Nova Scotia

The program nominates individuals who meet the province’s economic and labour market needs, and who have the intention and financial ability to establish themselves in Nova Scotia

Fees:
There is no provincial application fee under the Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP). You must, however, pay all the required Government of Canada immigration fees when you submit your file to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC).

Entrepreneur

The Entrepreneur Stream is available to those who want to live in Nova Scotia and are experienced business owners or senior business managers.

To qualify for the program the applicant must start a new business or buy an existing business and be active in its day-to-day operations.

The Entrepreneur Stream is a temporary to permanent residence program. This means that the applicant must operate a business in Nova Scotia for one year as a temporary resident before being eligible to be nominated for permanent residence.

Criteria and Requirements for the Principal Applicant

To be eligible, the applicant must:

• Be 21 years of age or older;
• Have completed a minimum of Canadian high school diploma or equivalent foreign credential verified by an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA).
• Have a minimum of three years of business ownership experience or greater than five years of experience in a senior business manager
• Have no less than $600,000 CAD in unencumbered net business and personal assets that are readily available for transfer to Canada.
• Agree to make a minimum capital investment of $150,000 CAD to establish a business in Nova Scotia
• Complete an online Expression of Interest.
• Receive an Invitation to Apply from the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration.
• Want to live permanently in Nova Scotia while owning and actively managing a Nova Scotia business.
• Be able to demonstrate, and verify, sufficient English or French language skills to perform the applicable employment duties.

Criteria and Requirements for the Applicant’s Business

The applicant’s business must also meet certain criteria to be eligible:

• The applicant must own at least one third (33.33%) of the business and must be active in the day-to-day management of the business.
• Businesses must meet the legal requirements of the community in which they operate.
• The business must be a for-profit entity.
• The business must be actively managed by the applicant from the place of business in Nova Scotia.
• The business must have the potential to create a significant economic benefit to Nova Scotia.
• Please also refer to the additional criteria listed on the Nova Scotia PNP requirements for:
  • Starting a New Business
  • Purchasing an Existing Business

International Graduate Entrepreneur

The International Graduate Entrepreneur Stream is only available for graduates of a Nova Scotia University or the Nova Scotia Community College.

To qualify for the program the applicant must have started or bought a Nova Scotia business and operated it for at least a year. This stream is invitation only and allows the graduate to be nominated for permanent resident status.

Criteria and Requirements for the Principal Applicant

To be eligible, the applicant must:

• Be at least 21 years of age;
• Demonstrate an intention to settle in Nova Scotia;
• Have completed a minimum 2-year diploma or degree program, while studying full-time, in-person at a recognized university in Nova Scotia or the Nova Scotia Community College;
• Have at least one year’s continuous experience actively managing and owning your current Nova Scotia business (100% ownership minimum);
• Be able to demonstrate, and verify, sufficient English or French language skills to perform the applicable employment duties;
• Have a valid Post-Graduation Work Permit at the time of application.
• Complete an online Expression of Interest.
• Receive an Invitation to Apply from the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration.

Criteria and Requirements for the Applicant’s Business

The applicant’s business must also meet certain criteria to be eligible:

• The business have been started as a career objective.
• Businesses must meet the legal requirements of the community in which they operate.
• The business must be a for-profit entity.
• The business must be actively managed by the applicant from the place of business in Nova Scotia.
• The business must have the potential to create a significant economic benefit to Nova Scotia.

Physician

The Physician stream is only open to general practitioners, family physicians, and specialist physicians with signed approved opportunities with the Nova Scotia Health Authority or the IWK Health Centre.

To be eligible, the applicant must:

• Be a general physician or a specialist physician.
• Have a signed approved offer from the Nova Scotia Health Authority or the IWK Health Centre for a general physician or specialist physician position.
• Have a valid Education Credential Assessment or proof of education and medical training required for licensure in Nova Scotia.
• Be able demonstrate, and verify, sufficient English or French language skills to perform the applicable employment duties (minimum standards depend on the classification of the job).

Skilled Worker

The Skilled Worker stream allows provincial employers to hire foreign workers and international graduates for positions impacted by a skill shortage in the province.

The employer can only hire foreign workers if they have been unable to fill the position with a Canadian or permanent resident.

Criteria and Requirements for the Principal Applicant

To be eligible, the applicant must:

• Be between the ages of 21 and 55.
• Have a full-time, permanent job offer from a provincial employer that provides the prevailing wage for the industry preferably for a NOC 0, A or B occupation.
• If the applicant has an occupation that falls under NOC Skill Level C or D, the applicant must have worked for the employer for at least six (6) months.
• Applicants on a post-graduate work permit whose occupation falls under NOC Skill Level D are not eligible to apply.
• Have legal status in Canada or in their country of residence (if applying from outside Canada).
• Have completed the equivalent of a high-school diploma, and have the required education, training and qualifications for the position.
• Be able demonstrate, and verify, sufficient English or French language skills to perform the applicable employment duties (minimum CLB 5 for NOC 0, A or B jobs, and minimum CLB 4 for NOC C or D jobs).
• Have a minimum of 12 months (1560 hours) of work experience within the last 5 years related to the position and skills for the job.
• Have to demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the Province, genuine intention and ability to live in Nova Scotia.
• Show enough financial resources to successfully settle in Nova Scotia.

