Manitoba’s three communities participating in Canada’s federal Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP)—Altona/Rhineland, Brandon, and Steinbach—have released their 2026 priority sectors and 25-occupation lists, with notable overlap across sectors and roles. RCIP is an employer-driven permanent residence pathway requiring candidates to secure a qualifying job offer from a community-designated employer and meet eligibility criteria for work experience, education, language, and settlement funds. Officials also indicate that candidates may still be considered with job offers outside a community’s priority occupation list, depending on local priorities and the demonstrated benefit to the community.

The Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) conducted its first draw of February this week, formally issuing Letters of Advice to Apply (LAAs) to candidates under the "Skilled Worker in Manitoba" and "Skilled Worker Overseas" streams. This draw was primarily based on current Strategic Recruitment Initiatives, designed to address local labor market shortages through specific recruitment channels. A total of 29 applicants were successfully invited in this round, including a proportion of candidates registered in the federal Express Entry system.

The Province of Manitoba has recently implemented significant adjustments to its Temporary Resident Retention Pilot (TRRP), aiming to provide greater flexibility in retaining skilled technical talent within the province. Under the new policy, Manitoba has designated 16 specific skilled trade occupations as "sector-exempt," meaning employers across all industries can now support work permit extensions for employees in these roles. However, the policy also tightens the scope of eligible sectors, officially removing "Hospitality and Food Services" from the list. Aside from the exempt occupations, applications from employers in this sector submitted after February 4, 2026, will no longer be accepted. As an employer-driven initiative, the TRRP allows eligible businesses to facilitate rapid work permit renewals for long-term employees without requiring a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).

On January 29, 2026, Manitoba held its latest Expression of Interest (EOI) draw under the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP), issuing 47 Letters of Advice to Apply (LAAs) to Skilled Worker Stream candidates who declared in their EOI profiles that they had received an invitation through a provincial strategic recruitment initiative. The draw continues Manitoba’s hiring-oriented approach seen earlier this year, with the Employer Services initiative making up the largest share of LAAs. Six of the 47 LAAs went to candidates who also declared a valid Express Entry profile number and job seeker validation code. Manitoba again warned that applicants in regulated occupations must be fully licensed to work, or they risk refusal and the loss of the non-refundable CAD $500 application fee.

On January 15, 2026, the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) conducted its first immigration draw of the year. This round of invitations targeted candidates within the Skilled Worker streams, specifically requiring them to have declared a direct invitation under a provincial "Strategic Recruitment Mission" in their Expression of Interest (EOI). Statistical data indicates that the province issued only 55 Letters of Advice to Apply (LAAs). Compared to the same period in 2025, this marks a significantly smaller scale and a later start to the province's immigration activities for the year.

The Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) has officially announced its nomination allocation and a series of significant policy changes for 2026. The province has received an initial allocation of 4,761 nomination spaces, matching the total at the end of 2025. In a major shift, the federal government has removed the 2025 requirement that 75% of nominees must already be in Canada, granting Saskatchewan greater flexibility to select overseas candidates. For the upcoming year, the SINP is implementing a new three-tier distribution strategy: "Priority Sectors" (such as healthcare and agriculture) will be allocated at least 50% of nominations with open intake, while "Capped Sectors" (including hospitality and retail) will face strict percentage limits and scheduled application windows. Furthermore, the province has introduced tighter eligibility criteria for open work permit holders and Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) holders, specifically affecting out-of-province graduates.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) released a statement on December 19, 2025, announcing an immediate pause on new applications for the Home Care Worker Pilots until further notice. The federal government explicitly stated that the programs will not reopen in March 2026 as originally planned, a decision that effectively cuts off a key immigration pathway that many prospective applicants had expected to utilize next year. This pause is part of the federal government's broader effort to recalibrate immigration quotas under the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan, aiming to prevent further growth in application backlogs, ensure existing cases are prioritized, and make the immigration system more responsive to actual labour market needs.

The Government of Saskatchewan has officially announced its provincial nomination plan for 2026, confirming that the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) will have a total allocation of 4,761 nominations, unchanged from the end of 2025. To support the use of this allocation, the province will introduce a series of structural reforms in 2026, including clearly defined nomination shares for priority and capped sectors, greater flexibility for priority-sector applicants, and stricter eligibility rules for international students and certain open work permit holders.

On December 18, 2025, the Government of Manitoba conducted its latest provincial nomination draw, issuing 63 Letters of Advice to Apply (LAAs) under the Skilled Worker category. The draw focused on strategic recruitment initiatives, prioritizing Francophone candidates and applicants currently working in Manitoba, and covered multiple pathways including Employer Services, the Francophone Community, Regional Communities, and a Temporary Public Policy stream.

The Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) held its first draw of December on December 5, 2025, issuing 184 Letters of Advice to Apply (LAAs) — the highest number since October. This draw continued Manitoba’s trend since June of selecting candidates primarily through strategic recruitment initiatives, spanning both the Skilled Worker in Manitoba and Skilled Worker Overseas pathways. Candidates linked to the Temporary Public Policy (TPP) category received the majority of invitations. The province reminds applicants that Manitoba Support Letters for TPP-related open work permit applications must be submitted by December 16, while the federal policy itself expires on December 31.