Skilled Worker in Manitoba: MPNP Stream for Workers With a Manitoba Employer

The Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) selects people who can fill jobs in the province and are likely to stay. Its Skilled Worker Stream has two parts:

• Skilled Worker in Manitoba, for people who already work for a Manitoba employer or who are hired through Manitoba's employer programs (this page).
• Skilled Worker Overseas, for people outside the province who have a strong connection to Manitoba. See Skilled Worker Overseas.

Skilled Worker in Manitoba is built around your employer. A Manitoba employer wants to keep you or hire you on a long-term basis, and Manitoba nominates you so you can apply for permanent residence (PR).

A nomination is not PR. After Manitoba nominates you, you still apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). IRCC does the medical, security, and criminality checks and makes the final decision. Our overview of provincial nominee programs explains how the provincial and federal steps fit together.

Manitoba received 6,239 nominations for 2026 across all MPNP streams, and most of them go to the two Skilled Worker streams. For life in the province, jobs, and costs, see our Manitoba guide.

Manitoba Work Experience Pathway

This is the main route for people who hold a work permit and already work in Manitoba. Your employer must offer you a long-term, full-time job, and you must meet the language, experience, and other minimums the MPNP sets for your occupation. Six months or more of ongoing work in Manitoba with a long-term job offer from the same employer is the strongest connection you can show in the ranking system.

Employer Direct Recruitment Pathway

This pathway works with Manitoba's Employer Direct Initiative, which reopened with updated rules on September 2, 2025. The initiative is meant mainly for employers who recruit from outside Canada. The employer applies to the MPNP first. Once the employer and the position are approved, the employer can refer a candidate, who then applies for nomination.

Manitoba also runs an employer-led Temporary Resident Retention Pilot for employers who want to keep current staff who hold work permits.

The exact rules depend on the pathway and your occupation, and the MPNP updates them often. In general, you need:

• A long-term, full-time job offer from a Manitoba employer, for a real position the employer needs to fill.
• Legal status to work, if you are in Canada. For the Work Experience Pathway, this means a valid work permit.
• Work experience that meets the MPNP minimum for your occupation.
• An approved language test in English or French, at the level the MPNP sets for your occupation. Results must still be valid when you apply. See language tests for Canada.
• Licensing or certification, if your job is regulated or is a compulsory trade in Manitoba.
• A genuine plan to live in Manitoba. The MPNP checks your ties to the province and your settlement plan.

Some occupations and sectors face extra limits or are not eligible. The MPNP publishes the current requirements, minimum language levels, and any excluded occupations on immigratemanitoba.com. Check them before you create a profile, because the rules changed several times in 2025 and 2026.

You cannot apply just because you qualify. You first create an Expression of Interest (EOI) profile. The MPNP scores it out of 1,000 points using factors such as:

• language ability
• age
• work experience
• education
• adaptability, meaning your connection to Manitoba

Adaptability carries the most weight. Ongoing work in Manitoba for six months or more, with a long-term job offer from the same employer, earns the top adaptability score. Manitoba can also subtract points when your ties point to another province, for example work or study elsewhere in Canada.

The MPNP holds regular EOI draws. If you are selected, you get a Letter of Advice to Apply (LAA). An LAA is an invitation to send a full application. It is not a nomination. It comes with a deadline, so gather your documents before you are invited.

Draws can target specific occupations, sectors, or groups. In 2026, Manitoba has favored people who already work in the province and people with employer, community, or program connections. Manitoba has also said it is holding targeted draws for Manitoba graduates with at least six months of work in the province. The MPNP posts the results of each draw on its website.

Manitoba can nominate you in one of two ways:

Because 600 points is so large, most enhanced nominees are invited in a later federal draw for provincial nominees. To use this route, you must qualify for a federal Express Entry program, such as the Canadian Experience Class. Learn more in our Express Entry guide and try the CRS calculator.

Manitoba adjusts its mix of base and enhanced nominations during the year. Being in the Express Entry pool can help, but it is not required for this stream. For a side-by-side view, see Express Entry vs PNP.

• Keep your status. If you are in Canada, keep your work permit valid and apply to extend it before it expires if needed. See maintained status.
• Apply to IRCC. A base nominee sends a PR application to IRCC within the time shown on the nomination. An enhanced nominee accepts the nomination in their Express Entry profile and waits for an ITA. See from ITA to COPR.
• Pass the federal checks. IRCC reviews medical, police, and security records. See medical exams and police certificates.
• Keep your job and your plan. Tell the MPNP about major changes, such as a new employer. A change can affect your file.

Your spouse or partner and dependent children can be included in your PR application. While you wait, family members may be able to get their own work or study permits, depending on current federal rules.

The MPNP charges a non-refundable application fee when you apply after receiving an LAA. IRCC charges separate fees for the PR application, biometrics, and the right of permanent residence fee. Check the current amounts on the MPNP site and on canada.ca rather than relying on older figures you find online.

Processing has two parts: the MPNP assessment and IRCC's PR processing. Both vary during the year. IRCC usually processes enhanced (Express Entry) nominations faster than base nominations. See our processing times tool.

Since March 2, 2026, the MPNP no longer answers questions by email. You must use its online webforms.

• Your work permit is about to expire. Plan early. A nomination does not extend your status on its own.
• You changed employers. Your score and eligibility may change. Update your EOI profile.
• You have ties to another province. Declare them. Hiding information can lead to a refusal for misrepresentation.
• Someone asks you to pay for a job offer. Manitoba law does not allow employers or recruiters to charge foreign workers recruitment fees. Read our scam protection guide.

If you have a past refusal, a gap in your status, or a criminal record, talk to a lawyer or a licensed immigration consultant (RCIC) before you apply. Learn how to verify a lawyer or consultant.