Manitoba Workforce Transition Bridge opens a time-limited work-permit route

What changed

The Manitoba Workforce Transition Bridge temporary public policy took effect on July 6, 2026. IRCC's August 5 update replaced the instructions tied to earlier, expired provincial-nominee work-permit policies and clarified eligibility, evidence and assessment under the new Manitoba measure.

The policy is exclusive to Manitoba. It does not reopen the expired measures for Alberta or Yukon, and applications or renewals from those provinces are not eligible under this new policy.

Core eligibility

• The applicant must have an open-work-permit support letter issued by Manitoba on or before December 31, 2025 confirming that the person was screened and placed in the MPNP expression-of-interest pool by that date.
• The applicant must currently be employed in Manitoba and provide a letter from the current employer.
• The applicant must fit one of the listed work-authorization cohorts: hold a valid work permit; meet the detailed expired-permit and restoration conditions; or meet the detailed R186(u) maintained-work-authorization conditions.
• At decision time, the applicant must be in Canada with valid temporary status or have applied for restoration, as described in the instructions.
• The work-permit application must be filed before the public policy expires on December 31, 2027. Applications and renewals received after that date are to be refused.

Documents and filing details

• Passport copy, digital photo and the applicable payment receipt.
• The Manitoba support letter issued on or before December 31, 2025; a continued-support letter issued in 2026 is optional and cannot replace the original qualifying letter.
• A copy of the current or expired work permit, as applicable, and a current Manitoba employment letter.
• Select the online option for an open work permit under an active public policy or pilot and enter MBEOI2024 in both the intended-occupation/job-title field and the brief duties field, following IRCC's instructions.

Permit scope and family members

If approved, the open work permit is coded for Manitoba and may be issued for up to two years or until passport or travel-document expiry, whichever comes first. The instructions say these applicants are not eligible for a further extension under this measure.

A spouse or common-law partner and dependants may have separate open-work-permit options after the principal applicant is approved, subject to the applicable IMP category. Minor children remain subject to the existing study-permit and K–12 rules.