New Manitoba draw issues 354 invitations to immigration candidates

Manitoba issued 354 invitations to apply for a provincial nomination for Canadian permanent residence in a new draw held July 5.

The invitations, known as Letters of Advice to Apply (LAAs), went to candidates in the Skilled Workers Overseas, Skilled Workers in Manitoba and International Education Streams of the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP).

The MPNP allows Manitoba to nominate foreign workers and international graduates of post-secondary institutions in the province for Canadian permanent residence.

In 2018, the MPNP issued a record number of nominations across its various immigration streams, with the vast majority going to candidates in its skilled worker streams.

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Here is how the LAAs issued July 5 were distributed among the three streams involved:

Skilled Workers Overseas Stream: 248
Skilled Workers in Manitoba Stream: 85
International Education Stream: 21

The MPNP said 91 LAAs went to candidates with a valid profile in the federal Express Entry system.

Express Entry is Canada's principal source of high-skilled foreign talent and manages the pool of candidates for three of Canada's main economic-class immigration programs — the Federal Skilled Worker Class, Federal Skilled Trades Class and Canadian Experience Class.

Express Entry candidates with a provincial nomination benefit from an additional 600 points toward their ranking score, which effectively guarantees an invitation from the Government of Canada to apply for permanent residence.

In order to be considered for a provincial nomination from Manitoba, Express Entry candidates must create a separate Expression of Interest (EOI) profile with the MPNP and meet requirements that include six months of recent work experience in an occupation listed as in-demand in Manitoba.

The completion of an EOI is the first step for most MPNP skilled worker sub-streams and requires candidates to enter information about their education, work experience, proficiency in English or French and connections to Manitoba, among other details, and are awarded a score based on their answers.

Candidates with the highest scores are invited through regular draws from Manitoba’s EOI pool.

The minimum score required for an LAA in Manitoba's July 5 draw was:

Skilled Workers in Manitoba: 565
Skilled Workers Overseas: 594
- Skilled Workers Overseas: Strategic Recruitment Initiative candidates: 619

The draw brings the total number of LAAs issued to skilled worker immigration candidates in 2019 to 5,333.

Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs