Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP)

Applicants in this stream must meet the following requirements:

• Be between 21 and 45 years old
• Have a connection to Manitoba which is not superseded by a connection to any other province
• Be employable and “adaptable”
• Have at least a one-year, post-secondary certificate or training certificate
• Have at least two years of full-time work experience within the previous five years
• Have the ability to find work within Manitoba, including the ability to earn any necessary certifications required for work.
• Provide a Settlement Plan detailing a genuine interest in become a permanent resident of Manitoba
• Provide General Training IELTS test scores. Test must be taken within the past two years, with a score of at least 5 in each category.

Once invited, the prospective applicant must travel to Manitoba in order to conduct an Exploratory Visit. The individual must research communities and, basically, form a plan for how they will live and work in Manitoba once granted permanent residency.

Applicants with a connection to Manitoba have several potential streams to permanent residency. These streams involve a direct connection to a person, business or institution (such as a university) in Manitoba. Here’s our breakdown of the various streams available within the MPNP Connection Category:

Manitoba Support Stream

The PNP Manitoba Connection – Support Stream is for individuals who don’t have a job in Manitoba, but who have a personal connection to the province. This local person is called a “Manitoba Supporter”. In order to be eligible for this Manitoba Nominee Program stream, the Manitoba Supporter must be connected to the applicant in one of the ways listed below.

Approved connections:

• Mother
• Father
• Sister
• Brother
• Grandmother
• Grandfather
• Niece or nephew
• Aunt or Uncle
• First Cousin
• Other Relative
• Close Friend

Manitoba Supporters must also meet several requirements themselves.

Manitoba Supporters must:

• Be able to prove, with documentation, current residency in Manitoba. They must be a permanent resident for at least one year.
• Be either a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident
• Prove that any previously supported applicants have found success as a resident of Manitoba (does not apply if this current applicant is the first individual supported)
• Be able to support the applicant as detailed in the Settlement Plan
• Prove close ties to the applicant (this requirement was recently classified as redundant)

Additionally, the supporter will have to complete the Settlement Plan Part 2, a document detailing information about the supporter, their relationship to the applicant and confirmation of the applicant’s information. Friends and distant relatives are only allowed to support an applicant who meets certain criteria. The applicant must score a minimum of 60 on the MPNP selection grid (possible score 100). The grid helps quantify the factors listed below for the applicant.

Manitoba PNP points grid:

• Age (10 points)
• Adaptability (25 points)
• Education (25 points)
• Language Proficiency (25 points)
• Work Experience (15 points)

Individuals applying through this stream are required to have $10,000 CAD as well as an additional $2,000 CAD per each family member who will be accompanying them.This includes the spouse and any children.

This stream is a great option for highly skilled individuals who currently aren’t employed but who want to live near family in Manitoba. This stream is not always open during the year, so availability may change.

Manitoba Experience Stream

Of course, you don’t need to have a relative who lives here in order to successfully establish residency in a city such as Winnipeg. The PNP Manitoba Connection – Experience Stream is for temporary foreign workers and international students. As with the Support Stream, the applicants must score at least 60 on the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program selection grid. The grid considers the following factors: age, education, adaptability, language proficiency, and work experience.

MPNP Experience Stream applicants must have one of the following:

• Full-time, skilled work experience in Manitoba. This can be for any six consecutive months within the past 10 years.
• Completion of a post-secondary program in Manitoba. This excludes the subject of language studies.

Additionally, international students must:

• Be graduates of a post-secondary program located in Manitoba
• Have a work permit from Citizenship and Immigration Canada or have successfully completed the application process
• Be working full-time in the province
• Have an offer from an employer for full-time, long-term employment
• Have the ability and desire to live in Manitoba permanently
• Have all training, licensing, work experience and language ability required for permanent employment in the province

The Manitoba PNP Experience Stream is a great option for international students who arrived in Winnipeg for school but wish to permanently make a home here after graduation. This stream is also an option for anyone who either worked or attended school here within the past 10 years and wishes to return permanently. This program is extremely popular among current students and recent graduates of the University of Manitoba, University of Winnipeg, Red River College, and Brandon University.

Manitoba Employment Stream

This stream is for individuals with long-term, full-time job offers in Manitoba. This may be an offer for a current job the applicant has held for at least six months as a temporary worker. This may also be a job offered to an applicant who has a completed post-secondary education in Manitoba.

Any type of occupation is eligible. The individual must also have:

• An offer of employment from their current Manitoba employer
• Sufficient English and French language skills
• All necessarily qualification needed to perform the job being offered
• A detailed Settlement Plan which demonstrates how they plan to work, live and become part of the community in Manitoba

There are some special situations which apply to foreigners with temporary worker permits:

• If the individual is exempt from a work permit, they are ineligible for this stream.
• Temporary foreign workers must prove sufficient settlement funds. Current income is counted towards these funds.

International students who wish to apply under this MPNP stream have additional requirements:

• International students from another Canadian province must have worked for their current Manitoba employer for at least one year
• Graduates of a Manitoba post-secondary institution must have spent at least six months working for the employer who is offering them full-time work
• Students must receive a post-graduate work permit within 60 days after graduating from a Canadian college or university
• Students outside of Manitoba are ineligible for this stream

A successful Manitoba business is both good for the province and good for the business owner. This provincial nominee Manitoba immigration category is for those who want to establish permanent residence in Manitoba for the purpose of either starting their own business or buying an existing one.

There are several requirements the foreign national must meet:

• They must have a net worth of at least $350,000 CAD
• They must make a minimum investment of $150,000 CAD into the business
• They must have an active role in the management of the business
• They must intend to live in Manitoba (including all accompanying dependents)

They must have three years of experience running a similar business or experience as senior management in a similar business. If the application is approved, the applicant needs to make a deposit of $75,000 to the government of Manitoba. Then the applicant has two years to establish a business in Manitoba. They have to live in Manitoba while they do this. Once the business is established and permanent residency established, the deposit will be returned (without interest).

The Young Farmer Nominee Program

Similar to starting a business, there is also a Manitoba PNP program business stream for individuals who wish to move to Manitoba and establish a farm. Agriculture is a major driver of Manitoba’s economy, and the province has a stream in place designed for experienced farmers looking to immigrate. This applies to those looking to establish a new farm, purchase an existing farm, or partner with an existing farm.

MPNP Business-farmer applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Three years of experience owning or managing a farm
• Provide documented assessment of farming opportunities in Manitoba and how they apply to the applicant’s specific situation
• A personal net worth of $150,000 CAD
• Must make an equity investment of $150,000 within the province
• Be under 40 years of age
• Have marketable skills that could potentially supplement the farm income. This also applies to a spouse.
• Be able to demonstrate their farm and any supplemental income will generate at least $35,000 CAD annually

The applicant must also visit Manitoba for at least seven consecutive days for purposes of exploration. They need to investigate farming and living opportunities. If the application is approved, the applicant must deposit $75,000 in an account controlled by the Manitoba government. Within two years the money will be returned (without interest) if the applicant has purchased and established a farm within the province. The applicant and all dependants must live full-time in Manitoba.

With Manitoba’s natural resources and land conditions, farming is often an excellent opportunity. For farmers around the world who wish to establish residency in Manitoba, this stream is often a great option.