Criteria and Requirements for the Employer

• The business must have a permanent establishment in Nova Scotia.
• The employer’s business must have been in operation in Nova Scotia, under current management, for at least two years.
• Most employers who wish to recruit and hire foreign workers for employment in Nova Scotia must obtain a Foreign Worker Employer Registration Certificate from Labour Standards.
• The employer must make a full time, permanent job offer for a job preferably for a NOC Level O, A or B.
• The job, located in Nova Scotia, must have salary that meets Provincial employment standards and prevailing wage rates, be a position which has a shortage of qualified permanent residents or Canadian citizens to fill the position, and must not contravene any existing bargaining unit agreements, labour agreements/standards or be involved in any employment disputes.
• The employer needs to satisfactorily demonstrate recruitment efforts to fill the position with a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.

Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry

The Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry stream selects highly skilled individuals who wish to live in Nova Scotia permanently and either have a 1 year or longer full-time job offer from a Nova Scotia employer or have a reasonable ability to attach quickly to Nova Scotia’s labour market based on extensive eligibility criteria.

The Nova Scotia Office of Immigration reserves the right to consider only certain types of occupations for nomination, depending on current labour market needs.

There are two categories under the Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry stream:

Category A: Arranged employment in Nova Scotia

Applicants have a permanent full-time job offer in NOC 0, A or B from a Nova Scotia employer. This requirement can be met if the applicant currently works on a work permit based on a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), or is offered a permanent, full-time position with a new employer who has a positive LMIA. If the applicant currently works in Canada on a work permit that is LMIA exempt under an international agreement or a federal-provincial agreement, they may also meet the requirement of arranged employment.

Category B: Paid Work Experience in an Opportunity Occupation

Applicants must have at least one year of continuous full-time (or 1,560 hours or more) or an equal amount in part-time paid work experience in the last 6 years in one of the opportunity occupations in Nova Scotia.

Once the applicant have determined that they meet the eligibility criteria in one of the two categories, they must also meet all minimum requirements for the Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry stream, obtain sufficient points under the selection factors, and show sufficient financial resources to settle in Nova Scotia.

Criteria and Requirements for the Principal Applicant

To be eligible, the applicant must:

• Have been accepted into IRCC’s Express Entry system and have a valid Express Entry key code.
• Score a minimum of 67 points out of 100 points on the Nova Scotia PNP point assessment grid.
• Have a valid foreign diploma, certificate or credential and its educational credential equivalency assessment by a designated body or Canadian educational credential.
• Have a minimum of one year of full-time (or equivalent part-time) paid work experience (in Canada or international) in the last 6 years in NOC 2016 Skill Type 0, Skill Level A or B.
• Be able demonstrate, and verify, sufficient English or French language skills to perform the applicable employment duties (minimum of CLB 7 required in each of the 4 language abilities).
• Demonstrate enough financial resources to successfully settle in Nova Scotia and want to live there permanently.

If all eligibility criteria are met and the applicant receives nomination under the Nova Scotia Nominee Program, a nomination will be made in the Express Entry system. Once the applicant accepts the nomination within the Express Entry system, IRCC will issue an Invitation to Apply for permanent residence, and the applicant will be given 60 days to submit an electronic permanent residence application.

Nova Scotia Experience: Express Entry

The Nova Scotia Experience: Express Entry stream selects highly skilled applicants who want to live in Nova Scotia on a permanent basis. To be eligible for this stream the applicant must have at least one year of experience working in Nova Scotia in a high skilled occupation.

Criteria and Requirements for the Principal Applicant

To be eligible, the applicant must:

• Be between the ages of 21 and 55.
• Have been accepted into IRCC’s Express Entry system and have a valid Express Entry key code.
• Have at least 12 months full-time (or an equal amount in part-time) skilled work (Skill type 0, A, B) experience in Nova Scotia in the three years before you apply.
• Have completed Canadian secondary educational credential or a completed equivalent foreign educational credential and an Educational Credential Assessment issued for the foreign credential.
• Be able demonstrate, and verify, sufficient English or French language skills to perform the applicable employment duties (minimum CLB 7 for NOC 0 and A jobs, and minimum CLB 5 for NOC B jobs).
• Demonstrate the ability to become economically established in Nova Scotia and intention to live in the province permanently.

If all eligibility criteria are met and the applicant receives nomination under the Nova Scotia Nominee Program, a nomination will be made in the Express Entry system. Once the applicant accepts the nomination within the Express Entry system, IRCC will issue an Invitation to Apply for permanent residence, and the applicant will be given 60 days to submit an electronic permanent residence application.

Nova Scotia: Labour Market Priorities

The Nova Scotia: Labour Market Priorities Stream selects applicants in the federal Express Entry system who meet provincial labour market needs to apply for nomination.

The Nova Scotia Office of Immigration reserves the right to consider only certain types of occupations for nomination, depending on current labour market needs.

Criteria and Requirements for the Principal Applicant

To be eligible, the applicant must:

• Have been accepted into IRCC’s Express Entry system and have a valid Express Entry key code.
• Receive a Letter of Interest from Nova Scotia through the IRCC online account.
• Demonstrate that they meet the minimum work experience requirements of the Express Entry stream for which they have qualified.
• Demonstrate the ability to become economically established in Nova Scotia and intention to live in the province permanently.

If all eligibility criteria are met and the applicant receives nomination under the Nova Scotia Nominee Program, a nomination will be made in the Express Entry system. Once the applicant accepts the nomination within the Express Entry system, IRCC will issue an Invitation to Apply for permanent residence, and the applicant will be given 60 days to submit an electronic permanent residence application.