The Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program – MPNP has proclaimed some major alterations to the Temporary Resident Retention Pilot that will influence thousands of temporary residents cum employers in the province.
As of February 4, 2026, the Hospitality and Food Services industry has been entirely off the list of eligible sectors under the TRRP with 16 additional skilled trades occupations added to the eligibility list of the program.
These reforms marked a significant change in the immigration priorities in Manitoba as the employer-based immigration strategy in the province is transitioning out of the emphasis on the hospitality industry to the skilled trades sector, which has been recording acute labour shortages throughout the province.
This is a very worrying development to temporary residents who are already employed in the hospitality and food services in Manitoba and this may directly affect their course to permanent residents.
To the skilled trades workers and the employers, however, the increased eligibility provides new and valuable opportunities.
This is a full list of the list of changes, those who are to be impacted, the new occupations that will now be eligible and the alternatives that still remain open to the workers within the hospitality industry who were relying on the TRRP as their path towards permanently residing in Canada.
Hospitality and Food Services Sector Removed From TRRP
The most effective reform of this update is the dropping of Hospitality and Food Services sector in the list of sectors that qualify as TRRP.
It implies that by February 4, 2026, employers in the hospitality and food services sector will not be able to use the Temporary Resident Retention Pilot to sponsor their temporary residents to obtain permanent residency under the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program anymore.
The change is not only prospective, but immediate and retroactive in its application window.
All TRRP applications received in the hospitality and food services industry after February 4, 2026 will not be received and processed.
Likewise, all candidate referrals made regarding applications already approved in this sector in relation to TRRP that are received after the cut off date will also be rejected.
This is a tremendous setback to the thousands of temporary foreign employees that work in restaurants, hotels, catering companies, and food service establishments of Manitoba.
A number of these workers have been using the TRRP as their main avenue to permanent residency in Canada and this abrupt elimination of their industry off eligibility leaves them in need of seeking other avenues of immigration.
It is a simple reason why the government wanted to change; the TRRP is meant to match the changing economic and immigrant priorities of Manitoba and the priorities are changing.
Although the hospitality industry was one of the sectors covered by the pilot launch in September 2025, labour market demands in Manitoba have clearly changed, and the province has decided that its immigration resources should be better used in industries with more acute and intractable labour shortages, specifically, the skilled trades.
16 New Skilled Trades Occupations Added to TRRP
In the other side of this equation, government of Manitoba has enlarged the TRRP by introducing 16 sophisticated trades occupations in the list of eligibles.
It is a definite indicator that Manitoba considers skilled tradespeople as the key to the economic development of the province and is not afraid to apply its instruments of immigration to attract and maintain them.
The new occupations that are now eligible are diverse as they include both automotive and heavy equipment technicians and specialized aviation, water treatment, and instrumentation.
The following is the full list of the 16 skilled trades to be added with the corresponding National Occupational Classification codes.
| Occupation | NOC Code |
| Agricultural Equipment Technician | 72401 |
| Auto Body and Collision Technician | 73202 |
| Automotive Refinishing Technician | 73202 |
| Automotive Service Technician | 72410 |
| Boilermaker | 72304 |
| Heavy Duty Equipment Technician | 72401 |
| Instrumentation and Control Technician | 72201 |
| Landscape Horticulturalist | 22114 |
| Parts Technician | 72410 |
| Recreation Vehicle Service Technician | 72410 |
| Transport Trailer Technician | 72410 |
| Truck and Transport Mechanic | 72410 |
| Aircraft Maintenance Journeyperson | 72404 |
| Diesel Engine Mechanic | 72410 |
| Railway Car Technician | 72403 |
| Water and Wastewater Technician | 22101 |
It is worth noting the concentration in the additions in the automotive, heavy equipment, and transportation maintenance sectors.
It is a mirror of the fact that the economy of Manitoba relies on agriculture, transportation, and resource sectors, and all of these sectors need great numbers of skilled mechanics, technicians, and professionals involved with maintenance to continue their functioning.
