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PNP Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia, situated on Canada’s Atlantic coast, offers a variety of unique Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs). These programs are specifically designed to attract and retain newcomers who can address workforce shortages and contribute significantly to the province’s economy and communities.

NOVA SCOTIA HAS FOUR NOMINEE PROGRAM STREAMS:

  • Nova Scotia: Express Entry
  • Skilled Worker
  • Nova Scotia Graduate
  • Entrepreneur

Since February 18, 2026, these four streams have replaced the province’s ten former streams. The former Nova Scotia Experience: Express Entry and Labour Market Priorities streams are now part of Nova Scotia: Express Entry; the Physician, Critical Construction Worker and Occupations in Demand criteria are now part of Skilled Worker; International Graduates in Demand is now Nova Scotia Graduate; and International Graduate Entrepreneur is now part of Entrepreneur. Candidates submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) and may be invited to apply.

Find out more about the requirements and eligibility by selecting each stream, or contact us for a consultation.

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia: Express Entry

The Nova Scotia: Express Entry stream selects highly skilled individuals in the federal Express Entry pool who wish to live in Nova Scotia permanently.

This stream also includes criteria for physicians who have an approved opportunity from the Nova Scotia Health Authority or the IWK Health Centre and have signed a Return for Service Agreement of at least two years. Nova Scotia may also send a Notice of Interest to selected Express Entry candidates whose profiles match the province’s labour market priorities.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA (SKILLED WORK EXPERIENCE IN NOVA SCOTIA):

To be eligible for applying to this stream, applicants must:

  • Be between 21 and 55 years old
  • Have a valid profile in the federal Express Entry pool
  • Have at least one (1) year of work experience in Nova Scotia in an occupation classified as NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 (experience gained on a post-graduation work permit counts only if the applicant graduated from an institution in Nova Scotia)
  • Have a valid language test score in either English or French equal to CLB 7 for TEER 0 and 1 occupations, or CLB 5 for TEER 2 and 3 occupations
  • Have a Canadian high school credential or its equivalent

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia Skilled Worker

The Nova Scotia Skilled Worker stream helps Nova Scotia employers recruit foreign workers and recent international graduates for positions they have not been able to fill with Canadian citizens or permanent residents.

Post-graduation work permit holders working in TEER 5 positions are not eligible. The stream also includes specific criteria for construction workers, for physicians hired by the Nova Scotia Health Authority or the IWK Health Centre, and for occupations in demand identified by the province.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:

To be eligible for applying to this stream, applicants must:

  • Have a full-time, permanent job offer from a Nova Scotia employer, at a competitive wage for the industry
  • Have at least one (1) year of work experience related to the job (for NOC TEER 4 and 5 positions, six months of this experience must be with the current employer)
  • Be between 21 and 55 years old
  • Have a high school diploma (applicants in construction may instead show completion of a construction-specific industry training program)
  • Meet the minimum language requirement:
  • CLB 5 in English or French for NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 positions (native English or French speakers meet this requirement without a test)
  • CLB 4 for NOC TEER 4 or 5 positions, proven by test results (including for native speakers)

Nova Scotia

Physicians

Physicians no longer have a separate stream. Since February 18, 2026, general practitioners and family physicians (NOC 31102) and specialists (NOC 31100 and 31101) with an approved opportunity from the Nova Scotia Health Authority or the IWK Health Centre apply under the physician criteria of the Skilled Worker stream. Physicians who are in the federal Express Entry pool and have signed a Return for Service Agreement of at least two years may instead apply under the physician criteria of Nova Scotia: Express Entry.

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia Entrepreneur

The Nova Scotia Entrepreneur stream is designed to target experienced business owners or senior business managers who want to live in Nova Scotia, start a new business or buy an existing one, and actively manage it day to day. After operating the business for one year, they may be nominated for permanent residence.

Application is by invitation only: candidates submit an Expression of Interest and may be invited to apply.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:

To be eligible for applying to this stream, applicants must:

  • Be at least 21 years old
  • Have a valid language test score in either English or French equal to Canadian Language Benchmark Level 5 (CLB 5) in speaking, listening, reading and writing
  • Have at least three (3) years of experience actively owning and managing a business (with at least one-third ownership), or more than five (5) years in a senior business management role
  • Have a personal net worth of at least $600,000 CAD ($400,000 CAD if the business will be outside the Halifax Regional Municipality)
  • Invest at least $150,000 CAD of personal funds in the business ($100,000 CAD outside the Halifax Regional Municipality)

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia Entrepreneur – International Graduate Criteria

Since February 18, 2026, the former International Graduate Entrepreneur stream has been part of the Entrepreneur stream. These criteria are designed for recent graduates of a Nova Scotia university or the Nova Scotia Community College who have started or bought a business in Nova Scotia.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:

To be eligible for applying under these criteria, applicants must:

  • Submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) and receive an invitation to apply
  • Have completed a degree or diploma after at least two (2) academic years of full-time, in-person study at a Nova Scotia university or the Nova Scotia Community College
  • Have at least one (1) year of continuous active management and ownership of their current Nova Scotia business, with at least 33.33% ownership
  • Hold a valid post-graduation work permit
  • Have a valid language test score in either English or French equal to Canadian Language Benchmark Level 7 (CLB 7) in all four language skills

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia Graduate

The Nova Scotia Graduate stream is designed to target recent international graduates of Nova Scotia institutions whose education matches specific in-demand occupations and who have a job offer in that occupation.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:

To be eligible for applying to this stream, applicants must:

  • Have a full-time, permanent job offer from a Nova Scotia employer in one of the listed occupations, matching their recent field of study: paramedical occupations (NOC 32102), pharmacy technicians (NOC 32124), nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates (NOC 33102), or early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 42202)
  • Be between 19 and 55 years old
  • Have a high school diploma
  • Have completed an eligible program at a Nova Scotia designated learning institution within the three (3) years before applying; the program must be at least 30 weeks long (24 weeks for NOC 33102), and at least 50% of it must have been completed in Nova Scotia
  • Hold any certification from a Nova Scotia regulatory body that the job requires
  • Have a valid language test score equal to Canadian Language Benchmark Level 5 (CLB 5)
  • Have sufficient funds to settle in Nova Scotia

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