Permanent residency in Canada can be obtained through the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program. It’s one of the ways the province draws in and keeps top talent for skilled labor, business, and education.
The program’s objective is to draw talent from across the globe to meet the demands of Manitoba’s labor market. This includes graduates, skilled laborers, and agricultural product industry businesses.
Foreign nationals residing in this province and those from other countries can apply for the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program.
The Immigration Routes in the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program
1. The Skilled Worker in Manitoba Route
This immigration path is available to foreign nationals employed in Manitoba with expertise or talents in demand in the province’s labor market. To apply for permanent residence, one must be nominated through the Manitoba Express Entry (MPNP lottery).
This route has three pathways, such as:
- Skilled Workers in Manitoba Pathway
- Manitoba Experience Pathway
- Employer Direct Recruitment Pathway (Applicants interviewed outside of Canada by an MPNP representative and have job offers must use this pathway)
Eligibility Requirements
Ties to Manitoba: To apply, a Manitoban company must already employ you and possess a valid work permit. Before applying, the candidate must have held such employment for at least six months.
If you recently graduated from another Canadian province, you must work for at least one year as an employee of a Manitoban company.
Employment offer: The company in Manitoba must have extended a full-time, permanent employment offer to the candidate. The offer’s pay must match that of permanent residents and citizens of Canada. You must qualify to apply.
Education: While skilled workers in the Manitoba route do not have a minimum educational requirement, having tertiary education increases your score, as calculated by the Manitoba PNP points calculator.
Language Proficiency: You must show language proficiency depending on the kind of job offer you have. For instance, you don’t need language proficiency if a job requires a level 0, A or B skill.
However, if your job offer requires a C or D skill level, you must show proficiency in English or French at Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 4.
Plans to Settle in Manitoba: The government of Manitoba will want to know how you plan on settling in Manitoba. Hence, you must submit a convincing settlement plan.
Proof of Funds: You must also show enough money to settle in Canada. The province requires you to have at least $10,000. An extra $2,000 will be needed if you have a spouse and child.
Employer Requirements: Your employer must have been in business for at least three years, and the company must also be duly registered
How to Apply
First, you’ll send in an Expression of Interest (EIO) for the program by going to the MPNP website and registering if you satisfy this stream’s prerequisites.
Following the creation of your profile, the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program Ranking System will assign you a score and tell you about other candidates. You will also receive a Letter of Advice to Apply (LAA) if your application is vital.
This is the case with MPNP draws. You have sixty days to finish your application after receiving the LAA. The province of Manitoba will nominate you to apply for permanent residence if your application is accepted.
You will also receive a package with instructions on how to apply for federal permanent residence. Within 180 days of being nominated, you must submit your application for permanent residency.
The federal application for permanent residency must be completed on paper and mailed to the specified application center. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) oversees the government application process for permanent residence.
If your application is accepted, you have to send a written notification to the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program.
2. Skilled Worker Overseas Route
This route is further divided into three streams. They are targeted at getting skilled and experienced workers from outside Canada. The three pathways are:
- Manitoba Skilled Workers Overseas Pathway
- Manitoba Express Entry Pathway
- Manitoba Human Capital Pathway.
Eligibility Requirements
Ties to Manitoba: Having ties to Manitoba increases your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. You can show ties to Manitoba by proving the following:
- you have a job offer from a business located there
- you have been invited to apply by a Strategic Recruitment Initiative
- you studied in Manitoba
- you have a friend or family member there
An invitation by a Strategic Recruitment Initiative or having a family in Manitoba gives you the most points in this category. Applicants using the Employer Direct Recruitment Pathway do not need to show ties to Manitoba.
Education: The Manitoba Human Capital Pathway requires that applicants have at least one year of tertiary education before applying. For other pathways, you are not required to meet any minimum educational requirements. However, tertiary education will increase your points in the ranking system.
Employment Offer: You must show MPNP that you have gotten a full-time job offer from a company in Manitoba. The salary of this job must be in line with the earnings of citizens and permanent residents in the province.
