The Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) has introduced its application management strategy to target optimum application intake levels in order to meet its annual nomination allocation and maintain faster processing times for applicants.

For 2014, the MPNP has already received more than enough applications in one stream – Skilled Worker Overseas – to meet its nomination target.

Effective August 1, 2014 and until the end of the year, the MPNP will not accept new applications to Skilled Worker Overseas stream. People who wish to apply to this stream must submit their applications by July 31 or wait until 2015.

Note: Applicants whose connection is Manitoba Employment or Manitoba Invitation are not affected by the MPNP application management strategy. Such applications (from skilled workers employed in Manitoba and skilled workers invited to apply as part of a recruitment initiative) will continue to be accepted all year.

In December 2014, the MPNP will announce a new scheduled application intake period for the Skilled Worker Overseas stream for 2015 after CIC has announced new nomination allocations for the next year.

What the new MPNP Application Management Strategy means:

• MPNP remains open and on track to meet 2014 nomination targets
• Scheduled application intake limits affect only one stream
• MPNP can commit to faster processing times in 2015

FAQs about the MPNP application management strategy

MPNP achievements

• MPNP nominations in 2013: 5,000
• MPNP nominations in 2014 (January–June): 1,680
• MPNP landings in Manitoba, 2012: 9,531
• Immigrant landings in Manitoba, 2012: 13,312 (all categories)

Each skilled worker or business nominee arrives in Manitoba with their spouse and children, which accounts for the number of landings.

• MPNP remains one of Canada's most popular immigration programs, with over 10,000 applications received in 2013 alone.
• MPNP application intake has grown by about 15 per cent in each of the past three years.
• In 2013, the MPNP nominated applicants from 129 countries.

MPNP nominations by sector in 2013

Manitoba immigrant outcomes

• In 2013, immigrants in Manitoba had the third lowest unemployment rate and the second highest employment and labour market participation rates for all of Canada.
• 85 per cent of Manitoba nominees were working three months after arrival; 89 per cent had permanent jobs.
• 76 per cent of Manitoba nominees were homeowners within five years of arrival.
• Immigrant retention: 87.3 per cent of immigrants choose to stay in Manitoba.

Who is not affected by application management strategy

The July 31, 2014 application deadline implemented as part of the MPNP application management strategy affects only skilled workers whose connection is Manitoba Support (family or friends in Manitoba) or Manitoba Experience (past education or employment in Manitoba). The deadline does NOT affect applicants who are currently working in Manitoba nor applicants who were invited to apply as part of a recruitment mission or exploratory visit. That is, the MPNP continues to accept – year-round – applications from skilled workers whose connection is Manitoba Invitation or Manitoba Employment.

Effective August 1, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is implementing new eligibility rules for accompanying dependants.

In order to be considered eligible to accompany a Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) applicant to Manitoba, a dependent child must be:

• under the age of 19 and not married or in a common-law relationship; or
• 19 years of age or older, dependent substantially on the financial support of the parent since before the age of 19 and unable to be financially self-supporting due to a physical or mental condition.

CIC's amendment of the definition of dependent child affects all federal and provincial immigration programs.

MPNP's dependant definition before August 1, 2014 was:

These are members of your immediate family who will move with you to Manitoba to settle as permanent residents, and for the purposes of immigration are limited to:

• your spouse – by legal marriage or common-law relationship of at least one year
• children under age 18 of whom you have legal custody and who are your biological or adopted children, or those of your spouse
• adult children who are:
  • under age 22 and not married or in a common-law relationship
  • over age 22 and not financially independent due to a physical or mental condition
  • over age 22 and pursuing full-time education or vocational training

To have your MPNP application considered under the pre-amendment definition of dependent child, it must be received by the MPNP no later than July 31.

As part of the province's commitment to continual improvement of the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP), we've added automated Status Check functionality to MPNP Online.

To find out the status of your application, simply log in to MPNP Online and click Status Check to see where your file stands in the assessment process.

This change improves our quality of service and enhances the client experience by allowing applicants to check the status of submitted applications anytime, anywhere.

Through the MPNP, Manitoba selects internationally educated and experienced skilled workers and professionals who are needed by local employers, and who demonstrate a commitment to settle with their families in Manitoba communities as permanent residents.

The MPNP is open to temporary workers (TFWs and international student graduates) who have been offered a permanent job by a Manitoba employer, as well as to qualified candidates not currently working in the province but who demonstrate a strong connection to Manitoba through past employment or education, through family and friends, or through an invitation to apply as part of MPNP promotion and recruitment activities.

Skilled immigrants selected by the MPNP are nominated to receive from the Government of Canada permanent resident status for themselves and their families, which enables nominees to settle in Manitoba, thereby addressing immediate labour market demand and contributing to the growth of our communities.

To improve processing of applications, the Province of Manitoba launched MPNP Online in June 2011, and after two years of positive feedback, the MPNP eliminated paperwork entirely, giving Manitoba the country's first online-only immigration process.

The Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) has changed the format of the PDF that is emailed to Manitoba Supporters of MPNP applicants.

Settlement Plan Part 2 (SPP2e) is now a fully interactive PDF.

How it works:

• In the first part of the PDF, you type – and save – your information using Adobe Reader or a similar free application.
• Only the last page of SPP2 must be printed. This enables you to sign the page and place your ID in the spaces provided so that you can scan the page and attach the resulting digital document to your email to the MPNP along with the first part of the form.

This change makes the form easier to use and, in particular, makes it easier for Manitoba Supporters to keep their completed Settlement Plan Part 2 small enough to send us by email (email attachments must total less than 2 MB).

A Manitoba Supporter is the established resident of the province who is declared by a Skilled Worker Overseas candidate applying on the strength of their social connection to Manitoba.