MPNP Manitoba Entrepreneur

The Manitoba Entrepreneur Pathway is a branch of the Business Investor Stream of the province of Manitoba under the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP).

Overview

Through this pathway, Manitoba is able to select and nominate eligible business professionals from overseas who have the intention and the financial capacity to move to the province and establish or acquire a business, or partner with an existing business in Manitoba.

Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP)has an Entrepreneur Pathway linked to the province’san expression of interest (EOI)pool. Eligible candidates create an EOI by setting up an online profile, which is scored on the basis of the answers provided in the self-assessment form.

Eligibility

Criterion	Minimum requirements
Business experience	A minimum of 3 of the past 5 years of experience as an active business owner or senior manager in a successful business. Business owners are scored more highly than senior managers. A business owner must own at least 33.33% of the shares to be eligible for points.
Official language proficiency	A minimum ofCanadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 5.
Education	At least the equivalent of a Canadian secondary school certificate.
Age	There is no minimum or maximum age; however, ranking points are allocated to candidates aged between 25 and 49.
Business investment	The minimum investment is CAD 250,000 for businesses located within the Manitoba Capital Region. The minimum investment is CAD 150,000 where the business is located outside the Manitoba Capital Region. The business investment must be made in an eligible business as defined by the MPNP. The proposed business must create or maintain at least one job for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident in Manitoba (not including the business owner or their close relatives).
The business research visit	A business plan is mandatory and is an important part of the application. The business research visit allows the candidate to carry out in-depth research into their business investment or future business proposal. The business research visit must have been made no more than 1 year before the EOI is submitted.
Adaptability	Points are allocated where: – The candidate’s spouse has CLB 5 or above. – The candidate or their spouse has CLB 5 or above in the second official language. – The candidate or their spouse or common-law partner has a close relative currently living in Manitoba for more than 1 year. – The candidate has a child studying at a recognised educational institution in Manitoba and actively pursuing a full-time academic, professional or vocational training programme for at least 6 months before the date the EOI is submitted. – The candidate or accompanying spouse or common-law partner has completed a full-time programme of study of at least 1 year at a post-secondary institution in Manitoba. – The candidate or accompanying spouse or common-law partner must have done this after the candidate turned 17 and on a valid study permit. – The candidate or accompanying spouse or common-law partner has completed at least 6 months of continuous full-time work in Manitoba. A reference letter from the employer and a copy of the work permit must be provided.
Net worth	A minimum of CAD 500,000. Personal net worth is verified by a third-party provider approved by the MPNP. The verification report, together with the application, must be submitted to the MPNP within 120 days of receiving theLetter of Advice to Apply (LAA).
The Business Performance Agreement	Once the application is approved, a Business Performance Agreement (BPA) must be signed before the MPNP issues a support letter for the candidate to apply for a work permit.

The process

Step 1: Self-assessment for the Manitoba Entrepreneur Pathway

At this first step, prospective candidates must determine whether they meet the minimum criteria for the Entrepreneur Pathway and complete the self-assessment form. During the self-assessment, candidates answer questions about their profile, such as level of education, business experience and personal net worth.

On completing the self-assessment form, the prospective candidate receives a score out of 150 based on their profile.

The Manitoba self-assessment form scores against the following factors:

Age (up to 10 points)

Age	Points
Under 25	0
25 to 30	4
31 to 35	6
36 to 45	10
46	8
47	6
48	4
49	2
Over 50	0

Level of education (up to 10 points)

Prospective candidates for the Manitoba Entrepreneur Pathway must have a level of education at least equivalent to a Canadian secondary school certificate. Points for level of education are calculated as follows:

Level of education	Points
A post-secondary credential (a 2-year programme)	4
A post-secondary credential (a programme of 3 years or longer)	6
A master’s degree or the equivalent	8
A doctoral (PhD) degree	10
None of the above	0

Business experience (up to 30 points)

Business experience is an important condition of the MPNP Entrepreneur Pathway. The business experience must be senior management or business ownership experience to score under this factor. Candidates with middle or junior management experience or self-employed business ownership experience are not awarded points.

