Manitoba (MPNP): Focus on Provincial Education Background and Strategic Recruitment
On March 21, 2024, Manitoba immigration authorities issued Letters of Advice to Apply (LAAs) to candidates in two main streams via the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP).
A major focus of this draw was a specific group under the Skilled Worker in Manitoba (SWM) stream – applicants who completed post-secondary education in Manitoba. This sub-category requires the principal applicant or their spouse to have completed higher education within the province. A total of 101 eligible candidates received LAAs, with the lowest score for invited candidates being 844. The MPNP specifically emphasized that invited candidates must provide relevant supporting documents (such as diplomas and transcripts) to prove they meet this requirement, or they will need to decline the LAA.
Another portion of invitations went to the Skilled Worker Overseas (SWO) stream. Under this stream, the MPNP issued 7 LAAs to candidates invited through a Strategic Recruitment Initiative. These candidates required a minimum score of 705 to be invited.
Overall, the MPNP issued a total of 108 LAAs in this draw. Notably, among all invited candidates, 23 also declared a valid Express Entry profile number and job seeker validation code. This indicates they may also qualify for federal programs. Receiving a provincial nomination grants an additional 600 points in the Express Entry system.
Northwest Territories (NTNP): 2025 Intake Closed, Random Selection Underway
The Northwest Territories Nominee Program (NTNP), located in Canada's north, also updated its program status earlier this month. The program announced that its application intake period for the year 2025 officially closed on March 6, 2025.
Program officials revealed that from the submitted applications, 90 have been randomly selected for assessment. Selected applicants have already been notified via email.
Applications not selected in this draw will remain in the intake queue until December 12, 2025. During this period, if a selected application is refused or withdrawn by the applicant, the NTNP will randomly select another application from the queue as a replacement for assessment.
The NTNP also explained the reason for selecting only 90 applications at this time. The Northwest Territories' total provincial nomination allocation for 2025 is 150 spots. However, because the number of applications received in 2024 exceeded that year's allocation, 60 applications submitted in 2024 were carried over and will be processed against the 2025 quota. Therefore, to meet the total allocation of 150, the NTNP only randomly selected 90 new applications after closing the intake (150 total quota - 60 rollover applications from 2024 = 90 newly selected applications).
Conclusion
Recent activities in the Manitoba and Northwest Territories PNP programs highlight the different strategies Canadian provinces employ to attract and select immigrants. Manitoba continues to leverage its educational resources to attract international student immigrants, while the Northwest Territories, facing limited quotas, uses a random selection method to manage application backlog and processing flow. Prospective immigrants to Canada should closely monitor the latest updates and specific requirements of various provincial nominee programs.
