Move to Nova Scotia under the Nominee Program

Skilled workers wanting to settle in Nova Scotia can see their permanent residency visa approved faster by applying through the Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP).

You will need to submit your application to the province first and then apply for a permanent resident visa through Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) as a Provincial Nominee, once Nova Scotia approves your application.

The NSNP is divided in six different program streams:

  • Agri-Food Sector
  • Skilled Worker
  • Family Business Worker
  • Non-Dependent Child of Nova Scotia Nominees
  • International Graduate
  • Community Identified

Agri-Food Sector

This stream creates jobs and boosts rural economies by bringing migrants with agricultural skills to Nova Scotia. A joint venture between the Office of Immigration and the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture, the Agri-Food Sector pilot stream is aimed at immigrants interested in agri-food primary production and/or value added production.

To be eligible to apply under this stream, you must:

  • Have legal status in your country of residence
  • Be between the ages of 21 and 55
  • Have completed the equivalent to a Canadian high school diploma, with a minimum of 12 years of education and/or training from a recognised institution and/or authority
  • Provide proof of sufficient English or French language proficiency to be employable and functional in Nova Scotia upon arrival based on documentation of language proficiency
  • Travel to Nova Scotia for at least one five-day period to explore farming opportunities. During this visit, you must meet with representatives of the Department of Agriculture who will inform and guide you in the Nova Scotia agri-food sector. You must also have an interview with a nominee officer from the Office of Immigration who will provide you with information about the application process.
  • Have a minimum of three years experience in farm ownership, farm management or practical farming experience, with skills relevant to Nova Scotia farming conditions
  • Have marketable skills to supplement farm income (or your spouse)
  • Demonstrate that you have sufficient settlement supports and financial resources, including transferable funds in your name, in order to pay your immigration costs and travel expenses (if applicable) and to successfully establish yourself and your family in the agri-food sector
  • Have a minimum personal net worth of CA$150,000 (after relocation to Nova Scotia, but before the farm is purchased)
  • Make a minimum equity investment of CA$100,000 in a new or existing farming operation in capital assets (land, machinery) or working capital
  • Plan to establish a farm, purchase a farm or become partner in an existing farm business. If you invest in an existing farm business, you must control at least 33.33% and take an active part in the operation of the business
  • Submit a detailed agri-business plan < http://gov.ns.ca/agri/bde/news/pdfs/AgriBusinessPlan.pdf > with your application form

NB: A qualifying farming business must demonstrate a minimum annual revenue of CA$10,000. Hobby farms are not eligible.

Skilled Worker

The NSNP Skilled Worker stream is employment driven. The NPSP will only consider certain types of jobs and occupations to approve for nomination.

Applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis. Provincial priorities may change as skill shortages are identified or met by permanent residents or Canadian citizens. Therefore, priority will be given to Skilled Workers whose employers:

  • Have made a genuine effort to recruit qualified Canadian citizens or permanent residents
  • Can demonstrate that they will provide additional supports to assist newcomers with their settlement needs
  • Have an acceptable strategy to recruit and retain immigrant workers in Nova Scotia

 
To be eligible to apply under the Skilled Worker stream, you must:

  • Have legal status in your country of residence
  • Wish to settle permanently in Nova Scotia
  • Have sufficient settlement supports
  • Have a permanent, full-time job offer in Nova Scotia from an established Nova Scotia business.

o The job offer must provide compensation in the form of a salary and benefits package that meets provincial employment standards and prevailing wage rates

o Priority will be awarded to positions with minimum salary in excess of $10.00/hour or a minimum annual wage in excess of CA$20,000

  • Be sufficient to retain the Skilled Worker in Nova Scotia and not contravene existing bargaining unit agreements or any employment disputes
  • Have the qualifications, training or transferable skills, work experience, and licensing or accreditation required for the job or a suitable plan to obtain the necessary
  • Meet the minimum criteria for age, education, work experience, and language ability requirements for this stream

For more information on how to apply, consult the NSNP Skilled Worker Stream Application Guide.

Family Business Worker

The Family Business Worker stream is employer driven, and allows Canadian business owner/employers to hire close relatives that have the required skills for positions they have been unable to fill with a permanent resident or Canadian citizen.

