Immigrate to Manitoba: MPNP Streams, Jobs and Settling In

Manitoba is the easternmost prairie province, in the middle of Canada. Most people live in Winnipeg, a city with a long history of immigration, large Filipino and South Asian communities, and one of the biggest French-speaking communities in Western Canada in Saint-Boniface. People choose Manitoba for affordable housing, steady jobs in health care, manufacturing, and transportation, and a nominee program that has welcomed newcomers for decades.

The winters are some of the coldest of any large Canadian city, and average wages are lower than in Alberta. For many families, the lower cost of housing makes up for it.

Manitoba has three communities in the federal Rural Community Immigration Pilot (Steinbach, Altona/Rhineland, and Brandon) and one in the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot (St. Pierre Jolys).

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) gave Manitoba 6,239 nominations for 2026. Most go through the two Skilled Worker streams.

In 2026, Manitoba moved toward occupation-specific and targeted draws. Large draws have gone to people already working in Manitoba, and smaller draws to people invited through strategic recruitment and to Manitoba graduates with at least six months of work in the province. Some nominations are "enhanced," meaning they are linked to the federal Express Entry system and add 600 points to your score; the rest are "base" nominations processed outside Express Entry.

Manitoba also runs the Employer Direct Initiative, which reopened on September 2, 2025 to help approved employers recruit from outside Canada, and supports community programs such as the Morden Community Driven Immigration Initiative. These feed into the streams above rather than being separate streams.

1. Create an Expression of Interest. You describe your language, age, work experience, education, and your connection to Manitoba. The MPNP ranks you out of 1,000 points. The adaptability factor carries the most weight: current employment in Manitoba with a long-term job offer, or an invitation through strategic recruitment, earns the maximum adaptability points. Points are deducted if you have recently worked or studied in another province.
2. Wait for a draw. Manitoba runs EOI draws, often limited to certain occupations or groups, and publishes the results on its website.
3. Receive a Letter of Advice to Apply (LAA). An LAA is an invitation to submit a full application. It is not a nomination.
4. Apply and get nominated. Submit your application and documents and pay the fee listed by the MPNP.
5. Apply to IRCC. With an enhanced nomination, you apply through Express Entry; otherwise you use the base permanent residence process.

Business applicants submit a business EOI. Manitoba reviews business profiles on a rolling basis rather than in regular draws.

Watch for fraud. Manitoba does not sell job offers or invitations, and no representative can guarantee one. See our scam protection guide.

Manitoba's 2026 draws and employer programs point to steady demand in:

• Health care: nurses, health care aides, and allied health workers.
• Skilled trades: in February 2026, Manitoba added 16 trades to the Temporary Resident Retention Pilot, including automotive service technicians, heavy-duty equipment technicians, truck and transport mechanics, and water and wastewater technicians.
• Manufacturing and food processing: plants in Winnipeg, Brandon, Steinbach, and Winkler.
• Transportation and logistics: Winnipeg is a major rail, trucking, and air cargo hub.
• Agriculture: farm workers and farm operators across southern Manitoba.

Major cities and towns: Winnipeg (the capital and home to most Manitobans), Brandon, Steinbach, Winkler, Portage la Prairie, Morden, Thompson in the north, and Altona.

Employers can read our guide to PNP employer streams.

Manitoba Health coverage

If you move to Manitoba from outside Canada as a permanent resident, you may apply for Manitoba Health coverage from the date you arrive. Work permit holders can apply if their work permit is valid for at least 12 consecutive months. Study permit holders are not eligible for Manitoba Health coverage (since September 1, 2018); schools usually require student health insurance. People moving from another province usually wait up to about three months.

Driver's license

Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) issues driver's licenses. If your license is from a place that has an exchange agreement with Manitoba, you can usually swap it. Otherwise, you take a knowledge test and a road test, and MPI may recognize your past driving experience. You can use a valid foreign license only for a short time after you move, so apply early.

Winnipeg has a large network of free newcomer services. Manitoba Start helps newcomers with employment and referrals, and the Immigrant Centre Manitoba offers settlement help and language support. Brandon, Steinbach, Winkler, and other towns have their own newcomer services. IRCC's online tool lists federally funded services near you.

Cost of living: Housing in Winnipeg and smaller Manitoba towns costs much less than in Toronto, Vancouver, or Calgary. Manitoba charges a provincial retail sales tax on top of the federal GST. Budget for winter clothing, winter tires, and heating, and expect to need a car outside Winnipeg.

Regulated jobs in Manitoba need a license from the right body before you can work in them. Examples include:

• Nurses: College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba.
• Physicians: College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba.
• Engineers: Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba.
• Trades: Apprenticeship Manitoba for trade certification.

The MPNP's EOI grid gives extra points when a Manitoba licensing body has recognized your qualifications, so starting the process early can help your ranking. See our guides to language tests and credential assessment.

• Express Entry: federal selection, including French-language and health care draws.
• Rural Community Immigration Pilot: Steinbach, Altona/Rhineland, Brandon.
• Francophone Community Immigration Pilot: St. Pierre Jolys.
• Study permit and the Post-Graduation Work Permit: with the Career Employment Pathway closed, graduates need six months of Manitoba work before most Skilled Worker draws.
• LMIA work permit, then Skilled Worker in Manitoba after six months with your employer.

If you have a past refusal, a criminal record, or status problems, talk to a lawyer or a licensed consultant (RCIC) before you apply. See how to verify a lawyer or consultant.