MPNP Skilled Worker Overseas (SWO)

Skilled Worker Overseas (SWO) is for foreign workers with a connection to the province of Manitoba.

The Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) Skilled Worker Overseas (SWO) stream nominates candidates who demonstrate an established connection to Manitoba through:

• The support of family members or friends.
• Previous study or work experience in the province.
• A Letter of Advice to Apply received directly fromManitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP)as part of a strategic recruitment initiative.

Overview

To apply under the Skilled Worker Overseas (SWO) pathway, a candidate must demonstrate an established connection to Manitoba through one of the following:

• The support of family members or friends (Manitoba Support).
• Previous study or work experience in the province (Manitoba Experience).
• A Letter of Advice to Apply received directly from the MPNP as part of a strategic recruitment initiative (a Manitoba Letter of Advice to Apply).

Full information on the eligible types of connection is set out below.

In addition to a connection to Manitoba, the candidate must score at least 60 points against five factors: language ability, age, work experience, education and adaptability. Where a candidate has no connection to Manitoba, they are not eligible to apply under SWO, whatever their total score.

A detailed article onMPNP requirements for the candidate.

Manitoba Support

A Manitoba Supporter is an established resident of the province, a friend or relative of the candidate, willing and able to review and endorse the candidate’s settlement and job search plan in the destination community. A Manitoba Supporter must be a close relative or a friend/distant relative of the candidate, and must:

• Be able to provide documentation showing that they reside and are established in Manitoba, and that they have lived continuously in the province for at least one year (for example, a copy of a Manitoba Health Card)
• Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
• Be able to demonstrate a sufficiently close relationship to the candidate and to Manitoba
• Be able to demonstrate that any application they supported previously led to successful long-term economic establishment in Manitoba
• Be able to support the candidate’s Settlement Plan

For close relatives, both the candidate and the supporter must provide documentation evidencing their family relationship. A close relative may support the applications of several skilled workers at the same time, provided they can demonstrate satisfactorily their ability to do so.

To be considered a close relative, a Manitoba Supporter must be related to the candidate (or the candidate’s spouse) as:

• Sibling
• A niece or nephew (that is, the child of the candidate’s sibling)
• An aunt or uncle (that is, the sibling of the candidate’s mother or father)
• A first cousin (that is, the child of the candidate’s aunt or uncle)
• A parent
• A grandparent

For friends and distant relatives, their household must not be supporting the settlement of another MPNP candidate, provincial nominee or person under another Canadian immigration programme at the present time.

Finally, a Manitoba Supporter cannot be, and the MPNP will not accept a Settlement Plan Part 2 signed by:

• A paid immigration representative
• Anyone who is not a demonstrated relative or friend of the candidate or the candidate’s spouse
• An elected Canadian official or their staff

Candidates with a Manitoba Supporter should declare that person’s details and their contact information so that the MPNP can get in touch, in order to authorise the Supporter to discuss the candidate’s application. The MPNP requires up-to-date contact details for the Manitoba Supporter. The Supporter must notify the MPNP if they move to a new address or if there is any other change in their contact details. Where the MPNP is unable to contact the Supporter using the details on file, the candidate’s application may be refused.

Note: the MPNP is not a sponsorship programme. Because the MPNP is an economic immigration programme, all candidates must be skilled workers with the ability to work and adapt, work-ready English ability, sufficient settlement funds, and a genuine intention and ability to become economically established in Manitoba as permanent residents.

Manitoba Experience

Manitoba Experience means that the candidate has lived in the province in the past as a temporary foreign worker or an international student.

As a temporary foreign worker, the candidate must have worked full-time for a Manitoba employer for at least six continuous months. The candidate is required to submit a reference letter signed on company letterhead and a copy of their Manitoba work permit.

As an international student, the candidate must have taken and completed a licensed education or training programme at a public post-secondary institution or a registered private institution in Manitoba; language programmes are not licensed. The candidate is required to submit their study permit, academic transcripts and the certificate, diploma or degree they received on completing the programme.

A Manitoba Letter of Advice to Apply

The MPNP regularly issues Letters of Advice to Apply to eligible candidates identified through one of its Strategic Recruitment Initiatives in Manitoba and overseas. The issue of a Letter of Advice to Apply is at the MPNP’s sole discretion and candidates cannot choose to qualify with this connection to the province themselves.

