Canada Opens Work Permits for At-Risk Manitoba Nominees

Canada will offer open work permits to up to 2,700 temporary foreign workers in Manitoba, including some people who have lost status or could otherwise lose authorization to legally work in Canada.

The Manitoba Workforce Transition Bridge public policy, or MWTB, supports certain foreign nationals being considered for permanent residence through the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program. It took effect July 6, 2026, and was published by the federal government on August 5.

Who Can Apply

Applicants must provide a letter of employment from their current employer and a Manitoba support letter issued on or before December 31, 2025. That letter must confirm the province screened the applicant and placed them in the MPNP Expression of Interest pool by the same date.

They must also fit one of three situations: hold a valid work permit; have held a valid permit on May 7, 2024 that later expired; or have applied to renew a work permit by May 7, 2024 and maintained status.

Eligible applicants can seek an open work permit while applying to extend their temporary resident authorization. Those with expired permits may also apply to restore temporary resident status.

Policy Includes Special Exemptions

The MWTB removes some usual barriers to applying from inside Canada. Qualifying applicants do not have to meet certain standard requirements, such as already holding a work or study permit.

Applicants may also receive permits despite previous unauthorized work or study, or violations of conditions attached to earlier work authorization. Restoration may be available even if they missed the usual 90-day deadline or breached conditions that are not normally waived in restoration cases.

The policy is scheduled to expire December 31, 2027, although it can be revoked without notice. Its operation depends on a letter of intent between Manitoba and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Why Ottawa Introduced the Measure

The federal government updated its Manitoba support-letter guidance on August 6. Formal publication came nearly a month after two Winnipeg federal MPs announced the plan on social media.

The MWTB follows a similar policy that operated from August to December 2024 for Manitoba, Alberta and Yukon. That policy officially expired without a public replacement, although reports indicated it may have continued through the end of 2025.

The earlier measure responded to growing pressure on temporary workers pursuing provincial immigration. Large international student cohorts produced many post-graduation work permit holders seeking permanent residence, while Ottawa cut Provincial Nominee Program permanent residence admission targets by 50 per cent.

Before the 2024 policy, there was no specific federal work authorization route for people only at the candidate stage of the PNP. Candidates generally must enter a provincial Expression of Interest pool and wait for an invitation before applying for nomination.

That left some workers with few options when permits expired. In June 2026, Ottawa introduced another measure for provincial nominees waiting for acknowledgement of receipt of permanent residence applications. Previously, that acknowledgement was required for a bridging open work permit, leaving some applicants facing waits of more than 12 months.