How do you create a new static IP connection with nmcli?

Use nmcli con add with ipv4.method manual plus the address, gateway, and DNS — that one command both creates and persists a static-IP profile.

con add creates a brand-new connection profile (vs con mod, which edits an existing one). For a static address the decisive parameter is ipv4.method manual — without it the profile would default to DHCP and ignore your address. Everything is saved to disk, so it survives reboots.

nmcli con add con-name "static-ens3" \
    type ethernet \
    ifname ens3 \
    ipv4.addresses 192.168.0.5/24 \
    ipv4.gateway 192.168.0.1 \
    ipv4.dns 8.8.8.8 \
    ipv4.method manual \
    connection.autoconnect yes

Breakdown:

Activate:

nmcli con up "static-ens3"