Manitoba issued invitations to international student graduates and skilled workers both in the province and abroad.

Manitoba invited 272 immigration candidates to apply for a provincial nomination on January 14, 2021.

The Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) invited skilled workers and international graduates to apply to one of the following three immigration streams:

• Skilled Workers in Manitoba,
• International Education Stream,
• Skilled Workers Overseas.

Here are the number of invitations, also known as Letters of Advice to Apply (LAAs), along with their required minimum Expression of Interest (EOI) scores:

• Skilled Workers in Manitoba— 236 LAAs with a score of at least 461;
• Skilled Workers Overseas— 7 LAAs with a score of at least 722; and
• International Education Stream— 29 LAAs, no EOI score requirement.

Out of the 272 LAAs issued, 18 went to Express Entry candidates. The MPNP says they will refuse any of these candidates who do not have a valid Express Entry ID, a job seeker validation code, and verifiable experience in an occupation on Manitoba’s In-demand Occupations list.

The MPNP only considered Skilled Worker Overseas candidates in this draw if they were directly invited under a strategic recruitment initiative.

If candidates scored higher than the minimum ranking but did not receive an LAA, it could be because:

• their third-party language test did not have a valid test number;
• their language test is no longer valid; or
• the candidate was invited under a strategic recruitment initiative, but they did not send a valid invitation number.

The MPNP said that candidates who are in one of these scenarios can update their EOI profile with the correct information in order to be considered for the next draw.

Candidates who are working in a regulated occupation have been invited in this draw. The MPNP says that they may refuse candidates who are not actually working in a regulated occupation, or who do not provide proof of having completed all licensing steps to be employed in Manitoba. Those who are in this situation have the option to decline their LAA.

About Manitoba immigration streams

The Skilled Workers Overseas Category and Skilled Workers in Manitoba streams allow the province to nominate skilled workers who can support Manitoba’s labour market needs.

People who are applying from overseas need to have an established connection to Manitoba. This can be demonstrated through close family ties or friends in the province, previous experience in Manitoba, or an invitation under one of the MPNP’s Strategic Recruitment Initiatives.

Candidates do not need to be physically present in Manitoba at the time of the application to be eligible.

Successful candidates in the Skilled Workers in Manitoba category must meet certain criteria, such as having a full-time permanent job offer from an employer in Manitoba.

International students that graduated from an educational institution in Manitoba may receive an LAA under the International Education Stream if they have in-demand skills.

Express Entry Manitoba

The first step to receiving a provincial nomination through Manitoba’s enhanced PNP is to submit their profile into the federal government’s Express Entry system.

Candidates who are eligible for Express Entry are ranked based on a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score that considers human capital factors such as age, work experience, education, and language ability.

The highest-scoring candidates are invited to apply for Canadian permanent residence through regular draws from the Express Entry pool.

Those who receive a provincial nomination are awarded an additional 600 CRS points and are effectively guaranteed an Invitation to Apply (ITA) from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Express Entry candidates who received a provincial nomination from Manitoba in this draw declared a valid Express Entry ID and provided a job seeker validation code.

New department to help boost immigration to Manitoba

On January 5, 2021, Manitoba announced it was creating a new department of advanced education, skills and immigration as part of the province’s post-COVID-19 recovery plan.

“Our pandemic recovery plan is focused on getting people back to work and ensuring new job opportunities for young Manitobans and new immigrants we welcome into our province,” according to a news release.

“This new department will focus on aligning advanced educational institutions with the needs of the labour markets of today and tomorrow by giving young Manitobans the skills they need to succeed and new immigrants the job opportunities our province can offer.”