The Skilled Worker stream helps employers recruit foreign workers and recently graduated international students whose skills are needed in Nova Scotia. An employer can only hire foreign workers for positions they have been unable to fill with permanent residents or Canadian citizens.
*As of 12 noon ADT, April 17, 2024, the Nova Scotia Provincial Nominee Program has a significant volume of applications for candidates in the Accommodation and Food Services sector awaiting a decision and must stop accepting applications in this sector while processing current inventory.
Age
Language
prove language ability equal to Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) Level 5 if you are in a NOC TEER category 0, 1, 2, or 3 occupation. If your first language is English or French, that is enough proof. Workers in a NOC TEER category 4 or 5 occupation must have test results to prove they meet CLB 4 even if their first language is English or French;
Education Outside Canada
You must demonstrate that you have completed at least secondary (high school) education. You must also have the appropriate training, skills, and/or accreditation required for the job.
For occupations requiring licensing or certification, you must meet licensing or certification requirements in Nova Scotia before applying to the stream.
There is no need to provide an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) for non-Canadian education credentials.
Work/Business Experience
- You have worked 12 complete calendar months within the last 5 years and a minimum of 1,560 hours. This work must be related to the job you are being offered AND it must be paid work.
- It cannot include volunteer work or unpaid internships.
- If your job offer falls under NOC TEER category 4 or 5, you have 6 months’ paid work experience with the Nova Scotia employer who is offering you the job
Wage or Salary
You will be paid a sufficient wage or
salary for your job.
Employer Eligibility
- ” Your employer is a Nova Scotia employer. That means
- If the employer is a commercial business, it must be registered with the Nova Scotia Registry of Joint Stock Companies AND show that it has a permanent establishment in Nova Scotia as defined in Canada’s Income Tax
Act. - If the employer is a not-for-profit organization, it must be registered under the Societies Act.
- The employer must have operated in Nova Scotia for at least 2 years.”
- If the employer is a commercial business, it must be registered with the Nova Scotia Registry of Joint Stock Companies AND show that it has a permanent establishment in Nova Scotia as defined in Canada’s Income Tax
Residing at time of Application
You have proof of your immigration status in the country where you are currently living.
Intention to live in Province
You must show that you have a genuine intention to settle in Nova Scotia. You must provide a detailed explanation of why you choose to settle permanently in Nova Scotia and what you feel Nova Scotia can offer to you and your family.
Legal Status in Canada
If you are in Canada on a Study Permit or Work Permit, it must be valid at the time of application.
Funds
You must show that you have sufficient funds to successfully establish yourself and your family in Nova Scotia.
Ineligibility
The Skilled Worker stream is NOT right for you:
- You have been found to have committed misrepresentation in relation to an immigration application in the last five years
- You are currently living in a country in which you are NOT legally allowed to live.
- You have received a nomination or endorsement (NSNP or Atlantic Immigration Program) within the last 12 months.
- You are in Canada as part of the Live-In Caregiver Program.
- You have applied to immigrate to Canada on compassionate or humanitarian grounds or to claim refugee status.
- You have applied for refugee status in Canada and been refused.
- You have received a removal order from IRCC or the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)
- You are currently studying at a Canadian post-secondary institution.
- You received a scholarship or award that requires you to return to your home country upon graduation and you have not yet done so.
- You have a federal post-graduation work permit and work in a job that falls under NOC TEER category 5.
- You are self-employed.
- You plan to start a business or to become self-employed.
- You are a majority shareholder in a Nova Scotia business.
- You are a passive investor. That is, you plan to invest in a Nova Scotia business but will have little to no involvement in business operations.
- You have been offered a sales job for which you will ONLY be paid commission. Commission means you are paid a percentage of the value of the item you sell or the profit your employer makes from that item.
- Your job contravenes Labour, Skills and Immigration (LSI) policies
related to:- On-site Home-based Businesses
- Service Home-based Businesses
- Businesses with a Telework Arrangement
Application Period
Approximately 3 months
Submission of Application
- Go to novascotia.ca/ensnp to submit your application.
You must complete the eNSNP 100 form online and ensure that you
include all the documents we need.On the form you must show your intention to settle in Nova Scotia. Be sure to write in detail
- why you chose to settle in Nova Scotia permanently
- what Nova Scotia can offer you
- what Nova Scotia can offer your family if you have one
- if you currently live in another Canadian province, explain why you would leave this province and come to Nova Scotia
- You will either be nominated or refused.
- If you are nominated
- If we decide to refuse your application
- Ask for a Letter of Support for your Temporary Work Permit.
- Apply for permanent residence
- Tell us when you become a permanent resident
Contact us within 30 days of your arrival in Nova Scotia. Send us these documents:
- a copy of the Confirmation of Permanent Residence
- a copy of your passport
- your Nova Scotia contact information including
- your current address
- your phone number
- your email address
If you meet the Skilled Worker stream criteria, we will email a nomination certificate to you or your representative. The certificate expires 6 months after the date of nomination.
We will refuse your application if you do NOT meet the criteria for the Skilled Worker stream. You have 10 business days to submit new information for us to consider. After 10 business days we will re-assess your application, including the new information.
IF NOMINATED:
Within 6 months of your nomination certificate having been issued,
submit a complete application for a permanent resident visa to IRCC.