Last Updated on November 29, 2021

Manitoba’s unemployment rate is currently the lowest in Canada and it has almost fully replaced all the jobs it lost during the COVID-19 pandemic, making this Prairie province a great place to seek permanent residence through the economic immigration programs.

“We are focused on Manitoba’s recovery, and budget 2021 set aside nearly $1.2 billion for the ongoing COVID-19 response and to prepare the province for future economic shocks and challenges,” said Scott Fielding, the province’s finance minister, in late September. 

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“Although our focus is to continue to protect Manitobans through the ongoing pandemic, we have made a commitment to once again return to balance within the next eight years.”

In the first nine months of this year, Manitoba welcomed 10,725 new permanent residents, up almost 24.3 per cent over last year’s total number of new permanent residents, 8,630.

Despite that rebound, Manitoba’s immigration levels are still below what they have been in recent years. 

Manitoba Immigration On Upwards Trajectory

In 2019, the last full year before the arrival of the pandemic in Canada, the province welcomed 18,910 new permanent residents. The last time Manitoba saw as low a level of immigration as it is currently experiencing was in 2017 when it saw the arrival of 14,705 new permanent residents.

Aside from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its travel restrictions and border closures, immigration to Manitoba has been climbing steadily upwards over the past several years. 

The province’s immigration levels seesawed from 2015 through to 2017 with 14,900 new permanent residents in 2015, then rising almost 12.9 per cent to hit 16,830 in 2016, and then dipping back down to 14,705 in 2017.

Since then, though, Manitoba’s levels of immigration had been on an upward trajectory, rising 3.5 per cent to hit 15,225 in 2018 and then rising again by almost a quarter the following year.

Manitoba selects candidates for immigration based on its economic needs through four streams of the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP):

The Skilled Worker in Manitoba Stream prioritizes candidates with a strong attachment to Manitoba, with two pathways, the Manitoba Work Experience and Employer Direct Recruitment pathways.

The Skilled Worker Overseas Stream, which includes both a dedicated federal Express Entry Pathway and a direct provincial pathway, prioritizes those with close family connections in Manitoba who also have the language proficiency, training and experience to find jobs quickly.

International Education Stream

The International Education Stream is dedicated to international graduates from Manitoba colleges and universities. Under this stream, candidates are no longer required to work for six months in their field before applying for an MPNP nomination. 

There are three pathways under this stream:  the Career Employment; Graduate Internship, and; Student Entrepreneur pathways.

The Business Investor Stream is aimed at qualified international business investors and entrepreneurs and includes two pathways, one for entrepreneurs and the other for farm investors.

The MPNP’s aim is to be flexible to Manitoba’s labour market and broader economic priorities. Those priorities are communicated to candidates via a regularly updated list of In-Demand Occupations.

The current list of in-demand occupations in Manitoba is broadly divided into categories based on National Occupational Classification (NOC) codes:

• Business, Finance and Administration;
• Natural and Applied Sciences and Related;
• Health;
• Social Science, Education, Government Service and Religion;
• Art, Culture, Recreation and Sport;
• Sales and Service;
• Trades, Transport and Equipment Operators and Related;
• Unique to Primary Industry, and;
• Unique to Processing, Manufacturing and Utilities.

Those in-demand occupations are:

Business, Finance and Administration

NOC Occupation Title

• 0111 Financial managers
• 0112 Human resources managers
• 0114 Other administrative services managers
• 0121 Insurance, real estate and financial brokerage managers
• 0122 Banking, credit and other investment managers
• 0124 Advertising, marketing and public relations managers
• 1111 Financial auditors and accountants
• 1112 Financial and investment analysts
• 1114 Other financial officers
• 1121 Human resources professionals
• 1122 Professional occupations in business management consulting
• 1123 Professional occupations in advertising, marketing and public relations
• 1212 Supervisors, finance and insurance office workers
• 1215 Supervisors, supply chain, tracking and scheduling co-ordination occupations
• 1221 Administrative officers
• 1223 Human resources and recruitment officers
• 1224 Property administrators
• 1241 Administrative assistants
• 1242 Legal administrative assistants
• 1251 Court reporters, medical transcriptionists and related occupations
• 1311 Accounting technicians and bookkeepers

Natural and Applied Sciences and Related

NOC Occupation Title

• 0211 Engineering managers
• 0212 Architecture* and science managers
• 213 Computer and information systems managers
• 2121 Biologists and related scientists
• 2123 Agricultural representatives, consultants and specialists
• 2131 Civil engineers
• 2132 Mechanical engineers
• 2133 Electrical and electronics engineers
• 2141 Industrial and manufacturing engineers
• 2147 Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers)
• 2151 Architects
• 2154 Land surveyors *
• 2161 Mathematicians, statisticians and actuaries
• 2171 Information systems analysts and consultants
• 2172 Database analysts and data administrators
• 2173 Software engineers and designers
• 2174 Computer programmers and interactive media developers
• 2175 Web designers and developers
• 2211 Chemical technologists and technicians
• 2212 Geological and mineral technologists and technicians
• 2221 Biological technologists and technicians
• 2222 Agricultural and fish products inspectors
• 2231 Civil engineering technologists and technicians
• 2232 Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians
• 2233 Industrial engineering and manufacturing technologists and technicians
• 2234 Construction estimators
• 2241 Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians
• 2242 Electronic service technicians (household and business equipment)
• 2244 Aircraft instrument, electrical and avionics mechanics, technicians and inspectors
• 2253 Drafting technologists and technicians
• 2271 Air pilots, flight engineers and flying instructors
• 2281 Computer network technicians
• 2282 User support technicians

