Manitoba: no draws, no queue, a letter within four weeks

The Entrepreneur Pathway is one of two pathways in the Business Investor Stream (BIS) of the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP). You set up or buy a business in Manitoba, run it on a work permit, and after meeting your Business Performance Agreement Manitoba nominates you for permanent residence.

At the moment Manitoba is not running BIS draws. Instead, EOIs are sent by email under a paper-based interim process, and Manitoba says every EOI it receives is reviewed within four weeks. The result is either a Letter of Advice to Apply or a feedback letter.

The minimums Manitoba publishes:

• Net worth of at least CAD 500,000, verified by a designated third party (KPMG or MNP) within 120 days of your Letter of Advice to Apply.
• An investment of at least CAD 250,000 in the Winnipeg Metropolitan Region, or CAD 150,000 outside it.
• At least 33⅓% ownership of the business.
• At least 3 years of full-time experience in the past 5 years as a business owner or senior manager.
• Language at CLB/NCLC 5 and at least a Canadian high school equivalency.
• At least one job for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, not for the owners or their close relatives.
• No age limit, although ranking points go to candidates aged 25 to 49.

Manitoba's process, with the deadlines it publishes:

• 1. Self-assess, research Manitoba and, ideally, visit.
• 2. Email your EOI with the business concept, self-assessment and code of conduct forms.
• 3. Receive a Letter of Advice to Apply, or feedback. After feedback you wait at least two months before resubmitting.
• 4. Submit the full application within 120 days of the letter.
• 5. At least two business immigration officers assess it, and Manitoba may interview you. Its target is six months or less after a complete application.
• 6. Sign the Business Performance Agreement within 60 days, then receive a work permit support letter. You have up to 12 months to arrive.
• 7. Report to the MPNP in person within 30 days of arrival. File the first progress report within 6 months.
• 8. File the final progress report no later than 20 months after arrival, having operated the business for at least 6 months immediately before it.
• 9. After nomination, apply to IRCC for permanent residence within 180 days.

Manitoba still publishes regular draws, but they are skilled-worker draws: the Business Investor Stream page says EOI draws for the stream are not currently being conducted. A "Manitoba business draw score" you find online did not come from immigratemanitoba.com.

Manitoba had not published its 2026 nomination allocation on its news pages when we checked. Its 2025 allocation ended at 6,239 nominations.

Manitoba charges a CAD 2,500 processing fee for the Entrepreneur Pathway application. There is no deposit for this pathway: the commitment is the Business Performance Agreement. IRCC charges its own fees for the work permit and permanent residence. The investment itself is capital in your own business, not a fee.

Manitoba's second business pathway is for farmers: at least 3 years of farm ownership and operation, a CAD 500,000 net worth, an investment of at least CAD 300,000, a mandatory research visit, and a CAD 75,000 deposit. You must live on the farm. Unlike the Entrepreneur Pathway, it leads straight to a nomination certificate with no work-permit stage.

We are not immigration lawyers or licensed consultants, and we do not file applications. We mentor the founder: choosing a business Manitoba's economy needs, the business concept and full business plan the officers assess, the financial model behind your investment figure, and interview preparation. For the legal filing, work with a licensed representative.