Manitoba Work Experience Pathway

What is this immigration program?

The Manitoba Work Experience Pathway of the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) is a Canadian permanent residence pathway for individuals currently working in Manitoba on a temporary work permit or Post-Graduation Work Permit.

This pathway will also consider international graduates who have attended post-secondary educational institutions outside Manitoba and who have at least one year of experience working in an in-demand occupation in Manitoba. 

Eligibility

To be eligible under this stream, you must meet all of the minimum requirements. There is no scoring of these criteria; if you meet the conditions, you may be considered eligible. The minimum requirements are:

1. Work Experience/Current Employment in Manitoba: 

This pathway is for applicants currently working in Manitoba with temporary work permits, including:

Occupations on Manitoba’s published In-demand Occupations list: 

• Temporary Foreign Workers (TFWs) and International Students: Manitoba Graduates who have worked a minimum of 6 months in Manitoba;  or

• International Students: Out-of-Province Graduates who have worked a minimum of 12 months in Manitoba;

Occupations not on Manitoba’s published In-demand Occupations list: 

• TFWs who have worked a minimum of 12 months in Manitoba with a Canadian work permit, which is supported by an LMIA-supported or LMIA exempt work permit; or

• International Students: Manitoba Graduates who have worked a minimum of 12 months in Manitoba.

If the position being offered requires the applicant specific licensure or certification to perform your job duties, you must apply to the regulatory body to have their qualifications and skills assessed and or pass the required examination.

You can check the In-demand Occupations list here: http://www.immigratemanitoba.com/immigrate-to-manitoba/in-demand-occupations/ (the job is not necessarily related to your field of study).

2. Additional Employment Requirements: 

All candidates must be residing in Manitoba at the time of application and show the intent to continue to reside in Manitoba after the nomination. 

Also, your long-term and full-time job offer must meet MB’s employment and wage standards for the occupation;

The working conditions consistent with those of Canadian Citizens/Permanent Residents of Canada; and the position of employment is not home-based, part-time, temporary, seasonal, or commission-based.

3. Official Languages Proficiency: 

All candidates must demonstrate proficiency in either English or French on the assessed NOC: 

• Minimum CLB/NCLC 7 for Regulated Occupations
• Minimum CLB/NCLC 6 for Compulsory Trades
• Minimum CLB/NCLC 5 for all other NOC 0, A, or B occupations
• Minimum CLB/NCLC 4 for semi-skilled occupations (NOC C or D)

Language tests must have been taken within the two years before applying to the program.  

4. Age:

The eligible applicant in Skilled Worker in Manitoba Stream must have the Age requirement between 21 and 45 years old.

5. Adaptability: 

The MPNP will not nominate cases whose the applicant is not eligible for the legal immigration status. You must demonstrate the ability, willingness, and intent to reside in Manitoba. 

Cases of candidates not being considered under the Skilled Worker in Manitoba category:

• Self-employed individuals, business owners, owner-operators, or independent contractors;
• Exempt from requiring a work permit to work in Manitoba;
• Submit an application based on an employment offer that is part of a work-study program.
• Refugee claimants, or individuals involved in a federal appeal or removal process;
• Live-in Caregivers currently living in Canada;
• TFWs 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 not able to address the reason(s); and
• Individuals who have an active immigration application with any other provincial immigration program in Canada.

Eligibility for the employers

Additionally, employers making job offers must also be eligible to support your application. They have to satisfy the following:

• Be incorporated or registered under an act of the legislature of a province or the Parliament of Canada;
• Be operating as a business that has an established production capability, plant or place of business in Manitoba;
• Demonstrate to the MPNP the ability to offer the candidate full-time and long-term employment in Manitoba;
• Provide an offer of employment letter to the candidate that:
  • is signed by both the employer and the candidate
  • is on company letterhead,
  • specifies salary and any other details of the position.

How to apply?

Manitoba’s Work Experience Pathway involves a three-step process.

Step 1: Enter Manitoba’s EOI pool for skilled workers

Eligible candidates can submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) by answering a series of questions and creating an online profile. The profiles of candidates are assigned a score and placed in the Manitoba EOI pool with other candidates. You are not required to upload supporting documentation before submitting your profile to the EOI pool.

Candidates are ranked and given a score out of 1,000. Points are awarded across six factors: language ability, age, work experience, education, adaptability, and risk assessment. Top-ranking candidates are issued a Letter of Advice to Apply (LAA) in periodic draws, and may then submit a full application. 

All candidates must answer all EOI questions accurately and completely. If you provide false or misleading information in your EOI, it may be considered misrepresentation and you may be banned submitting another EOI for two years. The EOI submission is not an application for immigration to Manitoba. 

