The Manitoba government held its second Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) draw of August this week, continuing to provide immigration pathways for qualified skilled workers from overseas.

This event marks the 17th selection round conducted by the province this year. All invitations were issued to candidates under the Skilled Worker Stream.

Detailed Draw Results

According to official data, a total of 77 Letters of Advice to Apply (LAAs) were issued in the Expression of Interest (EOI) Draw #252. The lowest-ranked candidate invited had a score of 612.

Notably, this draw was highly targeted. All 77 candidates who received an invitation had been directly invited by the MPNP as part of a Strategic Recruitment Initiative. This means that candidates in the general pool, even if they met the score threshold, were not invited in this round unless they were part of this specific initiative.

Among those invited, 18 declared a valid Express Entry profile number and job seeker validation code.

Focus of this Draw: Strategic Recruitment Initiatives

Strategic Recruitment Initiatives are a targeted model for talent acquisition that Manitoba uses to address local labour market shortages. The invitations in this draw were distributed among the following initiatives:

• Employer Services: 6 LAAs
• Francophone Community: 29 LAAs
• Regional Communities: 31 LAAs
• Ethnocultural Communities: 11 LAAs

This distribution clearly indicates that Manitoba is actively partnering with employers and diverse communities across the province to identify and attract skilled individuals who can quickly integrate into the local economy and society.

What is a Strategic Recruitment Initiative?

A Strategic Recruitment Initiative is an effort led by Manitoba employers or communities, designed to assist the provincial government in identifying, screening, and inviting professional and skilled talent that is in high demand but short supply locally.

Through this mechanism, local employers can fill long-standing labour shortages while also creating a clear pathway to permanent residence for qualified foreign nationals. To participate, employers must meet specific eligibility criteria for their job vacancies and complete Manitoba's "ABC Recruitment Process." Once approved, they are authorized to submit information on international candidates to the province's Employer Services department.

For candidates, in addition to meeting the base eligibility criteria for their stream (such as age, education, language proficiency, and work experience), receiving a valid invitation under an initiative is essential to be selected in these targeted draws.

Notes for Applicants

The MPNP also noted that some candidates who met or exceeded the cut-off score of 612 may not have received an LAA for the following reasons:

• Invalid Language Test Information: Declaring a completed language test in their EOI but failing to enter a valid test number, or using results that had expired by the time of the draw.
• Missing Invitation Details: Indicating they received an invitation through a Strategic Recruitment Initiative but not including a valid invitation number in their EOI profile.