MPNP Farm Investor Pathway (FIP)

The Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) has a Farm Investor Pathway (FIP) replacing the Farm Strategic Recruitment Initiative (FSRI).

Overview

This pathway sits within the Manitoba Business Investor Stream of theManitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP), a programme intended to allow individuals with farm business experience together with sufficient capital to immigrate in order to establish and operate a farm in the province.

Around 12% of Canada’s agricultural land is in Manitoba, mainly in southern Manitoba. Successful FIP candidates are expected to establish a farm business in rural Manitoba, producing primary agricultural products consistent with the province’s current farm industry. The type of business and investment must correlate with the province’s statistics and be consistent with the Manitoba farm industry.

Farm Investor Pathway candidates must be eligible to apply to the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP).

Eligibility

Criterion	Minimum requirements
Farm business experience	A minimum of 3 years of farm business management experience or of owning and operating a farm, supported by verifiable documents.
Language proficiency	The FIP recognises language ability in one of Canada’s two official languages as an important adaptability skill, helping accelerate the ability to become economically established in rural Manitoba. Candidates invited to an FIP interview must conduct the interview in French or English.
Farm business investment	A minimum of CAD 300,000. Candidates are expected to establish a farm business in rural Manitoba. Farm business investments must be in eligible tangible assets as defined by the MPNP. A farm business plan is mandatory and is an integral part of the application. Investments in a farm business made primarily for passive investment income or speculation are not eligible.
The farm business research visit	Candidates must make a farm business research visit to Manitoba.
Farm business operations	The farm business must have continuous and recurring business activity in rural Manitoba. Candidates must live on the farm and be actively involved in managing the farm business on an ongoing basis from within Manitoba. The farm business must operate in primary agricultural production and be economically viable. The MPNP requires candidates to carry out value-adding farm business activity in Manitoba. Purely speculative activity or the use of third-party farm managers is not eligible under the MPNP.
Adaptability for economic establishment	Candidates must demonstrate adaptability, specifically in relation to practical agricultural skills, technical knowledge and experience in technology-based farming methods, directly transferable to Manitoba’s current primary agricultural production sector.
Net worth	A minimum of CAD 500,000. The FIP reserves the right to require personal net worth to be verified by a third-party provider approved by the MPNP. Where required, the verification report together with the application must be submitted to the MPNP within 120 days of receiving the Invitation to Apply (ITA).

The process

The Farm Investor Pathway (FIP) replaces the MPNP’s former Farm Strategic Initiative. As with entrepreneurs, farm investors go through seven steps when applying to the programme. However, the application process differs from the Entrepreneur Pathway.

Among the other eligibility requirements of the Farm Investor Pathway, prospective candidates must:

• Have a minimum verifiable net worth of CAD 500,000.
• Have at least 3 years of farm ownership, as well as experience managing farm operations, supported by verifiable documents.
• Demonstrate adaptability, specifically in relation to practical agricultural skills, technical knowledge and experience in technology-based farming methods, directly transferable to Manitoba’s current primary agricultural production sector.

Step 1: Explore and research farm business in Manitoba

After reviewing the Farm Investor Pathway eligibility criteria to determine whether they meet the requirements, prospective candidates may begin the application process by making a Farm Research Visit to Manitoba. The Farm Research Visit is a mandatory step in the application process. The visit must be made no more than one year before the Guide of Interest and Farm Business Idea are submitted to the MPNP.

A key feature of the Guide of Interest is the proposed investment. Prospective candidates must intend to invest a minimum of CAD 300,000 in rural Manitoba.

The farm research visit is expected to help prospective candidates:

• Gather information and prepare a Farm Business Idea including details such as farmland costs, the costs of crop or livestock production, marketing farm products, farm machinery and equipment, competitive analysis, or investigating farm customers and suppliers.
• Research settlement information in rural Manitoba, including recreational activities, services for newcomers, the cost of living and the availability of schools for children.

The Farm Research Visit is recorded in the form of a report where aLetter of Advice to Apply (LAA)is issued to the FIP candidate. Although the MPNP does not provide a template for the farm visit report, candidates are required to describe the nature of the activities that took place during the visit, including air tickets, contacts made, hotel receipts, places visited, and so on.

Step 2: Complete the guide of interest and farm business idea form

After the prospective candidate completes the farm business visit in Manitoba, the next steps are to complete and submit the guide of interest and the farm business form.

The guide of interest form is where prospective candidates provide self-assessment details of their profile, including level of education, adaptability, farm business experience, language ability and details of personal net worth. The guide of interest form acts as anExpression of Interest (EOI)for applying to the Manitoba Farm Investor Pathway.

Step 3: Submit the guide of interest and farm business idea form

At this stage, prospective candidates are also required to submit a complete farm business idea form. The MPNP requires both forms to be submitted together with the code of conduct for immigration representatives so that it can screen the prospective candidate’s eligibility and their potential to contribute successfully over the long term to the economic growth of rural Manitoba.

Completing and submitting the forms above is not an application to the programme. Only candidates who receive an LAA may move to the next step of applying to the MPNP.

Step 4: Submit the Farm Investor Pathway application

Individuals must submit a complete Farm Investor Pathway application within 120 days of receiving the LAA. The candidate must provide all the required documents and the non-refundable application fee.

The MPNP may require candidates to provide a third-party verification report on the net worth and financial information provided in the EOI. As a candidate, reviewing the guidelines and document checklist to ensure the application is complete is essential.

Step 5: Assessment of the Farm Investor Pathway application

The assessment of the Farm Investor Pathway application may include an interview with an MPNP representative to discuss the farm business plan. The approval letter contains a deposit agreement (contract) setting out the MPNP’s requirements in detail. The candidate is required to sign and date the deposit agreement and provide the MPNP with a deposit of CAD 75,000.

This deposit is refunded to the candidate once the requirements of the agreement are met. The MPNP representative may send the candidate a procedural fairness letter, requiring the candidate to respond to the representative’s concerns within 30 days of receiving the letter.

Step 6: Obtain Canadian permanent residence

Once the MPNP receives the candidate’s deposit agreement, a nomination certificate is issued and the farm investor is able to apply to IRCC for Canadian permanent residence.

The MPNP continuously monitors the performance of the farm business against the terms and conditions signed in the deposit agreement.

Step 7: Establish the farm business in Manitoba

Farm investor candidates are required to provide the MPNP with progress reports recording how the business has been established and the investment requirements met.

Farm investors may consult Manitoba business immigration staff for information on farm operations and resources that can help establish the farm business. Once the MPNP verifies the farm business investment, the CAD 75,000 deposit is refunded to the candidate.

Find out more about the MPNP Farm Investor Pathway (FIP) on the government website athere.