Nova Scotia PNP

The Canadian Province of Nova Scotia has its own immigration program that allows the province to select and nominate skilled workers to suit its labour market needs. Nova Scotia’s Provincial Nominee Program, also referred to as the Nova Scotia PNP, involves several immigration streams that allow successful applicants to come to Nova Scotia and become Canadian Permanent Residents.

Update: Skilled Worker Application Guide Changes As of Sept. 16, 2016

Atlantic Pilot Program

In 2017, a total of up to 2000 applications will be accepted for the Atlantic Pilot program, a three-stream employer-driven permanent residence program. Every immigrant under this Program will arrive in Atlantic Canada with a job offer and a personalized settlement plan from their employer. No Labour Market Impact Assessment is required, and employers will have access to temporary work permits to fill immediate job vacancies.

Stream One: The Atlantic Intermediate-skilled Program (AISP)

  • Must have full-time job offer for an indeterminate amount of time
  • Job must have National Occupational Classification of 0, A, B, or C
  • Applicants must have one year of experience related to job
  • Applicants must have a high school diploma
  • Level 4 of the Canadian Language Benchmark in English or the Niveau de compétence Linguistique Canadien in French is required

Stream Two: The Atlantic High-skilled Program (AHSP)

  • Must have full-time job offer with a one-year contract
  • Job must have National Occupational Classification of 0, A, or B
  • Applicants must have one year of experience related to job
  • Applicants must have a high school diploma
  • Level 4 of the Canadian Language Benchmark in English or the Niveau de compétence Linguistique Canadien in French is required

Stream Three: The Atlantic International Graduate Program (AIGP) 

  • Must have full-time job offer with a one-year contract
  • Job must have National Occupational Classification of 0, A, or B
  • No prior experience required
  • Applicants must have a two-year diploma from a publicly funed learning institution in Atlantic Canada
  • Level 4 of the Canadian Language Benchmark in English or the Niveau de compétence Linguistique Canadien in French is required

Entrepreneur:

Entrepreneur Stream is for experienced business owners or senior business managers who want to live in Nova Scotia.

  • Must be 21+
  • Plan to live permanently in Nova Scotia while owning and actively managing a Nova Scotia business
  • Have a net worth of $600,000 CAD minimum
  • Capable of investing at least $150,000 CAD of your own money to establish a business in Nova Scotia
  • Have at least 3 years of experience- actively managing and owning a business OR more than 5 years of experience in a senior business management role
  • Score at least a 5 on the Canadian Language Benchmark
  • Complete an online Expression of Interest
  • Receive an Invitation to Apply from the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration.

*After operating the business for a year, the entrepreneur may then be nominated for permanent resident status.

International Graduate Entrepreneur

International Graduate Entrepreneur Stream is for recent graduates of a Nova Scotia university or the Nova Scotia Community College.

  • Intends to live permanently in Nova Scotia while owning and actively managing a Nova Scotia business.
  • Have at least one year’s continuous experience actively managing and owning your current Nova Scotia business.
  • Have completed a degree or diploma after at least 2 academic years of full-time, in-person study at a university in Nova Scotia or the Nova Scotia Community College;
  • Have a valid post-graduation work permit;
  • Have a score of at least 7 on the Canadian Language Benchmark in speaking, listening, reading and writing in English or French;
  • Complete an online Expression of Interest;
  • Receive an Invitation to Apply from the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration.

Skilled Worker:

This stream helps employers recruit foreign workers and recently graduated international students whose skills are needed in Nova Scotia. Priority will be given to workers whose employers have, through recruitment efforts, tried to fill the position with a Canadian permanent resident or citizen. In addition, the employers must demonstrate the ability to be able to provide additional supports to help with settlement needs of the newcomers.

  • Have a full-time permanent job offer from a Nova Scotia employer;
  • Have 1 year of work experience related to the job. (Semi-skilled and low-skilled workers must already have six months’ experience with the employer.);
  • Must be in the ages between 21 to 55
  • Have a high school diploma
  • Have the appropriate training, skills and/or accreditation for the job;
  • Prove language ability equal to Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) Level 5 if you are a skilled worker.
  • Show enough financial resources to successfully settle in Nova Scotia.

 

Skilled Worker: Individuals whose occupation falls within the NOC skill levels O, A or B.

Semi-Skilled Worker: Individuals whose occupation falls within NOC skill level C. Applications may be considered based on six months of work with the Nova Scotia employer who is supporting the application. In addition, applications may be considered based on local labour market requirements and conditions.

Low-Skilled Worker: Individuals whose occupation falls within NOC skill level D. Applicants in this category will only be considered if all of the following eligibility requirements have been met: the applicant has worked for at least six months for the Nova Scotia employer supporting the application, there is strong employer support and there are indicators of success in the application.

Family Business Worker Stream:

This Nova Scotia PNP category is designed for applicants with a family member who is a business owner in Nova Scotia who has been unsuccessful in trying to fill the position with a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.

To be eligible, the family member must be the son, daughter, brother, sister, niece, nephew, uncle, aunt, or grandchild or the business owner.  If the family member in Nova Scotia is interesting in sponsoring a family member, that family member requires the following:

1. A full-time permanent job offer from a close relative who resides and owns a business in Nova Scotia

2. The work experience, expertise and appropriate certification (if necessary to perform the job)

3. Basic minimum age, English proficiency and level of education

Note: At this time, candidates falling within the NOC skill level D will not be considered.