Candidates applying under the Entrepreneur Pathway must:

• Have at least 3 years of business ownership or senior management experience in the past 5 years in order to be eligible to apply to the MPNP.
• Own at least 33.33% of the business (as a business owner).
• Add non-concurrent business ownership experience and senior management experience to calculate the total number of years of experience.
• Count only complete years of experience and not round up their years of experience.

Business owner	Points
11 years or more as a business owner	30
7 to 10 years as a business owner	25
3 to 6 years as a business owner	20

Senior manager	Points
7 years or more as a senior manager	10
3 to 6 years as a senior manager	5

Language proficiency (up to 25 points)

Prospective Entrepreneur Pathway candidates are required to provide results from a recognised language testing organisation to demonstrate that their language proficiency is equivalent to at leastCanadian Language Benchmark (CLB)5 in order to be eligible to apply.

The MPNP accepts only language test results less than 2 years old from the following standardised language examinations:

• IELTS General Training
• CELPIP
• TEF

Language proficiency	Points
CLB/NCLC 5	10
CLB/NCLC 6	15
CLB/NCLC 7	20
CLB/NCLC 8 or above	25

The investment factor (up to 50 points)

To be considered for the MPNP Entrepreneur Pathway, all prospective candidates must demonstrate a minimum net worth of at least CAD 500,000.

The assets and liabilities of the prospective candidate, their spouse or common-law partner, or dependent children may be included in the self-assessment form when calculating total net worth. Up to 10 points are awarded based on total net worth:

Net worth	Points
CAD 500,000 to CAD 1,000,000	5
Over CAD 1,000,000 to CAD 1,500,000	6
Over CAD 1,500,000 to CAD 2,000,000	7
Over CAD 2,000,000 to CAD 2,500,000	8
Over CAD 2,500,000 to CAD 3,000,000	9
Over CAD 3,000,000	10

An entrepreneur must have a minimum investment of CAD 250,000 in the Manitoba Capital Region or CAD 150,000 in rural Manitoba in order to be eligible to apply. Up to 15 points may be awarded for the business investment.

Business investment	Points
$200.000 CAD – $499.999 CAD	10
$500.000 CAD – $899.000 CAD	12
CAD 900,000 or more	15
None of the above	0

Economic priorities

The MPNP awards up to 5 points for the economic priorities of the proposed business. Economic priorities are assessed on whether the business adds value to a product or service by using Manitoba resources, such as raw materials, plant and machinery, labour and expertise.

The business is also assessed on performance across the business cycle for each particular industry sector and on the ability to generate a profit. The 5 points for economic priorities are awarded where the business meets the following conditions:

• The business is an export-oriented, value-added business operation with recurring activity in Manitoba.
• The business location or succession plan is outside the Manitoba Capital Region.

A business research visit to Manitoba

Individuals interested in establishing a business in Manitoba are awarded up to 20 points for their business research visit. The business visit is an integral part of the business plan, allowing entrepreneurs to carry out in-depth research into their business investment or future business proposal.

The business visit must take place no more than one year before the business plan is received by the MPNP. Business visit points are calculated against the following criteria:

• Where the entrepreneur has come to Manitoba for at least 5 continuous days and conducted related business, they are awarded 10 points.
• Where the entrepreneur has completed an Extended Business Research Visit to Manitoba (spending at least 10 continuous days in Manitoba and conducting in-depth research relating to business and lifestyle during this visit), they are awarded up to 20 points.

The adaptability factor (up to 25 points)

Points are awarded to entrepreneur candidates who demonstrate a stronger connection to Manitoba, which may increase the likelihood of integration in the province.

