Nova Scotia Provincial Nominee Program

Canada is a land of opportunities and stunning beauty. It won’t take you five minutes in the wonderful province of Nova Scotia to know this is true. Let's begin by learning a bit more about what makes this province so great for the many residents that live here in Canada.

Nova Scotia is one of Canada’s four Atlantic Provinces, primarily consisting of the peninsula but also with many offshore islands. Nova Scotia is popular for water sports in the summer, such as kayaking and paddle boarding and is home to many cute puffins and seals.

The province also boasts the incredibly unique Bay of Fundy, which is one of Canada’s most popular tourist destinations, famous for its drastic high and low tides as well as whale watching. The capital city of Halifax is known for its lively waterfront, star-shaped Citadel and legendary ice hockey team, the Mooseheads.

A low cost of living and high quality of life make Nova Scotia an enjoyable and affordable place to live. The Nova Scotian government introduced organizations with a mandate to help new immigrants find jobs, improve their language skills and enroll in university, making their integration easier.

The people of Nova Scotia are friendly, welcoming and live in safe communities. Their healthcare system puts people first, based on need and not financial status. There are also numerous opportunities across various industries in the provincial labour market.

Nova Scotia Provincial Nominee Program

The province of Nova Scotia is located on Canada’s east coast on the Atlantic Ocean. The province plays host to a number of unique Provincial Nomination Programs (PNPs) designed to attract and retain newcomers who will be able to fill gaps in the workforce and contribute meaningfully to local economies and communities.

Through the Nova Scotia PNP, prospective immigrants to Nova Scotia, who have the skills and experience targeted by the province, may be nominated for immigration. Candidates, who receive a Nova Scotia Nomination certificate, may have their application fast-tracked, speeding up the immigration process.

There are several routes you can take to get a Provincial Nomination. Discover which of these programs is the right one for you below.

Nova Scotia Labour Market Priorities Stream

To be selected for this stream, you must first be entered into the federal Express Entry pool. The province will choose you from this pool if you meet the labour market needs of Nova Scotia at a particular time. You can only apply if you receive a Letter of Interest form the Nova Scotian Office of Immigration.You also need to meet the following requirements:
Issued a Letter of Interest from the Nova Scotia Nominee Program;
You must meet the work experience requirements of the Express Entry you qualified for;
You must have enough funds to successfully support and establish you and your dependents in the province;
You must have legal status in your country of residence; and
The last requirement will change depending on the needs of the province, for example, the last round targeted registered and psychiatric nurses and you had to have work experience in that occupation to qualify.

Physicians stream

This stream was created to hire health professional like general practitioners, family physicians and specialists to work in the province. The Physician Stream enables trained medical professionals to become permanent residents of Nova Scotia, with the help of two medical authorities, the:
Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA); and the
Izaak Walton Killam Health Centre (IWK):

The stream was created to help the province deal with its shortage of skilled and experienced medical practitioners. What NOC (National Occupational Classification) Do You Need To apply for the Physicians Stream you must have a:
NOC 3112 as either a general practitioner or family physician; or a
NOC 3111 as a specialist physician

Please note that you must have a signed Approved Opportunities with the province’s IWK or NSHA. An Approved Opportunity must :
Be signed and dated by you and by the person who has authorized it, from either the NSHA or IWK;
Show that you can apply for a licence with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of the province; and
Show that you can apply for credentials through the NSHA and IWK

Labour Market Priorities for Physicians

This new stream selects physicians to apply through the Express Entry system. This benefit of this stream is you could have permanent residency in approximately as 6 months, whereas there is a processing time of 18-24 months for the Physicians stream. The downside to the Express Entry stream is that it is a lot more administratively intensive.

Entrepreneur stream

The Entrepreneur Stream is made for experienced business owners and managers who want to live in Nova Scotia. You can start a business or buy an existing one and after you have continued to actively manage your company for longer than one year, you may be nominated for permanent residence in the province. To qualify you must:
Be 21 years of age or older;
Be interested in living permanently in Nova Scotia, while owning and actively running a business in the province;
Have a net worth of at least $600,000;
Be able to invest at least $150,000 of their own money to establish a business in Nova Scotia
Have at least three years of experience in actively managing and owning a business or five years experience in a senior management position;
Have at least a score of 5 on the Canadian Language Benchmark in speaking, listening, and writing for English or French;
Have completed a diploma from a Canadian high school or have an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA), which is not older than five years;
Complete an Expression of Interest (EOI); and
Receive an Invitation to Apply from the Nova Scotian Office of Immigration

International Graduate Entrepreneur stream

This stream is for international graduate entrepreneurs who have graduated from either a college or university in Nova Scotia. You must have already either bought or started your own business that has been operating for at least one business year.

