Eligible candidates, potential immigrants with the skills and experience targeted by Nova Scotia through The Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP) streams, may be nominated to immigrate.
NSNP was launched in 2003 to help address the province’s economic and labour market needs through immigration.
With the introduction and continued development of the NSNP and the positive effects of the launch of the Atlantic Immigration Pilot (AIP) in 2017, immigration to Nova Scotia has tripled over the past 20 years.
Both PNP and AIP help transition international graduates and temporary workers to permanent residence.
Nova Scotia Labour Market Priorities
This stream selects candidates from the federal Express Entry system who meet provincial labour market eligibility requirements to apply for nomination.
The Nova Scotia Office of Immigration will send the Letter of Interest to the Candidates. Those who received the Letter of Interest may apply to this stream; otherwise, their application is invalid.
To apply, the candidates must:
- Receive a Letter of Interest within the Express Entry system.
- Submit their application within 30 calendar days after they receive the letter of interest.
- Meet the minimum work experience requirements of which Express Entry stream they qualified.
- Demonstrate sufficient funds to establish the candidates and their families in Nova Scotia successfully.
- Have legal status in their current country of residence.
- Meet eligibility criteria in place at the time they issued a Letter of Interest, and
- Meet all the IRCC criteria for the Express Entry pool and have a valid application number
If you have received a Letter of Interest, complete the form online on the website and include all required information and attachments.
Labour Market Priorities for Physicians
This stream selects through the federal Express Entry system only those doctors who have received an approved offer from the Nova Scotia Health Authority or the IWK Health Center and a Letter of Interest from Labour, Skills and Immigration (LSI).
General practitioners and family physicians (NOC 31102) and specialist physicians (NOC 31100 and NOC 31101) will receive a Letter of Interest once LSI is notified of the candidate’s Express Entry profile number and a signed approved offer with the Nova Scotia Health Authority or the IWK Health Centre.
To apply for this stream, the candidates must:
- Have an approved offer from the NSHA or IWK as either a general practitioner and family physician (NOC 31102) or a specialist physician (NOC 31100 and NOC 31101);
- provide a copy of a signed Return for Service Agreement indicating a commitment to live and work for a minimum period of two years in Nova Scotia;
- Received a Letter of Interest and applied within 30 calendar days from the Letter of Interest was issued;
- Meet the Express Entry work experience requirements for which the candidate has qualified;
- Demonstrate sufficient funds to establish themselves and their family successfully.
- Have legal status in their current country of residence.
Physician
The Physician Stream assists Nova Scotia’s public health authorities in hiring general practitioners, family physicians, and specialist physicians with the required skills for positions they have been unable to fill with permanent residents or Canadian citizens to work in Nova Scotia.
The Physician Stream is only open to candidates with signed approved opportunities with the Nova Scotia Health Authority or the IWK Health Centre who are general practitioners, family physicians (NOC 31102), and specialist physicians (NOC 31100 and NOC 31101).
The approved opportunity must be on official NSHA or IWK letterhead and must:
- Be signed and dated by the applicant who is accepting the opportunity and the person authorized to hire physicians at the NSHA or IWK,
- Indicate eligibility for licensure with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of NS and the applicant is eligible to apply for privileges and credentials with NSHA and the IWK
Entrepreneur
The Entrepreneur Stream is for experienced business owners or senior business executives who want to live in Nova Scotia.
These candidates must start or buy a business in Nova Scotia. They must be actively involved in the daily management of this Business. The Entrepreneur may be nominated for permanent resident status after operating the Business for one year and can only apply for this stream by invitation.
To be eligible to apply to this stream, the candidates must be 21 years of age or older and want to live in Nova Scotia permanently while owning and actively managing a Nova Scotia business.
The candidates must have a net worth of at least $600,000 CAD, be able to invest at least $150,000 CAD of their own money to establish a business in Nova Scotia, and have at least 3 years of experience actively managing and owning a business or more than 5 years experience in a senior business management role. There are also language requirements that the candidates must have a score of at least 5 on the Canadian Language Benchmark in speaking, listening, reading and writing in English or French.
The candidates must complete an online Expression of Interest and Receive an Invitation to Apply from the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration.
