- Ottawa has extended work-permit support for two thousand seven hundred Manitoba immigration candidates until late twenty twenty-seven.
- The policy targets workers with existing support letters dated on or before December thirty-first, twenty twenty-five.
- Eligible candidates must maintain full-time employment of at least thirty hours per week within the province.
Ottawa has extended work-permit support for up to 2,700 Manitoba immigration candidates, giving eligible workers until December 31, 2027, to remain employed while they await provincial nominations.
The Manitoba Workforce Transition Bridge took effect on July 6, 2026. It covers people who received a Manitoba support letter by December 31, 2025, and who meet additional federal and provincial conditions.
The measure targets workers already identified through earlier temporary policies. It does not extend status to every Manitoba worker or every candidate in the Provincial Nominee Program.
The new policy also pushes the nomination deadline to December 31, 2027. Candidates must still qualify for Manitoba’s program and remain in the province’s selection system.
Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab signed the federal policy. She said the measure would protect workers who are already contributing while officials assess their permanent-residence cases.
“This measure responsibly extends work permits to those already contributing to their community and local economy while they are being assessed for permanent residence.”
Manitoba Labour and Immigration Minister Malaya Marcelino said the extension would help workers, families, employers and communities remain in the province. Marcelino had pressed Ottawa for the measure during months of advocacy.
“By allowing eligible candidates to extend their work permits, we’re helping more Manitoba workers and families to continue building their lives in Manitoba. This is good news for our economy, businesses and communities across Manitoba.”
The bridge reaches workers already inside the earlier pipeline
Candidates must have held, or still hold, a valid permit issued under one of the earlier 2024 or 2025 temporary policies. Their permit must have expired or be due to expire within 60 days.
They also need a full-time Manitoba job and an ongoing offer from that employer. Full-time employment means at least 30 hours per week under the eligibility details.
An active MPNP Expression of Interest profile is required. Applicants must remain eligible for the provincial program and must not yet have received a provincial nomination.
The federal government authorized up to 2,700 support letters through the new measure. A support letter issued under the earlier arrangement must have been dated on or before December 31, 2025.
| Requirement | Condition |
|---|---|
| Support letter | Issued on or before December 31, 2025 |
| Employment | Full-time work in Manitoba, at least 30 hours per week |
| Job offer | Ongoing offer in Manitoba |
| Immigration profile | Active MPNP Expression of Interest profile |
| Nomination | Candidate has not yet received one |
| Previous permit | Issued under an earlier 2024 or 2025 temporary policy |
The policy does not guarantee a nomination. It also excludes people who entered the MPNP pool after 2025.
The Government of Manitoba launched a webform on August 5, 2026, for eligible candidates seeking new support letters. The request mechanism followed the federal policy’s July 6 effective date.
A smaller nomination quota left workers waiting
The bridge follows a reduction in Manitoba’s annual nomination allocation. The province’s quota fell from 9,500 in 2023/2024 to approximately 6,239 in 2026, while post-pandemic applications increased.
That combination left workers facing permit expiries before the province could complete nomination processing. Some affected workers rallied at the Manitoba Legislative Building during early 2026.
Marcelino also travelled to Ottawa several times to seek an extension. The federal government initially resisted, before agreeing to a time-limited exception aimed at keeping the affected group in status.
The earlier 2024 measure supported 6,700 workers. More than 1,600 later moved to permanent residence, while 2,700 workers remained identified as needing the new bridge, according to the policy background provided by Manitoba immigration officials.
Kevin Lamoureux, the federal member of Parliament for Winnipeg North, supported the extension on humanitarian and economic grounds. He said workers had built lives in Manitoba and should not lose status while their nominations were being completed.
“The workers. are contributing to the local economy, built their lives in Manitoba and should not be pushed out of status while their nominations are being finalized.”
Manitoba is prioritizing workers already in the province
The policy arrives as Manitoba focuses its nomination activity on people already working in the province. In MPNP Draw #276 on July 30, the province issued 766 Letters of Advice to Apply to candidates already present in Manitoba.
The draw offered another signal of that in-province focus, but it did not replace the bridge policy. Candidates covered by the bridge still need to satisfy the separate eligibility requirements and obtain the required support documentation.
The affected workforce includes employees in manufacturing, aerospace and healthcare. The extension allows Manitoba businesses to retain experienced staff while candidates continue through the nomination process.
The measure is limited in both reach and purpose. It protects qualifying workers already connected to the earlier policy, rather than creating a new route for applicants who missed the 2025 support-letter cutoff.
The federal policy page for the earlier prospective-candidate measure was updated on August 4, 2026. It now directs applicants toward the new transition framework instead of the older temporary-policy language.
The immigration minister’s signature continues Ottawa’s shift toward sustainable immigration levels while addressing a regional labour shortage. The new deadline gives the designated group until December 31, 2027, to complete the nomination stage without losing work authorization solely because earlier processing timelines ran out.