 

Regional Labour Market Demand Stream: [CURRENTLY CLOSED]

The Nova Scotia Regional Labour Market Demand Stream was an extremely popular immigration program that did not require a Canadian job offer or close relation in Canada. The program opened on March 6th, 2014 with the goal of nominating up to 150 skilled workers in 2014 and filled less than two months later. On April 28th, the Nova Scotia Government announced that it would stop accepting applications under the Regional Labour Market Demand stream for 2014.

On April 28th, the government of Nova Scotia government also announced on their website that:

“The stream will open again on January 1st, 2015. Anyone whose application was returned is encouraged to re-apply at that time.”

Preparing in Advance:

While it remains unclear if the government will make any modifications to the date the program opens or the eligibility criteria, some proactive applicants have begun preparing based on last year’s eligibility criteria. If the program does re-open on a limited basis, as it did this year, applicants who prepare in advance may have perfected applications ready as soon as the program opens and maximize their chances of immigrating to Canada under the 2015 Nova Scotia PNP Regional Labour Market Demand Stream.

2014 Nova Scotia Regional Labour Market Demand Stream Eligibility Criteria

The province of Nova Scotia has announced that starting March 6, 2014 they will be accepting applications under the new Regional Labor Market Demand stream, which is designed to attract the brightest skilled workers from around the world and allow them to apply for Canadian permanent residence without first requiring a job offer from a Canadian Employer. According to the Nova Scotia government, the quota for the program is 150 nominations.

Eligibility Criteria:

-Intention to reside and work in Nova Scotia

-Have 2 years of work experience (within the past 5 years), in a high demand and eligible occupation (listed below)

-Have a secondary school diploma along with at least a one year, post-secondary degree diploma or certificate from a recognized educational institution

-Be between the ages of 21 and 55

-Have a minimum language proficiency in English equivalent to the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 5.

PLEASE NOTE: This category is subject to change before it re-open in January of 2015. If you think you may qualify and would like assistance with preparing your application in advance, please do not delay in filling out our online assessment form.

The eligible occupations for the 2014 program included:

  • Managers in Health Care
  • Retail and wholesale trade managers
  • Restaurant and food service managers
  • Financial auditors and accountants
  • Other financial officers
  • Civil engineers
  • Mechanical engineers
  • Electrical and electronics engineers
  • Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers)
  • Information systems analysts and consultants
  • Datatbase analyst and data adminsitrators
  • Software engineers and designers
  • Computer programmers and interactive media developers
  • Specialist physicians
  • General practitioners and family physicians
  • Dentists
  • Pharmacists
  • Audiologists and speech-language pathologists
  • Physiotherapists
  • Occupational therapists
  • Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
  • medical laboratory technologists
  • Respiratory theraposts, clinical perfusionists & cardiopulmonary technologists
  • Medical radiation technologists
  • Medical sonographers
  • Licensed practical nurses
  • Other tehcnical occupations in therapy and assessment
  • Psychologists
  • Early childhood educators and assistants
  • Retail trade supervisors
  • Chefs
  • Cooks
  • Contractors and supervisors, machining, metal forming, shaping and erecting trades and related occupations
  • Machinist and machining and tooling inspectors
  • Inudstrial electricians
  • Mechnical engineering technologists and technicians
  • Electrial and electronics engineering technologists and technicians 
  • Information systems testing technicians
  • Welders and related machine operators
  • Heavy-duty equiment mechanics
  • Automotive service technicians, truck and bus mechanics and mechanical repairers
  • Crane operators
  • Supervisors, other mechnical and metal products manufacturing

Frequently Asked Questions about the Regional Labour Market Demand Stream:

Is an IELTS required?
The Nova Scotia Regional Labour Market Demand Stream allows applicants to choose from several ways of documenting their Language proficiency. An International English Language Test Score (IELTS) is not a requirement, simply one way to demonstrate language.

What Level of Language is Required?
Applications must demonstrate at least an “Initial Intermediate” language ability (Canadian Language Benchmark 5) in English or French. This can be done with a language test OR with education or employment documents indicating English or French as the principal language used.

When will this program reach its cap or fill up?
The Nova Scotia Regional Labour Market Demand Stream will only be nominating 150 candidates. The Nova Scotia government updated its website in late March to explain that it had received a high volume of applications.  It is unclear at this time if weight is being given for the quality of application (choosing the 150 best), time an application was received (first come, first served), a combination of both, etc.  For this reason, it is difficult to tell exactly when next year’s program may fill up.

What if the program reaches the cap and Nova Scotia has not yet approved my nomination?
The government of Nova Scotia has stated that they will provide the “option of withdrawing your application or keeping it in the queue for next year.” This language appears promising for several reasons. It appears that Nova Scotia has the intention of opening the program again and that applicants who are not nominated this year may put themselves in a better position for next year’s program.

For more information about these programs and to learn how FWCanada can help you with your application, fill out the assessment form above.

 Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry

  •  Not accepting new applications at this time.

Nova Scotia Experience: Express Entry

The Nova Scotia Experience: Express Entry stream selects highly skilled individuals who wish to live in Nova Scotia permanently. Applicants must have at least one year of experience working in Nova Scotia in a high skilled occupation.

  • Have at least 1 year of work experience in Nova Scotia;
  • Be 21 to 55 years old;
  • Have a Canadian high school credential or equivalent;
  • Prove language ability in English or French on the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB)
  • Have a profile registered in Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s Express Entry