The Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) has issued 340 Letters of Advice to Apply (LAAs) for permanent residence in Expression of Interest (EOI) Draw #281, held on October 8, 2026.
This was the 20th MPNP selection round of 2026. Unlike the three previous rounds, it did not include a top-scoring selection. Instead, it combined two occupation-specific selections for workers already employed in Manitoba with a strategic recruitment selection under the Skilled Worker Stream. The largest component, with 211 LAAs, targeted teachers, early childhood educators and teacher assistants.
Draw Breakdown
| Selection | LAAs issued | Minimum ranking score |
|---|---|---|
| Skilled Worker in Manitoba — occupation-specific, education and childcare (NOC 41220, 41221, 42202, 43100) | 211 | Not published |
| Skilled Worker Stream — strategic recruitment initiatives | 83 | Not published |
| Skilled Worker in Manitoba — occupation-specific, health occupations (Broad Occupational Category 3) | 46 | Not published |
| Total | 340 |
Of the 340 LAAs issued, 103 went to candidates who declared a valid Express Entry profile number and job seeker validation code.
Education and Childcare Workers Lead the Round
The main selection considered profiles declaring current employment in Manitoba in four education and childcare occupations, and issued 211 LAAs:
- Secondary school teachers (NOC 41220)
- Elementary school and kindergarten teachers (NOC 41221)
- Early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 42202)
- Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants (NOC 43100)
A second occupation-specific selection considered profiles declaring current employment in Manitoba in health occupations (Broad Occupational Category 3) and issued 46 LAAs. Health occupations were last targeted in Draw #279 on September 10.
Manitoba did not publish a minimum ranking score for either occupation-specific selection.
Skilled Worker Stream — Strategic Recruitment
A further 83 LAAs went to profiles submitted under the Skilled Worker in Manitoba or Skilled Worker Overseas pathways that declared being directly invited by the MPNP through a strategic recruitment initiative. That is roughly double the 40 strategic recruitment LAAs issued in Draw #280, driven by a jump in Employer Services invitations.
| Strategic recruitment initiative | LAAs issued |
|---|---|
| Employer Services | 45 |
| Francophone Community | 16 |
| Regional Communities | 12 |
| Ethnocultural Communities | 9 |
| Temporary Public Policy (TPP) | 1 |
| Total | 83 |
MPNP Expression of Interest Draw #281 — October 8, 2026
| Draw detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Draw number | #281 |
| Date | October 8, 2026 |
| Streams targeted | Skilled Worker in Manitoba; Skilled Worker Stream |
| Letters of Advice to Apply issued | 340 |
| Minimum ranking score | Not published |
| Candidates with an Express Entry profile | 103 |
Manitoba Passes 7,200 Invitations for 2026
Draw #281 brings the MPNP’s 2026 total to 7,223 Letters of Advice to Apply across 20 rounds.
Manitoba has kept its two-week Thursday rhythm into October. Draw #281 was smaller than Draw #280 on September 24 (474) and Draw #279 on September 10 (793). Each recent round has been built around a different occupational group: trades in late August, Manitoba graduates and health occupations in early September, natural and applied sciences in late September, and now education and childcare.
Why Some Eligible Candidates Were Not Invited
The MPNP notes that candidates who met the selection criteria but did not receive an LAA may have been passed over for one of two reasons:
- They indicated they had taken an approved third-party language test but did not provide a valid test number in their EOI, or the test result is no longer valid.
- They indicated they had received an Invitation to Apply under a strategic recruitment initiative but did not provide a valid invitation number.
The MPNP also cautions that candidates selected on the basis of working in a regulated occupation must be able to prove they are actually employed in that occupation and fully licensed in Manitoba, or their full application may be refused.
Full results are published on the Government of Manitoba website. A record of every 2026 round is kept on our Manitoba immigration draws page.
A Manitoba provincial nomination adds 600 points to a candidate’s Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score under the federal Express Entry system, effectively guaranteeing an invitation to apply in a subsequent federal round. Use our free CRS score calculator to estimate your CRS score and see where a provincial nomination would place you in the Express Entry pool.