer for at least one year to be eligible.
Cost Required
You must confirm that you have sufficient arrangement funds—usually $10,000 for the principal candidate, plus $2,000 for each dependent involved in the application.
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What are the ineligibility criteria?
Under the Skilled Worker in Manitoba category, candidates will not be considered if they fall into the following categories:
- Self-employed individuals, business owners, owner-operators, or those operating as independent contractors for the business supporting their application.
- Individuals exempt from requiring a work permit for employment in Manitoba, such as Ministers of Religion,.
- Applicants submitting based on an employment offer from a work-study program.
- Refugee claimants or those engaged in a federal appeal or removal process.
- Live-in caregivers presently residing in Canada.
- Temporary foreign workers are currently employed and reside in a province other than Manitoba.
- Spouses of Canadian citizens or permanent residents.
- Individuals who have received a refusal from the MPNP within the last six months and cannot rectify the reasons for the refusal.
- Applicants with an active immigration application in progress with any other provincial immigration program in Canada.
Employer Minimum Criteria
In addition to job offers, employers must:
- Be legally incorporated or registered by a provincial legislature or the Parliament of Canada.
- Operate as a business with established production capabilities, a plant, or a place of business in Manitoba.
- Prove to the satisfaction of the MPNP that they are a well-established business capable of offering full-time and long-term employment in Manitoba.
- Furnish the candidate with an offer of employment letter that:
- Is signed.
- Is on official company letterhead.
- Specifies salary and wage and all relevant position details.
Manitoba’s Expression of Interest (EOI) System Process
Manitoba’s Expression of Interest (EOI) system comprises a structured three-step journey:
Step One: Expression of Interest
Potential candidates initiate the process by expressing their interest in immigrating to Manitoba. This involves answering a series of questions and creating an online profile. Eligible profiles are assigned a score based on the provided answers and are pooled with other eligible candidates in the Manitoba EOI system. Candidates are ranked using the MPNP Ranking Points system, receiving a score out of a maximum of 1,000.
Step Two: Invitation to Apply
The highest-scoring candidates may receive an invitation to apply to the MPNP. Upon selection, candidates are issued a Letter of Advice to Apply (LAA) from the EOI pool. Following receipt of an LAA, candidates have a strict 60-day window to compile and submit a comprehensive and accurate application to the province of Manitoba.
Step Three: Nomination and Permanent Residence
Upon receiving a nomination from the province of Manitoba, candidates proceed to submit their complete documentation to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and apply for Canadian permanent residence.
