Manitoba holds biggest Skilled Worker in MB draw so far this year

Manitoba invited 367 immigration candidates to apply for a provincial nomination, most of them skilled workers in the province.

The province invited candidates through the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP). Most of the invited candidates may be eligible for the Skilled Worker in Manitoba stream. These are temporary foreign workers and international student graduates who have job offers in skilled occupations in the province.

Candidates were also invited through two other Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) streams: International Education Stream, and Skilled Workers Overseas.

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The skilled worker streams have points cutoff scores because they require candidates to have an Expression of Interest (EOI) profile. Here are the draw results from Manitoba's draw on April 27:

Skilled Workers in Manitoba— 301 invitations with a minimum EOI score of 440;
Skilled Workers Overseas— 11 invitations with a minimum EOI score of 721; and
International Education Stream— 55 invitations with no EOI score requirement.

A total of 34 invitations, also known as Letters of Advice to Apply (LAAs), went to Express Entry candidates.

Manitoba immigration programs

Manitoba has a number of immigration programs dedicated to attracting international talent to settle in the province. The provincial government manages its immigration through the MPNP, which supports immigration applications to the federal government. Canadian provinces do not have the ability to give out permanent residency status, but they can help an application along by issuing provincial nominations.

If you want to benefit from a nomination from Manitoba, you need to register an Expression of Interest with the MPNP. This puts you in a position to receive an LAA through the Skilled Workers in Manitoba and Skilled Workers Overseas streams.

Manitoba then ranks candidates out of 1,000 points for their human capital factors, as well as their connections to the province.

The Skilled Workers Overseas Category and Skilled Workers in Manitoba streams are designed to allow the province to identify candidates who meet its labour market needs.

Candidates overseas need to demonstrate connections to Manitoba through close family ties, previous experience in the province, or an invitation through one of Manitoba’s Strategic Recruitment Initiatives. You do not need to be living in Manitoba at the time of your application to be eligible.

In order to receive an invitation under the Skilled Workers in Manitoba category, you need to have a full-time job offer from a local employer.

International graduates who complete education in Manitoba can receive an LAA under the International Education Stream if they can demonstrate to the province that they have in-demand skills.

There are three dedicated pathways through the International Education Stream:

the Graduate Internship Pathway;
the Career Employment Pathway; and
the International Student Entrepreneur Pilot.

Express Entry to Manitoba

The Express Entry system is managed by the federal government, but immigration candidates bound for Manitoba may choose this pathway.

Express Entry is the main way Canada manages skilled worker applications. It is possible to skip the PNP process and receive a permanent residence invitation by applying through Express Entry directly. However, having a provincial nomination in an Express Entry-aligned PNP effectively guarantees that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada will invite you to apply for Canadian permanent residence.

Express Entry is an application management system for three federal immigration programs. When you submit your profile, you are then ranked based on the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), which considers factors like your age, work experience, education, and language skills.

The highest-scoring candidates receive invitations to apply for permanent residence through regular Express Entry draws.

You gain an additional 600 CRS points if you receive a provincial nomination from a PNP, such as Manitoba’s. This award is high enough to allow you to receive an Invitation to Apply in an Express Entry draw.

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