The Skilled Workers Overseas Stream is one of several immigration streams of the Skilled Workers Overseas Category contained within the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP), a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) operated by the province of Manitoba. The Skilled Workers Overseas Stream targets foreign nationals who have the skills and foreign work experience required to contribute to Manitoba’s labour force and who can demonstrate a connection to the province.
Candidates who are successfully nominated through the Skilled Workers Overseas Stream will be invited to submit an official application for Canadian permanent residence. This stream uses the MPNP Ranking System to rank interested candidates against one another. Only those candidates who have the most competitive profiles will be invited to submit an official application to the program
In order to be eligible for the Skilled Workers Overseas Stream, a candidate must demonstrate a connection to Manitoba. This connection can be demonstrated in one of the following ways:
If a candidate’s claimed occupation is at National Occupational Classification (NOC) Skill Level 0, A, or B, then there is no minimum language proficiency requirement. However, it is likely that a candidate will require language test results in an approved test for either English or French to meet the minimum points required for eligibility for the program.
If a candidate’s claimed occupation is at NOC Skill Level C or D then the candidate must have valid language test scores showing proficiency equivalent to the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 4 or higher
There is no minimum education requirement for this stream. However, candidates who can demonstrate completion of post-secondary education will be able to claim more points through the MPNP Ranking System. As only those candidates with the highest ranking will be invited to apply to the program, candidates with post-secondary training will have an advantage over others in the pool.
In order to qualify for the Manitoba Skilled Workers Overseas Stream, a candidate must show that they have at least 60 out of 100 points on the Manitoba Points Assessment Grid. Simply meeting the minimum does not guarantee success, as all candidates are ranked against one another using the MPNP Ranking System.
All candidates for MPNP streams must submit a settlement plan outlining their plan for integrating into life in Manitoba.
All candidates for MPNP streams should be prepared to demonstrate they meet certain provincial settlement funds requirements. Manitoba requires candidates to show they have access to a minimum of $10,000 CAD plus an additional $2,000 CAD per spouse and accompanying dependents. This is the provincial requirement; when submitting a federal immigration application these requirements may vary
The Skilled Workers Overseas Stream operates on an Expression of Interest (EOI) system. Candidates who meet the minimum stream requirements can register a profile using the MPNP Online portal. Once the profile has been submitted, candidates will be assigned a score and ranked against one another using the MPNP Ranking System. The highest ranking candidates will be issued a Letter of Advice to Apply (LAA) during one of the MPNP Draws.
After receiving an LAA, a candidate has 60 days to submit a complete application to MPNP. Note: MPNP reserves the right to limit selection criteria when issuing LAAs.
Often LAAs are only issued to candidates who have work experience in one of Manitoba’s in-demand occupations, or those who have language proficiency higher than the indicated minimums for the program. The application can be submitted online via the applicant’s MPNP Online account.
If the application is approved, the applicant will be issued a provincial nomination for permanent residence from Manitoba. They will be mailed a nomination package indicating how to prepare and submit a federal application for permanent residence.
Provincial nominees have six months from the date of their nomination to submit an official application for permanent residence. They must prepare a paper-based application and submit it by mail to the appropriate application centre. Paper-based PNP applications for permanent residence are generally processed within 18 months.
In order to be eligible to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) to the Skilled Workers Overseas Stream, a candidate must score at least 60 points on the MPNP Points Assessment Grid.