Manitoba issues 492 invitations in second December draw

FILE: Manitoba Legislative Building in Winnipeg, Manitoba (ShutterStock)

Manitoba held its second Expression of Interest draw of December on Thursday, issuing 492 invitations to immigration candidates in its Skilled Workers in Manitoba, Skilled Workers Overseas and International Education streams.  

These streams are part of the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP), which allows Manitoba to nominate a set number of economic immigration candidates for permanent residence each year.

A total of 351 Letters of Advice to Apply (LAAs) for a provincial nomination were issued through the Skilled Workers Overseas Stream and 106 LAAs went to Skilled Workers in Manitoba candidates.

Another 35 letters went to candidates registered under Manitoba’s new International Education Stream.

Skilled Workers Overseas candidates invited in this draw had scores as low as 576 and the lowest score for Skilled Workers in Manitoba was 502.

The December 20 draw brings the total number of invitations issued this month by the MPNP to 1,022.

Express Entry candidates among those invited

An unspecified number of Express Entry candidates were among the Skilled Workers Overseas candidates invited on December 20 — the second time this month that the MPNP has issued invitations through its Express Entry pathway.

The Express Entry system manages the pool of candidates for Canada’s three Federal High Skilled economic immigration programs — the Federal Skilled Worker Class, Federal Skilled Trades Class and Canadian Experience Class.

The MPNP requires that Express Entry candidates have at least six months of recent work experience in one of the province’s in-demand occupations and job seeker validation code in order to be eligible.

To be considered for a provincial nomination from Manitoba, Express Entry candidates must first register an Expression of Interest (EOI) profile with the MPNP.

Profiles are ranked based on scores awarded for factors such as education, work experience and proficiency in English or French.

Connections to Manitoba are also considered, such as a close relative or previous education or work experience in the province.

The highest-ranked candidates are then invited to apply for a provincial nomination through regular draws from the pool.

Express Entry candidates who apply for and receive a provincial nomination are awarded an additional 600 points toward their Express Entry ranking score.

The MPNP also issued invitations to Skilled Workers Overseas candidates outside the Express Entry system in the December 20 draw.

These candidates had to have the following in order to receive an LAA:

• a close relative residing in Manitoba or past education or work experience in Manitoba;
• at least six months of recent experience in an occupation on Manitoba’s In-demand Occupations list; and
• a minimum language proficiency of CLB/NCLC 5 unless work experience is primarily in a regulated occupation (minimum CLB/NCLC 7) or a compulsory trade (CLB/NCLC 6).

Manitoba also issued 44 LAAs to Skilled Workers Overseas candidates with a score of at least 718 under a Strategic Recruitment Initiative. Such initiatives include overseas recruitment missions conducted by the MPNP.