Language Proficiency: If your job offer is in the regulated occupations category, you must meet the CLB benchmark 7 in French or English. If it is a job offer in the compulsory trade occupations, you must meet the CLB benchmark 6 in French or English.
Meanwhile, if a job classified by the National Occupational Classification (NOC) needs skill level C or D, you must meet the CLB benchmark 4 in French or English.
No language proficiency is required for a job at skill level 0, A or B. Note that the proficiency test results you will present should be at most two years.
Plans to Settle in Manitoba: You must prove to the government that you want to settle in Manitoba upon receiving your permanent residence. You do this by presenting a settlement plan.
Proof of Funds: You must prove you have a minimum of $10,000. An extra $2000 is required for your spouse and child.
Work Experience: The Express Entry and Human Capital pathways require at least six months of experience working full-time in one of the In-Demand Occupations.
How to Apply
The Skilled Worker in Manitoba route and all of the tracks in the Skilled Worker Overseas route have identical application processes. The only distinction is the requirement for candidates to construct an express entry profile with the IRCC through the Express entry pathway.
Your CRS score on the express entry profile will increase by 600 points upon nomination by the province. This guarantees you will receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for the upcoming expedited admission drawing.
3. The International Education Route
By this means, the province of Manitoba hopes to draw in recent graduates from its post-secondary educational establishments. The graduates must have business management experience or work experience in Manitoba to be eligible for this course.
There are three methods by which they can go about this experience, which can occur during or after graduation:
- Career Employment Pathway
- Graduate Internship Pathway
- International Student Entrepreneur Pilot Pathway
Eligibility Requirements
Ties to Manitoba: You must have studied for at least a year in a Manitoban post-secondary institution to be eligible for the Career employment stream. If you have a job related to your degree in Manitoba, that would be beneficial.
Additionally, you must have at least a one-year offer from your employment. The position needs to be listed as an in-demand occupation in Manitoba.
You must have also completed an internship through the Elevate or Accelerate program and earned your Master’s or PhD in Manitoba to be eligible for the Graduate Internship Pathway.
You must have completed a two-year program at a Manitoban post-secondary school to qualify for the Student Entrepreneur Pilot Program. It would help if you were the owner and manager of a Manitoban business.
Language Proficiency: You must meet the English or French language benchmark CLB 7. Your test scores must be at most two years.
Plans to Settle in Manitoba: You have to show that you have not only been living in Manitoba since graduation but also intend to stay after you get your PR.
Money for Settlement: You must prove you meet the minimum income requirement stipulated by the federal government. However, a valid job offer can satisfy this requirement.
Age: Applicants for the International Student Entrepreneur Pilot Pathway must be between the ages of 21 and 35.
How to Apply
To apply for the International Education route, you must first email the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program website. If you are qualified, you will get an invite to attend a session where you will get complete details about the application. In addition, this information session is compulsory for all applicants.
4. Business Investor Route
This immigration route targets people with business management experience who are willing to start a business in Manitoba. The route has two pathways:
- The Entrepreneur Pathway for all kinds of entrepreneurs
- The Farm Investor pathway for people in the agro-business.
Eligibility Requirements
Language Proficiency: You must be proficient in English or French up to CLB level 5. The test scores must also be at most two years. Only the entrepreneur pathway is required to meet this requirement.
Education: The entrepreneur pathway applicants must show they at least finished high school in Canada or secondary school in Nigeria. Farm investors need to show that they can manage a farm.
Work Experience: The entrepreneur pathway applicant must show they have managed a business successfully for at least three years. The farm investor must prove they have managed a farm for three years within the last 5.
How to Apply
Sending MPNP an email with your Expression of Interest is the initial step. A self-assessment form and, if applicable, a business or agricultural investor plan must be sent.
Determining which industry or agricultural products will thrive in Manitoba is your responsibility. Following your email, you have to wait to be selected. If you are accepted, you will receive a Letter of Advice to Apply.
Now is the time to submit your application. You’ll apply for a work permit to enter Canada if your application is accepted. You will also sign the Business Performance Agreement when you get there.
After that, Manitoba will consider you and invite you to apply for federal permanent residence.