Health

NOC Occupation Title

• 0311 Managers in Health Care
• 3131 Pharmacists *
• 3132 Dietitians* and nutritionists
• 3141 Audiologists and speech-language pathologists *
• 3142 Physiotherapists *
• 3143 Occupational therapists *
• 3211 Medical laboratory technologists *
• 3212 Medical laboratory technicians and pathologists’ assistants
• 3213 Animal health technologists and veterinary technicians
• 3214 Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists *
• 3215 Medical radiation technologists *
• 3219 Other medical technologists and technicians (except dental health)
• 3222 Dental hygienists and dental therapists *
• 3236 Massage therapists

Social Science, Education, Government Service and Religion

NOC Occupation Title

• 0423 Managers in social, community and correctional services
• 4112 Lawyers and Quebec notaries *
• 4151 Psychologists *
• 4152 Social workers
• 4153 Family, marriage and other related counsellors
• 4161 Natural and applied science policy researchers, consultants and program officers
• 4163 Business development officers and marketing researchers and consultants
• 4164 Social policy researchers, consultants and program officers
• 4165 Health policy researchers, consultants and program officers
• 4166 Education policy researchers, consultants and program officers
• 4167 Recreation, sports and fitness policy researchers, consultants and program officers
• 4168 Program officers unique to government
• 4211 Paralegal and related occupations
• 4212 Social and community service workers
• 4214 Early childhood educators and assistants
• 4215 Instructors of persons with disabilities

Art, Culture, Recreation and Sport

NOC Occupation Title

• 0513 Recreation, sports and fitness program and service directors
• 5131 Producers, directors, choreographers and related occupations
• 5225 Audio and video recording technicians
• 5241 Graphic designers and illustrators
• 5242 Interior designers and interior decorators
• 5243 Theatre, fashion, exhibit and other creative designers
• 5254 Program leaders and instructors in recreation, sport and fitness

Sales and Service

NOC Occupation Title

• 0601 Corporate sales managers
• 0621 Retail and wholesale trade managers
• 0651 Managers in customer and personal services, n.e.c.
• 6221 Technical sales specialists – wholesale trade
• 6222 Retail and wholesale buyers
• 6232 Real estate agents and salespersons
• 6235 Financial sales representatives
• 6311 Food service supervisors
• 6322 Cooks
• 6332 Bakers

Trades, Transport and Equipment Operators and Related

NOC Occupation Title

• 0711 Construction managers
• 0712 Home building and renovation managers
• 0714 Facility operation and maintenance managers
• 0731 Managers in transportation
• 7231 Machinists and machining and tooling inspectors
• 7232 Tool and die makers
• 7233 Sheet metal workers
• 7237 Welders and related machine operators
• 7241 Electricians (except industrial and power system) **
• 7242 Industrial electricians **
• 7244 Electrical power line and cable workers
• 7245 Telecommunications line and cable workers
• 7246 Telecommunications installation and repair workers
• 7251 Plumbers
• 7271 Carpenters
• 7282 Concrete finishers
• 7284 Plasterers, drywall installers and finishers and lathers
• 7294 Painters and decorators (except interior decorators)
• 7295 Floor covering installers
• 7311 Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics
• 7312 Heavy-duty equipment mechanics
• 7313 Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics **
• 7315 Aircraft mechanics and aircraft inspectors
• 7316 Machine fitters
• 7321 Automotive service technicians, truck and bus mechanics and mechanical repairers
• 7322 Motor vehicle body repairers
• 7361 Railway and yard locomotive engineers
• 7362 Railway conductors and brakemen/women
• 7371 Crane operators **

Unique to Primary Industry

NOC Occupation Title

• 0821 Managers in agriculture

Unique to Processing, Manufacturing and Utilities

NOC Occupation Title

• 0911 Manufacturing managers
• 0912 Utilities managers
• 9241 Power engineers and power systems operators

The provincial government also considers two other groups of occupations as in-demand outside of the Manitoba Capital Region, the greater Winnipeg area.

Those are:

NOC Occupation Title

• 3413 Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates, and;
• 9462 Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers.

The MPNP issues periodic Invitations to Apply (ITAs) through its Expression of Interest system and Notifications of Interest (NOIs) to candidates in the Express Entry pool, allowing them to apply for nomination under one of the targeted streams. The details and methodology used are published after the draws are done.

Express Entry Applications Processed By Federal Government

Processing times are divided into two periods: how long it takes for the province to issue the nomination and then how long it takes for the permanent resident visa to be processed and issued.

Manitoba’s processing times currently range from 60 to 90 days for most streams.

The Express Entry Skilled Trades applications are being processed within 30 to 60 days. The Business applications’ processing times depend on the complexity of each file.

The Express Entry process is simple.

• Submit profile and enter Express Entry Pool;
• Get issued an Invitation to Apply if the minimum points requirement I met;
• Submit an application in 60 days;
• Get a decision in target processing time of six months, and;
• If successful, move to Canada.

Under Express Entry, candidates score Comprehensive Ranking System points for core factors such as age, education, work experience and language ability.

At the federal level, IRCC currently processes provincial non-Express Entry nominee applications within 15 to 19 months. For the Express Entry streams, the general average of six months applies.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, anyone entering Canada needs to have these items before they can cross the border:

• their ArriveCAN receipt;
• pre-entry test results;
• proof of vaccination, and;
• other travel documents.