You must intend to settle in the province and spend most of your time in Nova Scotia while operating your business. This stream allows successful candidates to apply for permanent residence when they get a nomination from the province.To Apply You Must:

Be interested in living permanently in Nova Scotia, while owning and directly running a business in the province;
Have at least one year of experience in owning and managing your current Nova Scotian business;
Have completed a degree or diploma after at least two academic years of full-time study at a university or community college in Nova Scotia;
Have a valid post-graduation work permit;
Have at least a score of 7 on the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) in speaking, listening, reading and writing for English or French
Complete an Expression of Interest (EOI); and
Receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) from the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration

Skilled Worker stream

This stream helps employers find and employ foreign workers and recent graduates. This stream was created to deal with a shortage of skilled workers, where local Canadians did not have the required skills to deal with these jobs. You can apply for permanent residency through this stream as a skilled (NOC 0,A or B), semi-skilled (NOC C) or low skilled worker (NOC D) as long as you meet the following requirements:

Have a full-time, permanent job offer from a Nova Scotian employer;
Have at least one year of work experience related to the job;
Be 21 to 55 years old;
Have a high school diploma;
Have the right training, skills and accreditation for the job;
Score at least a 5 for the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) for English or French if you are a skilled worker; or
Score at least a 4 for the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) for English or French if you are a semi-skilled or low skilled worker; and
Prove you have enough funds to support yourself and your dependents in Nova Scotia. Applicants must have at least CAD$11,000 and an additional CAD$2,000 per dependent

Occupations in Demand stream

This stream is targeted specifically at semi-skilled (NOC C) positions that are in high-demand in Nova Scotia. These occupations are subject to change depending on the labour demands of the province. At present the occupations eligible for this stream are:

Nurse aids, orderlies and patient service associates (NOC 3413); and
Transport truck drivers (NOC 7511)

To be consider eligible you must:
Have a full time offer of employment in one of the occupations listed above;
have at least one years experience in the same field;
be between the ages of 21 and 55;
have the equivalent of a Canadian high school diploma; and
Have the appropriate training or experience for the job offered;
Achieve at least a 4 in the Canadian Language Benchmark test;
Have the minimum specified balance to move and settle in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry

This program was made for highly skilled workers to apply to work and live in the province with the chance to gain permanent residence later on. There are two sub-categories for this program, called Category A and Category B.

Category A is for applicants with a job offer. Currently, this category is still open.

Category B is for applicants who have experience in an opportunity occupation. Please note that this program opens and closes throughout the year, depending on the needs of the province’s labour markets.

For Applications Under Category A, You Must:
Have a profile that is registered with the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Express Entry system;
Score at least 67 points based on the six selection factors;
Have a full-time, permanent job offer from a Nova Scotian employer;
Have one year of skilled work experience related to the job;
Have a Canadian high school degree or a foreign degree that meets the same standards;
Show enough financial resources to successfully settle in Nova Scotia; and
Score at least a 7 on the CLB for both French and English

For Applications Under Category B, You Must:
Have a profile that is registered with the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Express Entry system;
Score a minimum of 67 points on the six selection factors;
Score at least a 7 on the CLB for English and French for CELPIP and IELTS General Test;
Have one year of skilled work experience in one of the required occupations;
Have a Canadian high school degree or a degree that meets the same standards;
Show you can support yourself and your dependents enough financial resources to successfully settle in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia Experience: Express Entry

This stream chooses applicants who have at least one year of work experience in a skilled occupation in the province. This stream lets you become a permanent resident of Nova Scotia. Please note that this stream is a pilot program and may be changed by the government of Nova Scotia.

To Apply You Must:
Have at least one year of full time/part time work experience in Nova Scotia for a skilled job three years before you apply;
Have gained legal work experience in the province through for example, a work permit;
Be 21 to 55 years old;
Have completed a Canadian high school degree or have a degree that is equal to this qualification; or
Have completed an ECA (Educational Credential Assessment) and have a degree that is acknowledged by an recognized institution;
Have the funds needed to support yourself and your dependents in the province;
Have the intention to live in the province permanently;
Prove your language ability in English or French with a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) score of 7 for NOC 0 and A, or score a CLB of 5 for NOC B. Please note that accepted tests are the CELPIP and IELTS General Test and TEF; and
Have a profile that is registered with the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Express Entry system