The Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) has issued 741 Letters of Advice to Apply (LAAs) for permanent residence in Expression of Interest (EOI) Draw #278, held on August 27, 2026.
This was the 17th MPNP selection round of 2026 and the largest since Draw #276 on July 30. The bulk of the invitations — 600 of the 741 — went to top-scoring candidates already employed in Manitoba in technical trades and transportation occupations, with a minimum ranking score of 731.
Draw Breakdown
Draw #278 combined four separate selections across two MPNP streams.
| Selection | LAAs issued | Minimum ranking score |
|---|---|---|
| Skilled Worker in Manitoba — occupation-specific | 62 | Not published |
| Skilled Worker in Manitoba — top-scoring, NOC major group 72 | 600 | 731 |
| Skilled Worker in Manitoba — Francophone selection | 21 | Not published |
| Skilled Worker Stream — strategic recruitment initiatives | 58 | Not published |
| Total | 741 |
Of the 741 LAAs issued, 150 went to candidates who declared a valid Express Entry profile number and job seeker validation code.
Occupations Targeted in the Skilled Worker in Manitoba Selection
The occupation-specific portion of the draw considered profiles declaring current employment in Manitoba in two National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 unit groups:
- 31102 — General practitioners and family physicians
- 73301 — Bus drivers and transit operators
A separate, much larger selection targeted top-scoring profiles declaring current employment in Manitoba in NOC major group 72 — technical trades and transportation officers and controllers. That group covers occupations such as industrial and construction electricians, plumbers, welders, heavy-duty equipment mechanics, machinists, crane operators, and air and rail transportation officers. It accounted for 600 LAAs at a cut-off of 731 points.
A third selection invited 21 candidates who declared French as their language of communication with the MPNP and who held a valid French language test result. No minimum score was published for the Francophone or occupation-specific selections.
Skilled Worker Stream — Strategic Recruitment
A further 58 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. Those invitations broke down as follows:
| Strategic recruitment initiative | LAAs issued |
|---|---|
| Employer Services | 28 |
| Francophone Community | 16 |
| Regional Communities | 7 |
| Ethnocultural Communities | 4 |
| Temporary Public Policy (TPP) | 3 |
| Total | 58 |
MPNP Expression of Interest Draw #278 — August 27, 2026
| Draw detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Draw number | #278 |
| Date | August 27, 2026 |
| Streams targeted | Skilled Worker in Manitoba; Skilled Worker Stream |
| Letters of Advice to Apply issued | 741 |
| Highest published minimum ranking score | 731 (NOC major group 72) |
| Candidates with an Express Entry profile | 150 |
A Sharp Rebound From August 13
Draw #278 is more than fourteen times the size of Manitoba’s previous round. The August 13 draw (#277) issued just 53 LAAs, all under the Skilled Worker Stream to candidates already invited through a strategic recruitment initiative. Before that, Draw #276 on July 30 issued 766 LAAs and Draw #275 on July 16 issued 1,976 — the largest MPNP round of the year so far.
The pattern is consistent with how Manitoba has run its EOI system through 2026: narrow strategic-recruitment rounds of a few dozen invitations alternating with periodic large-scale selections that open up an occupation group or a top-scoring band. Draw #278 brings the MPNP’s 2026 total to 5,446 Letters of Advice to Apply across 17 rounds.
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.
Candidates in either position can update their EOI with the correct information to be considered in a future draw. Help text is available for each EOI question explaining exactly what information is required.
The MPNP also cautions candidates working in regulated occupations. Those who indicated they are fully licensed to work in Manitoba were selected in this draw, but the province may refuse full applications from candidates who are not actually working in the regulated occupation or who cannot show they have completed all necessary licensing steps. Full results are published on the Government of Manitoba website.
Business Investor Stream Draws Remain Suspended
EOI draws for the Business Investor Stream are not currently being conducted. All EOIs received under that stream are reviewed within four weeks, after which the MPNP issues either a Letter of Advice to Apply, if the EOI meets program requirements, or a feedback letter.
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.