Last chance for Manitoba PNP candidates to qualify for a special two-year work permit

Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) candidates with expired or soon-to-expire work permits have until December 16, 2025, at 12:59 a.m. EDT to apply for a Manitoba support letter. 

With a Manitoba support letter, eligible candidates can apply to the federal government for a two-year open work permit (OWP) under Canada’s “Temporary Public Policy to Facilitate Work Permits for Prospective Provincial Nominee Program Candidates.” 

The MPNP made this announcement on their official news webpage on December 4, 2025. 

Assess your eligibility for enhanced PNP streams

Eligibility criteria

In order to be considered for a Manitoba support letter under this temporary public policy, you must meet both the federal government and the MPNP’s specified eligibility criteria.

MPNP eligibility criteria

To qualify for an MPNP support letter, MPNP candidates must

• Have had a valid MPNP Expression of Interest (EOI) profile on January 15, 2025, and still have a valid profile;
• Possess a work permit that expired in 2024 or 2025, or hold a work permit that will expire in 2025;
• Have resided in Manitoba continuously since before January 15, 2025; and
• Have a letter of employment from your current employer in Manitoba.

Federal temporary public policy requirements

Beyond meeting the requirements set out by the MPNP, you must also meet one of the following conditions to be eligible for a support letter under the federal policy:

• Possessing a valid work permit that will expire in 2025; or
• Having possessed a work permit on May 7, 2024, which has since expired, and having applied for an extension of work authorization, or authorization to remain in Canada as a temporary resident, or restoration of status; or
• Having had maintained status on May 7, 2024, and having submitted a work permit extension application before this date.

The applications mentioned in the above conditions must either be approved or currently pending.

If you meet all the above criteria, you can apply for a support letter using the MPNP’s online submission form.

This application form closes on December 16 at 1 a.m. EDT, and no new applications for support letters will be accepted after this date.

Of note is that Manitoba does not guarantee the issuance of a support letter even if you meet all eligibility criteria, as the province reserves the right to limit the number of support letters it issues.

Applications for these work permits will remain open only until December 31, 2025, the date the federal government’s temporary public policy is set to end. It is unclear at this time if this temporary policy will be extended again.

When submitting a Manitoba Support letter application, you must provide a copy of your EOI profile, a letter of employment from your current employer, and one of the following documents:

• Your current work permit;
• Proof of authorization to work; or
• Proof that, as of May 7, 2024, you possessed a valid work permit and applied for restoration of your temporary resident status.

Once you have a Manitoba support letter in hand, you can submit a work permit application to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) under the temporary public policy for PNP candidates.

Foreign nationals who have already received a nomination are not eligible for consideration under this public policy.

The temporary public policy permitting certain PNP candidates to obtain an OWP was first introduced on August 11, 2024, and has since been extended.

The temporary public policy was established to enable provinces to support PNP candidates who are actively employed in a province and facing the risk of losing their work status.

How to apply for an OWP through the temporary public policy

MPNP candidates can follow the steps below to apply for this special two-year work permit.

Step 1: Review the instruction guide (5553) for applying for a work permit from within Canada.

Step 2: Log in to your IRCC Secure Account (or make one) and complete the preliminary questionnaire to generate a personalized document checklist.

Step 3: You will be asked the question “Does any of the following apply to you?” and will be shown various scenarios.

You will want to answer “Yes,” as you will be eligible under this scenario: I am applying for an open work permit under an active public policy or pilot program announced by IRCC.

Step 4: Fill out the application form as such:

Under Box 1 – What type of work permit are you applying for?, selecr “Open Work Permit.”

Under Box 4 – Job title and Brief description of duties, enter “MBEOI2024 under both the “Job title” and “Brief description of duties” box.

Step 5: Upload all documents listed in your personalized checklist, including these unlisted documents:

• Copy of your passport;
• Family information form (IMM 5705);
• Digital photo;
• Manitoba support letter;
• Copy of your current work permit (if applicable); and
• Letter of employment from your current employer.

For employment reference letter, employment records, and employment contract, upload a page stating “Not applicable.”

Step 6: Pay your fees, which will include a work permit fee ($155), OWP holder fee ($100), and if applicable, a restoration of status fee ($246.25). Keep a copy of your receipt.

Step 7. Submit the application.

Assess your eligibility for enhanced PNP streams