Latest MPNP Draws in 2026
| Initiative | Draw #262 (Jan 15) | Draw #263 (Jan 29) |
| Employer Services | 21 | 24 |
| Francophone Community | 7 | 3 |
| Regional Communities | 15 | 4 |
| Ethnocultural Communities | 9 | 2 |
| Temporary Public Policy | 3 | 14 |
| Total LAAs Issued | 55 | 47 |
| Express Entry Linked | 10 | 6 |
The Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program has also experienced changes along with the TRRP changes by conducting regular Expression of Interest draws in 2026.
These MPNP pulls are useful background to appreciate the selection patterns of immigration in Manitoba that are currently being practiced and the number of applicants who are being invited.
The last draw which was the Expression of Interest Draw number 263 was conducted on January 29, 2026, in the Skilled Worker Stream.
This draw focused on both profiles received under the Skilled Worker in Manitoba and the Skilled Worker Overseas pathway which stated that they were directly invited by the MPNP as part of strategic recruiting program.
The number of Letters of Advice to Apply issued in this draw was 47.
The analysis of the 47 invitations by strategic recruitment initiative was as follows:
- 24 were issued through Employer Services,
- 3 through the Francophone Community initiative,
- 4 through Regional Communities,
- 2 through Ethnocultural Communities, and
- 14 through the Temporary Public Policy to Facilitate Work Permits for Prospective Provincial Nominee Program Candidates.
Out of the 47 total invitations, 6 were sent to those candidates who reported having a valid Express Entry profile number and job seeker validation code.
The last draw, Expression of Interest Draw number 262 was held on January 15, 2026 with the same targeting criteria and under Skilled Worker Stream.
That draw was bigger and 55 Letters of Advice to Apply were issued. The breakdown was:
- 21 through Employer Services,
- 7 through the Francophone Community initiative,
- 15 through Regional Communities,
- 9 through Ethnocultural Communities, and
- 3 through the Temporary Public Policy.
Among 55 invitations, 10 were sent to candidates who have valid Express Entry profiles.
A comparison of the two draws shows that there are certain interesting trends.
The total volume decreased by 55 to 47 between draws and distribution was changed considerably. Invitations to Employer Services went up by 21 to 24, whereas the Temporary Public Policy category had soared by 3 invitations to 14.
In the meantime Regional Communities declined down to 15 and to 4 respectively; Ethnic Communities to 9 and 2.
This fluctuates as the MPNP would switch selection priorities depending on the draw to draw depending on which pool of available candidates and the economic requirements of that province.
Express Entry-linked numbers were also changing as 6 Express Entry candidates were chosen in Draw 263 as opposed to 10 in Draw 262.
Although these figures are insignificant in absolute figures, they provide a good avenue to the candidates wishing to enjoy the privilege of a federal Express Entry invitation guaranteeing them provincial nomination.
What to Expect Next From the Manitoba PNP in 2026
The current changes to the TRRP set on February 4 may not be the final changes made to the immigration programs of Manitoba in the year 2012.
The province has been explicit that the pilot is geared towards being responsive and adaptable, and additional modifications to eligible sectors, occupation, or program standards might occur at any point in time.
According to the existing trend, there are some events which should be followed. First, more skilled trades or other technical jobs can also be included in the TRRP as Manitoba finds more deficiencies in its labour market.
The 16 additions in this round were focused on the automotive and heavy equipment and transportation – however, other areas of weakness such as electrical, plumbing and HVAC might have been listed in the future revisions.
Second, the trends in Expression of Interest draws in early 2026 indicate that Manitoba is laying more focus on the Employer Services and the Temporary Public Policy pathways.
This province seems to give preference to these initiatives and it is best being considered by candidates with high employer support or those caught between work permits, which are considered high priority in the selection strategy.
Third, the wider federal immigration environment will remain influential on the programs of Manitoba.
Since the Government of Canada is closing temporary worker channels and decreasing immigration quotas in some categories, provincial nominee programs such as the MPNP acquire even greater importance as a way of becoming a permanent resident.
This may result in more competition on the positions of MPNP, and the importance of early preparation and effective applications than ever before.
The most important thing that employers and temporary residents in Manitoba can do is to be informed, take action when the program qualifies them and be ready to undergo additional changes.
The TRRP is a pilot program, which implies that it is always under constant changes.
The most effective method to secure that you are in a position to reap the benefits whenever they come is keeping track of the actual Manitoba immigration site, and enlisting the assistance of qualified immigration practitioners.