Manitoba Workforce Transition Bridge: Ottawa releases work permit for up to 2,700 out-of-status nominees | ImmigraCan
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New temporary public policy gives an open work permit to MPNP candidates who lost or are at risk of losing their status in Canada. Find out who can apply and how it works.
The federal government created a temporary public policy to pull Manitoba foreign workers out of limbo when they've lost valid status — or are about to — while waiting for their provincial nomination. The Manitoba Workforce Transition Bridge (MWTB) was published on the government's website on August 5, 2026, with retroactive effect to July 6, 2026, and could benefit up to 2,700 people.
What the MWTB is
The MWTB is a temporary public policy that authorizes the issuance of open work permits to Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) candidates who are under consideration for nomination but find themselves without legal status in Canada, or at imminent risk of losing it because of processing delays. Alongside the new policy, Ottawa also extended the work permits of 2,700 foreign workers already in the country until December 31, 2027.
Who can apply
To request the open work permit under the MWTB, the candidate needs to gather:
- A job offer letter from the current employer in Manitoba;
- A support letter issued by the province, confirming that the candidate was assessed by the MPNP and placed in the Expression of Interest (EOI) pool by December 31, 2025.
In other words, the measure targets people who were already on the MPNP's radar before the end of 2025 and got left hanging while waiting for the nomination — it is not a new entry route for people who have no connection to the provincial program yet.
Why this matters
Cases of work permits expiring before the nomination comes through are a recurring problem across PNPs — we've seen similar movement in Operational Bulletin 699, which waived the AOR requirement for certain provincial nominee work permits. The difference here is that the MWTB specifically targets people who have already lost status or are one step away from it, providing a bridge to keep working legally in Manitoba while the nomination process runs its course.
What to do now
If you're an MPNP candidate and your work permit is expiring (or has already expired), the first step is to confirm with your employer and the province whether you've been in the EOI pool since before 2026 — that cutoff date is what determines eligibility. Gather the job offer letter and request the support letter from the MPNP as soon as possible.
If you're still weighing your path to a provincial nomination, see which PNPs match your profile and calculate your CRS to better understand your starting point.
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*This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or immigration advice. ImmigraCan is not affiliated with the Government of Canada or IRCC. Always confirm official data at canada.ca and, for your specific case, consult a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) or lawyer.*