International Graduate Entrepreneur
This stream is for recent graduates of a Nova Scotia university or the Nova Scotia Community College. These new graduates must have already started or bought a Nova Scotia business and operated for at least a year. The graduate may be nominated for permanent resident status if they intend to settle in Nova Scotia. Application to the stream is by invitation only.
- To be eligible for this stream, the candidates must want to live in Nova Scotia permanently while owning and actively managing a Nova Scotia business and have at least one year’s continuous experience actively managing and owning their current Nova Scotia business.
- The candidates must have completed a degree at a university in Nova Scotia or the Nova Scotia Community College after at least 2 academic years of full-time, in-person study and have a valid post-graduation work permit.
- There is also a language requirement for the candidates to score at least 7 on the Canadian Language Benchmark in English or French.
- The candidates must complete an online Expression of Interest and receive an Invitation to Apply from the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration.
International Graduates In Demand
This stream is for recent international graduates whose skills and education match specific National Occupational Classification (NOC) job categories, which are:
NOC 32102: Paramedical occupations
NOC 32124: Pharmacy technicians
NOC 33102: nurse aides, orderlies, and patient service associates
NOC 42202: early childhood educators and assistants
To be eligible for this stream, the candidates must have a full-time permanent job offer from a Nova Scotia employer in one of the job categories listed above that corresponds with their recent field of study.
The candidates must be 21 to 55 years old, have a high school diploma, and have met the requirements for completing a course of study within three years of their application. The program must have been at least 30 weeks long and completed at least 50% of the program in Nova Scotia.
The candidates must have certifications issued by NS regulatory bodies required for the job and show enough financial resources to settle in Nova Scotia successfully.
There is also a language requirement that the candidates must have their language ability equal to Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) Level 5 even if their first language is English or French.
Skilled Worker
The Skilled Worker stream helps employers hire foreign workers and recently graduated international students whose skills are needed in Nova Scotia to fill positions they cannot fill with permanent residents or Canadian citizens.
To be eligible for this stream, the candidates must have a full-time permanent job offer from a Nova Scotia employer and have 1 year of work experience related to the job.
TEER category 4 or 5 of the National Occupational Classification workers must already have six months of experience with the employer.
The candidates must be 21 to 55 years old, have a high school diploma, and have the appropriate training, skills and/or accreditation for the job.
There is also a requirement that the candidates must prove their language ability equal to Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) Level 5 if their NOC TEER category is 0, 1, 2, or 3 occupations.
That is enough proof if the candidate’s first language is English or French. The workers in a NOC TEER category 4 or 5 occupations must have test results to prove they meet CLB 4, even if their first language is English or French.
The candidates also show that they have enough financial resources to settle successfully in Nova Scotia.
Occupations in Demand
The Occupations in Demand stream targets specific TEER categories 3, 4 or 5 occupations of the National Occupational Classification in high labour market demand in Nova Scotia. Labour, Skills and Immigration identify occupations in demand based on labour market information, and eligible occupations are subject to change.
To be eligible to apply, the candidates must have a full-time permanent job offer from a Nova Scotia employer in either NOC group below:
- NOC 33102 (Nurse Aides)
- NOC 65200 (Food and beverage servers)
- NOC 65201 (Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations)
- NOC 65310 (Light duty cleaners)
- NOC 73300 (Transport truck drivers)
- NOC 73400 (Heavy equipment operators)
- NOC 75110 (Construction trades helpers and labourers
The candidates have 1 year of work experience related to the job, have the appropriate training, skills, and/or accreditation, and show enough financial resources to settle successfully in Nova Scotia.
The candidates must be 21 to 55 and have a high school diploma.
They also must prove their language skills equal to Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) Level 4, even if their first language is English or French.
Critical Construction Worker Pilot
The Critical Construction Worker Pilot – Job Offer Pathway is only for people with a permanent, full-time job offer from a Nova Scotia employer, listed below.