To be eligible, you must be related to the family business owner or to his his/her spouse, common-law or conjugal partner as a son/daughter, brother/sister, niece/nephew, uncle/aunt, or grandchild. Step- or half-relatives also count.

Additional eligibility criteria are much the same as for the Skilled Worker stream.

Non-Dependent Child of Nova Scotia Nominees

This category is for non-dependent children on NSNP approved applicants and is dependent on the current labour market needs within the province.

To be eligible you must:

  • Have a minimum of one year of full-time work experience in the last five years in your field of study and/or have the intention and ability to enter the Nova Scotia labour market
  • Have been named in your parent’s Nova Scotia Nominee Program application on the IMM 0008 Generic Application for Permanent Residence in Canada form or on the IMM 5406 Additional Family Information form
  • Meet all the age, education, language ability, employability and financial requirements
  • Have completed at least one year of post-secondary education, a training program or apprenticeship and received a degree, diploma or certificate issued by an accredited institution

Your NSNP approved parent must:

  • Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada, and have been nominated under the NSNP
  • Be the parent of a child who was named in your original application to permanent residence to the Nova Scotia Nominee Program on the IMM 0008 Generic - Application for Permanent Residence in Canada form or on the IMM 5406 - Additional Family Information form
  • Have established a family residence in Nova Scotia within six months of obtaining permanent resident status in Canada, and you have remained a resident of this province
  • Have been a resident of Nova Scotia for at least three three consecutive months immediately before this application is submitted and are still residing in Nova Scotia at the time of the submission of the Nova Scotia Nominee Program application for the non-dependent child (For newly arrived immigrants only)
  • Remain a resident of Nova Scotia throughout the application process and continue to be a resident of Nova Scotia province when your child arrives in Nova Scotia with permanent resident status

International Graduate

The International Graduate stream is highly similar to the Skilled Worker stream. As such, it is employer driven.

To be eligible under the NSNP stream as an International Graduate, you must:

To be eligible to apply to the International Graduate stream, the International Graduate must:

  • Have graduated within the last three years from a program of at least one academic year of full-time study in Canada and have received a certificate, diploma, or degree from a provincially-recognised post-secondary institution in Canada
  • Have legal status in Canada on a temporary work permit
  • Have a permanent, full-time job offer from an employer in Nova Scotia in your field of study and at an acceptable level and have been working full-time in that position for at least three months. The job offer must:

o Be for a position which meets Nova Scotia Nominee Program requirements with respect to type and skill level;

o Have compensation in the form of salary and benefits package that meets provincial employment standards and prevailing wage rates. Priority will be awarded to positions with minimum salary in excess of $10.00/hour or a minimum annual wage in excess of CA$20,000 Canadian

o Have compensation which is sufficient to retain the  worker in Nova Scotia;

o Not contravene existing bargaining unit agreements;

o Have the qualifications, training, skills, and  accreditation required for the job or a suitable plan to obtain the necessary training and skills;

o Demonstrate intention and ability to settle permanently in Nova Scotia;

o Have sufficient settlement supports;

o Meet the minimum criteria for age, education and language ability for this stream
 
For more information on how to apply, please refer to the NSNP International Graduate Stream Application Guide.

Community Identified

According to the Novia Scotia Office of Immigration, the Community Identified stream of the Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP) is “aimed at selecting individuals who have long established connections to a Nova Scotia community, wish to live there permanently, and are employable and can contribute to the labour market and economy of that specific community.

“This stream is community-driven. The applicant must have a Letter of Identification from an organisation mandated by the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration before submitting an application to the Nova Scotia Nominee Program. The list of mandated organisations is found in Appendix 3 of the NSNP Community Identified Application Guide.”

There is no application fee for the Community Idetified stream, and applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis.

To be eligible under the NSNP Community Identified stream, you must:

  • Not be eligible for any other NSNP streams
  • Have legal status in your country of residence
  • Have a Letter of Identification from a mandated community organisation
  • Have long established connections in the specific community which provided the Letter of Identification
  • Wish to settle permanently in that Nova Scotian community
  • Have sufficient settlement supports
  • Be employable (i.e. have skills, training and work experience for future employment in a field or sector required by that community)
  • Meet the minimum criteria for age, education and language ability requirements for this stream