Once you have created an account and submitted your EOI, you can update it at any time. You do not have to wait until your EOI expires to update the situation. An EOI is valid for one year after submission – if you have not received an LAA after one year, your EOI will expire and you will need to submit a new one to re-enter the candidate pool.

There is no limit to the number of candidates who can submit an EOI, and there is no deadline. However, the province does reserve the right to limit EOI submissions in certain occupations, if there is a significant overload, evidence of a limited employment outlook and other barriers to employment in Manitoba.

Before starting, please familiarize yourself with the eligibility criteria of the MPNP as you may have to take a language test or fulfill other requirements before submitting an EOI.

You can submit your Manitoba EOI here

Step 2: Receive an LAA and submit an application

Manitoba periodically conducts draws to invite top-ranking candidates to submit a full application to the MPNP. Draws are conducted roughly every month. The number of LAAs issued in each draw is dependent on annual processing targets and capacities.

Candidates who receive an LAA have 60 days to complete and submit a complete application to the province of Manitoba. It is strongly recommended that candidates start preparing documents when they enter the pool, as it can take some time to gather the required documents in the right format.

Step 3: Apply for Canadian permanent residence

If your application to the MPNP is successful, you will obtain a nomination from the province of Manitoba. You can then apply directly to the Canadian government for permanent resident status.

By applying for permanent resident status, you are obliged to live, work and settle in Manitoba; Manitoba reserves the right to withdraw your nomination at any time before you become a permanent resident of Canada.

Supporting documents

The MPNP assesses your eligibility based on the documents you submit with your MPNP Online application. You must substantiate all claims in your EOI and the application with credible supporting documentation.

Be sure that you know what documents you will need and gather all these documents so that you are prepared to scan and upload them.

1. Personal information

To support the information regarding your identity, residency and other personal details of yourself and your dependents, you must submit official (government-issued) documents include:

• ID: birth certificate
• Residence/travel: passport (photo, detail pages, and visas if the country of residence differs from the country of citizenship)
• Marital status: marriage/divorce/death certificates; separation agreement; documents proving your common-law partnership of at least one year
• Dependants: birth certificates must show names of both parents; adoption papers; custody agreements for children of divorce/separation, as well as travel documents

2. Education

Regarding secondary and post-secondary education and/or training, you must provide detail documents such as the name of institution and program, dates of attendance and language of instruction, as well as the certificate, degree or diploma, and transcripts for each program completed for yourself and your spouse.

Certified translation into English or French is required for each document issued in another language.

3. Employment

Submit documents showing work history for the past five years:

• A signed letter of reference from each employer of the applicant and spouse
• Employer letters with contact information
• Mention of start and end dates for employment; a detailed description of position and duties, and the salary you were paid

Upload certified translation into English or French of each document issued in another language. For self-employed cases, please submit copies of business registration, business tax records for each year, and copies of work contracts, if applicable.

4. Immigration history and status

You must submit documents substantiating of previous immigration applications to Canada and previous (or current) visits to and stays in Canada by yourself, your spouse and any adult dependants.

It can be the provincial nominee or federal immigration/refugee application result letter, visas for temporary work, study or visit – upload copy of an official document.

5. Language ability

To prove your application regarding your English and/or French language proficiency, valid test results from approved language tests are required by all applicants except those currently working in Manitoba in high-skill occupations (NOC 0, A or B). 

Applicants who are not required to submit test results may submit other documents to show their English proficiency.

Your test must have been taken no more than two years before the date you submit your MPNP Online application to be considered valid.

6. Settlement Funds

All applicants should have CAD $10,000 plus for CAD $2,000 for spouse and each accompanying dependant.

This is not a program fee; it is the available amount of money for you to support yourself and your family as you arrive and adjust to life in Manitoba.

Submit copies of three months of bank statements and certificates of deposit demonstrating a clear financial history of sufficient and transferable settlement funds in your name and/or the name of your spouse or common-law partner, and, if applicable:

• Copies of securities and other investments
• Proof of ownership of real estate including a current market price evaluation, or other assets (not including personal items) owned by the applicant or spouse, with objective fair market value evaluation

If there are currency controls in your country of residence, the MPNP may require proof of transferability.

After you submit your application

The MPNP does not accept inquiries about the status of your application after you have uploaded and submitted it. However, you can provide new information about changed circumstances by logging in to MPNP Online (the MPNP does not accept updates to your information or documents by e-mail or in-person).

Before you log in, be sure to review all information about documents required to demonstrate you are eligible to apply to the MPNP.

MPNP Online will instruct you to upload documents as evidence of all statements you make in your application.