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
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 choose to 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.
Qualification required for the Entrepreneur Stream:
- 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
The international graduate entrepreneurs stream is for persons who have graduated from a
college or university in Nova Scotia. This stream allows successful candidates to apply for
permanent residence when they get nominated by the province.
Qualification required for the International Graduate Entrepreneur stream:
- You must intend to settle in the province and spend most of your time in Nova Scotia
while operating your business
- You must have already either bought or started your own business that has been operating
for at least one business year within the province
- 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)
- Receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) from the Nova Scotian 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:
Qualification required for the Skilled Worker stream:
- 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)
Qualification for Occupations in Demand stream:
- 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
- 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.
Qualification for Applications Under Category A:
Have a profile that is registered with the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Express Entry system
- Score a minimum 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
- Score at least a 7 on the CLB for both French and English
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.
Qualification for Applications Under Category B:
- 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
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.
Qualification for Nova Scotia Experience Stream: Express Entry:
- 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
- Have a profile that is registered with the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Express Entry system
