dream208

Has anybody tried applying to Manitoba under the strategic stream?

If yes they state on the website that you need to visit the province an approved visit, so how would I make my visit to the province approved by the province?

Also they say you should attend an interview with one of the immigration officers, so how can I register for an interview and should this be before or after I arrive?

Anyone with prior experience on this issue is welcome to comment.

PMM

Hi

Well you have to be invited to apply. The interviews are held overseas

From their web site.

The Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program undertakes special initiatives to help the province meet the objectives of the Canadian Manitoba Immigration Agreement (CMIA). Initiatives are undertaken at the discretion of the MPNP in accordance with program needs and available resources.

You are eligible to apply to the MPNP through a Strategic Initiative if you:

* have received a letter of invitation to apply as part of an MPNP targeted promotional initiative, OR
* have the support of an ethnocultural community organization or regional economic development organization in Manitoba that will help you arrange an exploratory visit that has been pre-approved by the MPNP

manitobain

hello dream,
there is more to it than what PMM cited from the website...or better, pay attention to the wording . Community and Regional development offices can help to arrange immigration interview and to get the visit pre-approved.

I have been able to help ppl who were interested in our region to those interviews (as I am part of a regional community service).

Best chances are if you want to go rural, if you are "employable" (which doesn't mean the famous federal list of jobs) and if you have enough funding and essential is that you are supported by a community/region. If you have chosen an area where you want to go, find their EDO (usually through municipal offices) or if they have, their immigration/settlement service. If you are not decided yet, give me a PM and I might be able to help. What kind of work/education you (and if applicable) partner have?

dream208

thanks for the information and help.

malek777

hey manitobain,
Sorry to hijack the thread but for this category Does the interview have to be outside the country?

GC44

Hi there. My family and I carried out one of these visit's last August. It's a simple process (if I can set it up, it must be simple).

We initially contacted Markus Chambers at Manitoba Immigration to register our interest in the Strategic Stream and to get more info on it. We also e-mailed copies of our CV's. He sent us a breakdown of the process, the criteria to qualify etc. We decided to give it a shot and contacted Markus to let him know we were interested. You have to provide a couple of months notice (minimum) of intention to visit Manitoba at the end of which you will have a meeting/interview with Manitoba Immigration in Winnipeg. If you do show an interest in visiting, Man Imm will send you a e-mail inviting you.

We visited 3 areas in Manitoba over 11 days, therefore we contacted the EDO's for each area. They set us up with meetings with potential employers (I had 9 meetings, my wife had 6 and we had 2 jointly), meetings with realtors, visits to schools (if applicable). You need to collect evidence as you go round the areas to prove at your final meeting with Man Imm that you have actually done things whilst there (business cards, photo's etc). At the end of this meeting, if you meet all the criteria you will get a verbal invitation to start the official process.

We really enjoyed our trip and came away with offers of employment for my wife and myself so it is worth it. However we have decided to go down the TWP route, just for speed of process. We want to get over there ASAP and our employer wants us over there yesterday. We are just waiting on LMO decision.

If you need any more info then PM me. Good luck.

malek777

were you in Canada or were you overseas the first time you contacted the Manitoba immigration?

GC44

In the UK.

malek777

Thanks for the reply, very useful. I guess I wont be able to go that route because I'm already in Canada.

manitobain

@malek :
where in Canada are you, what is your status..are you visiting?

GC44: good description btw, if you have all application/supporting papers ready, you are as well allowed to hand the application in at the end of a positive interview. A job offer definitely helps it to become positive. I never heard that the asked for business cards and such..but guess it can't hurt. it doesnt have to be Markus either, but I heard he isn't a bad contact to have.

cheers
Ilse

malek777

I'm in winnipeg on a student visa.

manitobain

@malek
as I understood, you applied already to the General Stream, so that is your best bet. Timeline is suppose to be 6-8 month, they ran out of nomination certificates allocated from federal this year, so there will only be nominations happening next year (unless they still can work something out with federal)..but I am sure hoping that they keep on working on files to get them up to nomination. If your student visa is still good until next June, you should be there.

cheers
Ilse