To apply to the MPNP with the Manitoba Letter of Advice to Apply connection, the candidate must upload to their MPNP online application the Letter of Advice to Apply received directly from the MPNP after being interviewed by programme staff during a recruitment mission or an exploratory visit.

Recruitment missions

The MPNP regularly carries out overseas recruitment missions, often in partnership with Manitoba employers. Watch this page for news of the next MPNP initiative.

Exploratory visits

An exploratory visit is a pre-arranged trip that prospective MPNP candidates may make to the province of Manitoba to research communities and job opportunities, helping them make an informed decision about whether they have the intention and ability to find work and settle with their family in Manitoba as permanent residents.

Following the MPNP interview included in a pre-approved exploratory visit, the MPNP may invite the candidate to submit an MPNP online application. Note that it is the Letter of Advice to Apply, not the exploratory visit, that establishes the candidate’s required connection to Manitoba.

The MPNP carries out exploratory visits at its discretion as resources allow, in order to provide an opportunity for eligible skilled workers who would not otherwise qualify for our programme to establish the connection to Manitoba required of all MPNP candidates. Exploratory visits must be approved by the MPNP and arranged by invitation only, following acceptance of the candidate’s request.

The eligibility criteria for taking part in visits and missions may change but usually include that the candidate:

• Is aged between 21 and 45
• Can demonstrate to the MPNP that they have no stronger connection to another province
• Can demonstrate the employability and adaptability required of all MPNP candidates
• Has completed at least a one-year post-secondary education or training programme, through which they received a diploma, degree or certificate
• Has worked at least 2 years full-time in the past five years and can demonstrate the ability to find work in Manitoba in that occupation (including a plan for obtaining certification where the occupation is regulated)
• Has the intention and ability to become economically established and settle in the Canadian province of Manitoba as a permanent resident, demonstrated in part through a Settlement Plan
• Provides the MPNP, at the time of applying to take part in the initiative, with the official results of an approved language test taken within the past two years, showing that they achieved a score equivalent to at least CLB 5 in each category and overall

Only for candidates whose request is accepted does the MPNP provide guidance on what to do during the exploratory visit and the documents to bring (for example, educational credentials and reference letters from employers). Activities to undertake during an exploratory visit include meeting prospective employers; consulting occupational regulatory bodies; and exploring housing, school and lifestyle opportunities in the chosen Manitoba community.

Note: having a request accepted, making the actual visit and attending the interview, or receiving a Letter of Advice to Apply to the MPNP, does not guarantee approval of the candidate’s final MPNP online application, nor does it guarantee approval of the separate subsequent permanent resident visa application to the Government of Canada.

The self-assessment points system

In addition to the requirement to demonstrate a connection to Manitoba, applicants must score at least 60/100 points on the self-assessment grid. Points are awarded based on five factors: language proficiency, age, work experience, education, and adaptability.

Factor 1: Language proficiency

Factor 2: Age

Factor 3: Work experience (in the last 5 years)

Factor 4: Education

Factor 5: Adaptability

Download the original to submit to MPNP at here.

Who is not eligible

The following are not eligible to apply to the MPNP:

• Asylum seekers or individuals engaged in a federal appeal or in removal proceedings.
• Live-in Caregivers currently living in Canada.
• Temporary foreign workers currently working and residing in a province other than Manitoba.
• Spouses of Canadian citizens or permanent residents.
• Individuals who have been refused by the MPNP within the past 6 months and are unable to address the reasons for refusal.
• Individuals with an active immigration application under any other provincial immigration programme or federal immigration programme in Canada.Note:an Express Entry profile is not considered an immigration application.

Where a candidate or their spouse already has an active MPNP application, they are not eligible to submit a further application under any other MPNP stream/pathway.

How to apply

This process applies to the pathways under the Skilled Worker Stream and the International Education Stream, with the exception of the International Student Entrepreneur Pilot. The pathways under the Business Investor Stream have their own separate process, which does not use the MPNP online portal.

• Create a profilean expression of interest (EOI).
• If you receive aLetter of Advice to Apply (LAA), submit a full application to the MPNP.
• The application is thoroughly assessed by MPNP staff.
• Successful candidates are nominated by the MPNP.
• Within 180 days of the date of nomination, submit a separate application to the Government of Canada for permanent residence for the candidate and their family.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Find out more about the Skilled Worker Overseas (SWO) stream of the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) on the government website athere.