Up to 25 points are awarded to candidates with a close relative in Manitoba, a spouse or common-law partner with language ability, and children studying in Manitoba. The table below sets out how points are awarded for adaptability:

Adaptability factor	Points
The candidate’s spouse or common-law partner has CLB/NCLC 5 or above	10
The candidate’s spouse or common-law partner has CLB/NCLC 5 or above in Canada’s second official language	10
The candidate has a close relative currently residing in Manitoba for more than one year. The following are defined as close relatives: a sibling, aunt or uncle, niece or nephew, parent, grandparent or first cousin, who is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident	5
The candidate has children enrolled at a recognised educational institution in Manitoba for at least six months before the date the EOI is submitted and actively pursuing full-time academic, professional or vocational training	5
The candidate’s accompanying spouse or common-law partner has completed a full-time programme of study of at least one year at a post-secondary institution in Manitoba. The candidate or their spouse or common-law partner must have done this after turning 18 and on a valid study permit; and/or the candidate or accompanying spouse or common-law partner has completed at least six months of continuous full-time work in Manitoba	5

Step 2: Research the business idea and explore Manitoba

The MPNP encourages entrepreneur candidates to visit Manitoba and attend business workshops run by the Business Consulting Unit (BCU) of the Economic Opportunities and Immigration Division. Prospective candidates are required to complete and submit a business idea before receiving an invitation to apply to the Entrepreneur Pathway. In the business idea form, entrepreneurs need to:

• Describe the business opportunity identified in Manitoba
• Describe the research that helped them identify the business as a viable opportunity
• Describe how their background, training and experience will help develop this business opportunity
• Describe the intended investment and their financial position (that is, the financial plan, the availability of liquid assets, and so on)
• Describe how the product and/or service will be marketed and identify the business’s competitive advantage over other competitors
• Set out the critical resource requirements, such as the location, specialist equipment, the involvement of suppliers, distributors, key personnel and technology
• Describe the implementation timeline, considering the possibility of establishing the business early or of delay
• Describe the critical risk factors and explain the risk management strategies for overcoming these risks
• Describe the further research needed to finalise the business plan
• Describe in detail how the business will help contribute to Manitoba’s economic growth, with the number of jobs the business expects to create and maintain in its first year of operation.

Important note: submitting a business idea is not an application to the MPNP.

Step 3: Submit an Expression of Interest (EOI)

With the market research complete, prospective Entrepreneur Pathway candidates must submit the following forms to the MPNP:

• The Business Idea Form
• The Self-Assessment Form
• The Code of Conduct for Immigration Representatives(where applicable).

The MPNP responds to EOIs by email, and individuals who do not meet the Entrepreneur Pathway’s minimum eligibility criteria do not have their business idea considered.

Step 4: Submit a full application

Where the entrepreneur meets the minimum criteria and the Business Idea is approved, the MPNP sends a formalLetter of Advice to Apply (LAA).

The application guidelines must be followed and all the documents listed in the Document Checklist provided. Entrepreneur candidates are required to verify their net worth and source of funds with 1 of the 2 designated third-party service providers. Find out more athere.

The candidate has 120 days from receiving the LAA to submit a complete electronic application package to the MPNP, including the non-refundable application processing fee of CAD 2,500. The MPNP does not accept paper applications. The complete application package includes all the documents on the checklist, a copy of the third-party verification report and a detailed business plan.

Step 5: Assessment of the application

The assessment of the application may include an invitation to attend an in-person interview. Before making a refusal decision, the MPNP sends the candidate, whose assessment raises concerns, a Procedural Fairness Letter (PFL). The PFL allows the candidate to address the MPNP’s concerns before a formal refusal decision is made.

During the approval process, the candidate is required to sign a Business Performance Agreement (BPA), which serves as the contract between the candidate and the MPNP.

Once the BPA is signed, the MPNP issues the entrepreneur a Support Letter. The Support Letter must be included in the application for aWork Permitsubmitted toImmigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Step 6: Operating the business in Manitoba

Entrepreneurs are required to provide periodic updates on the business’s performance, and the MPNP may take part in monitoring the business establishment activities to verify whether the terms and conditions of the BPA are being respected, such as the periods set out in the BPA, reporting conditions, and so on.

Entrepreneur candidates may book an appointment with the BCU for support, feedback and guidance on establishing the business successfully and to access business settlement support services as needed.

Step 7: Receive the MPNP nomination

Entrepreneur candidates who have successfully fulfilled the terms and conditions of the BPA receive a provincial nomination certificate from the Government of Manitoba. With this nomination certificate, the entrepreneur may apply to IRCC for Canadian permanent resident status.

Find out more about the Manitoba Entrepreneur stream of the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) on the government website athere.