To be eligible to apply, the candidates must have a full-time permanent job offer from a Nova Scotia employer in one of these NOCs:
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- 70010 – Construction managers
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- 70011 – Home building and renovation managers
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- 72011 – Contractors and supervisors, electrical trades and telecommunications occupations
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- 72014 – Contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers
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- 72020 – Contractors and supervisors, mechanic trades
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- 72106 – Welders and related machine operators
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- 72200 – Electricians (except industrial and power system)
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- 72201 – Industrial electricians
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- 72401 – Heavy-duty equipment mechanics
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- 72402 – Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics
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- 73100 – Concrete finishers
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- 73102 – Plasterers, drywall installers and, finishers and lathers
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- 73110 – Roofers and shinglers
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- 73200 – Residential and commercial installers and servicers
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- 73400 – Heavy equipment operators
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- 75101 – Material handlers
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- 75110 – Construction trades helpers and labourers
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- 75119 – Other trades helpers and labourers
- The candidates must be 21 to 55 years old, have 1 year of work experience related to the job, have a high school diploma OR proof they have completed a construction-specific industry training program and show enough financial resources to settle in Nova Scotia successfully.
- There is also a language requirement for the candidates. They must prove their language skills equal to Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) Level 5 (NOC TEER 0, 1, 2, 3) or CLB Level 4 (NOC TEER 4 and 5), even if their first language is English or French.
Nova Scotia Experience: Express Entry
The Nova Scotia Experience: Express Entry stream selects highly skilled individuals who wish to live permanently in Nova Scotia. Applicants must have at least one year of experience working in Nova Scotia in an occupation at TEER category 0, 1, 2, or 3 of the National Occupational Classification.
Recent changes to the Express Entry Stream:
The Department of Labour recently changed the Skills and Immigration on Nova Scotia Experience Express Entry stream on June 9, 2022. See the latest changes on the Nova Scotia government website.
To be eligible for this stream, the candidates must be 21 to 55 years old, have a Canadian high school credential or equivalent and have at least 1 year of work experience in Nova Scotia.
The language requirement for this stream is to prove language ability is CLB 7 for skilled work in the National Occupational Classification (NOC) category 0 and 1 and CLB 5 for NOC category 2 and 3 positions in English or French on the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB).
The candidates must have a profile registered in Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s Express Entry system.
Healthcare Professionals Immigration Pilot (Letter Of Interest)
This stream is not a Labour Market Priorities draw.
Any candidate who received a Letter of Interest from Nova Scotia in your Express Entry profile on November 3, 2023, is invited to participate in the Healthcare Professionals Immigration Pilot.
Suppose the candidate receives a valid job offer from a Nova Scotia healthcare employer. In that case, they may apply to the Nova Scotia Nominee Program: Skilled Worker stream or the Atlantic Immigration Program.
The candidate’s profile will continue to be included in the federal Express Entry pool. However, please note if the candidates participate in the Healthcare Professionals Immigration Pilot and are nominated under the Skilled Worker stream or endorsed under the Atlantic Immigration Program, they will NOT receive 600 points in your Express Entry profile. Only non-Express Entry immigration pathways are used in the Healthcare Professionals Immigration Pilot.
The Nova Scotia Nominee Program: Skilled Worker Stream helps employers recruit foreign workers and recently graduated international students whose skills are needed in Nova Scotia. An employer can only hire foreign workers for positions they have been unable to fill with permanent residents or Canadian citizens.
The requirements for the Nova Scotia Nominee Program: Skilled Worker Stream are:
- Job offer from a Nova Scotia employer
- A valid passport and legal status in the country of residence
- Proof of secondary school graduation in the home country
- Proof you have language ability equivalent to CLB 5 in either official language
- A reference letter showing one year of work experience in a role related to the healthcare field
- The intention to permanently settle and reside in Nova Scotia
The Atlantic Immigration Program is a federal immigration program that helps employers recruit skilled foreign workers and international graduates to meet labour needs.
The requirements for the Atlantic Immigration Program are:
- Job offer from an organization designated under the Atlantic Immigration Program
- A valid passport and legal status in the country of residence
- Canadian high school diploma or the equivalent from outside Canada with an educational credential assessment
- Language test showing a minimum of CLB 5 in either official language
- A reference letter indicating one year of work experience in a role related to the healthcare field
- The intention to permanently settle and reside in Nova Scotia
