Nova Scotia Provincial Nominee Program (NSNP)

The Nova Scotia Nominee Program. A program supported by the Canadian Government and the provincial government itself. It will be them welcoming you as an immigrant and citizen of Canada with open arms. Your occupational experience, language test, and IELTS test scores, qualifications, work experience as a temporary foreign worker, Canadian work permit, sponsorship, etc. can play a major role in fulfilling your dreams of immigrating to Canada and becoming a permanent resident of Canada and Nova Scotia using the NSNP program.

What is  Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP)?

The Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP), a Provincial Nominee Program, is an initiative by the government of Nova Scotia, supported by the government of Canada, to select immigrants who fit the labour gaps of their province. If you have a skill that matches the jobs they have available or the labour-market of Nova Scotia, you have a chance to be nominated by this program and become a permanent resident of Canada. Not just you alone, even your common-law partner, spouse, and children can reap the same privilege. 

Can I apply for Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP)?

Under this program, you have a good opportunity to avail yourself of permanent residency status in Canada.  There are many streams you can apply through. The various streams and their qualification criteria are discussed below:

Nova Scotia Labor Market Priorities

This stream is for those candidates who are in the federal Express Entry system. You must meet the provincial labour market needs of the territory to apply for nomination. The eligibility criteria of this stream are as follows

• You should have a letter of interest from the NSNP under the Express Entry Program
• After that you receive the letter of interest, you have to submit your application within a time span of 30 days.
• You must qualify the occupational experience criteria of the Express Entry Program.
• You must have proof that you have funds enough to take care of you and your dependents and family.
• Your financial well-being must be good enough to be able to pay for your immigration and travel.
• Your Express Entry profile number must be valid and you must meet all the criteria of the IRCC

Labour Market Priorities for Physicians

This stream is for physicians who have applied for permanent residence status in Canada through the federal Express Entry system. Candidates who are approved by either of the two, one is the Nova Scotia Health Authority and the second is the IWK Health Centre, can apply. This stream’s eligibility criteria are given below in pointers:

• You must have an opportunity available by the NSHA or IWK. This opportunity should allow you to work as a specialist, a family physician, or as a general practitioner.
• You should have signed with a Return of Service Agreement stating that you will live and work in Nova Scotia province for at least 2 years. 
• Also, a letter of interest from the NSNP is required.
• Upon receiving your letter of interest, submit your application within 30 days.
• You must qualify the work experience criteria of the Express Entry Program.
• You must have proof that you have funds enough to take care of you and your dependents and family.
• Your financial well-being must be good enough to be able to pay for your immigration and travel.

The Entrepreneur Stream

If you have experience as a business owner or a senior business manager and want to gain citizenship in Canada and permanent resident status in Nova Scotia, this stream is for you. To qualify for this stream, you have to meet the eligibility criteria as given below.

• You must age 21 or older
• You must wish to become a permanent resident in Nova Scotia. During this time you must have a desire to own and manage a Nova Scotia business.
• You must personally be worth $600,000CAD and invest $150,000CAD to your business in Nova Scotia.
• You previously must have owned or managed a business for at least 3 years.
• To price your language proficiency, you should score 5 CLB in English or French in all 4 aspects of language. 
• You must also fill out and submit an Expression of Interest online.
• Then you should also have a formal Invitation from the Office of Immigration to apply in Nova Scotia.

The Skilled Worker Stream

If you are a foreign worker or an international student and your skills fill gaps in the labour market of Nova Scotia, this stream is for you. Your employer must hire you for jobs, roles, or positions which they are very less likely to fill with the permanent residents or the citizens of Canada.

Eligibility criteria are as follows:

• You must have a job offer that is permanent and for full time work from an employer residing in Nova Scotia
• You must have a min of 1 year of experience in the occupation that you wish to pursue in Nova Scotia
• Your age should be within the bracket of 21 to 55 years.
• You must have a high school diploma
• You must prove your language skills with a test score of 5 CLB if you are a skilled worker. You will require a score of 4 CBL in French or English especially if you are either a semi-skilled or a low-skilled worker.
• You must have proof that you have funds enough to take care of you and your dependents and family.

The Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry stream

You can apply for permanent residence through this stream if you are a highly skilled worker. You must also have a high probability of finding a job quickly in Nova Scotia’s labour market. The criteria for eligibility in this stream are given below as follows.

• In the Express Entry system, your profile must have scored 67 points or more in accordance with the 6 selection factor ranking system of the program.
• You must have an opportunity to work in Nova Scotia given by an employer residing in the province. The job offer must be for a min of one year after a permanent Visa is given. 
• You must have a min of 1 year of work experience in the field you wish to pursue in Nova Scotia
• You must have educational qualifications equivalent to the credentials of the Canadian high school.
• Proof of language skills with a test score of CBL 7 in English or French must be submitted.
• You must have proof that you have funds enough to take care of you and your dependents and family.

The Nova Scotia Experience: Express Entry stream

Choose this stream if you’re a highly skilled worker and would love to be a citizen or a permanent resident in the province of Nova Scotia. 1-year work experience in a highly-skilled occupation is a must to qualify for this. The experience must be in this province itself. To qualify for this stream you must meet the eligibility criteria given below.

• You must have worked in Nova Scotia as a temporary foreign worker.

• You must have a min of 1 year of occupational experience working in the province of Nova Scotia
• You must be of age 21-55
• You must have educational qualifications in accordance with the Canadian equivalent of high school
• Proof of language ability with a test score of 7 COB is to be submitted.
• You must have maintained an active Express Entry profile online. 

Apart from Nova Scotia, the other provinces such as British Columbia, Ontario,  Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Alberta, Yukon, Prince Edward Island, and Saskatchewan, all have their own provincial nominee programs. If Nova Scotia isn’t the province for you, you can check the eligibility criteria of the streams of programs of all these provinces. The province of Quebec has a different program to nominate applicants for Canadian citizenship and a resident visa or permanent Canadian residence.  

Choose wisely.  Quickly check if you are qualifying for the application process according to the standards set by the Canadian Immigration Law since the applications are few and opportunities and many!