Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP): 2026 Guide

The Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP) is Nova Scotia's part of the Provincial Nominee Program. It is run by the provincial Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration (LSI). The province nominates people with the skills and experience Nova Scotia employers need. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) then decides the permanent residence application and checks medical, security and criminal admissibility.

On February 18, 2026, Nova Scotia consolidated ten NSNP streams into four. The province says the eligibility rules of the old streams continue as sub-criteria inside the new ones. The four streams are Skilled Worker, Nova Scotia Graduate, Nova Scotia: Express Entry and Entrepreneur.

NSNP streams since February 18, 2026

4

EOI validity for submissions since May 1, 2026

12 months

Worker stream application fee since September 1, 2026

$1,000

1. November 28, 2025

   Formal expression of interest process

   All NSNP streams and Atlantic Immigration Program designations and endorsements move to an EOI pool with periodic draws.

2. February 18, 2026

   Ten streams become four

   Skilled Worker, Nova Scotia Graduate, Nova Scotia: Express Entry and Entrepreneur.

3. April 27, 2026

   Selection priorities published

   Healthcare and skilled trades at TEER 0–4 first; TEER 5 not prioritized.

4. May 1, 2026

   12-month EOI validity

   EOIs submitted before May 1, 2024 were closed.

5. July 14, 2026

   One-time expansion of selection

   For workers already in Nova Scotia whose work permits expire in 2026 or earlier.

6. September 1, 2026

   Application fees start

   $1,000 for worker streams and $2,000 for the Entrepreneur stream, paid only after selection.

Only one stream is aligned with Express Entry. A nomination through Nova Scotia: Express Entry adds 600 points to your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. The other streams lead to a base nomination, after which you apply to IRCC outside Express Entry.

Skilled Worker. For workers with a full-time, permanent job offer from a Nova Scotia employer who could not fill the job with a citizen or permanent resident. You need 1 year of experience related to the job (TEER 4 or 5 workers need 6 months with the employer already), age 21 to 55, a high school diploma, the training or licence the job requires, and settlement funds. Language: Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 5 for TEER 0–3; a test showing CLB 4 for TEER 4–5, even if English or French is your first language. Holders of a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) in TEER 5 jobs are not eligible.

• Construction sub-criteriaA job offer in the construction sector (NAICS 23) in one of 22 listed occupations, a high school diploma or construction training, and a language test (CLB 5 for TEER 0–3, CLB 4 for TEER 4–5) even for native speakers. Same rules as the former Critical Construction Worker Pilot.
• Physician sub-criteriaFor family physicians and specialists with a signed approved opportunity from the Nova Scotia Health Authority or the IWK Health Centre.
• Occupations in Demand sub-criteriaFor listed TEER 3–5 occupations. Nova Scotia's site says no occupations are listed in this category at this time.

Nova Scotia Graduate. For recent international graduates of an eligible Nova Scotia designated learning institution, within three years of applying. The program must have lasted at least 30 weeks (24 weeks for nurse aides), with at least half completed in Nova Scotia. You need a full-time permanent job offer that matches your studies, age 19 to 55, CLB 5 and any required provincial certification. The stream is currently open to four occupations: paramedical occupations (NOC 32102), pharmacy technicians (32124), nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates (33102), and early childhood educators and assistants (42202).

Nova Scotia: Express Entry. For candidates with at least one year of work in Nova Scotia in a TEER 0–3 occupation, age 21 to 55, a Canadian high school credential or equivalent, and an Express Entry profile. You need CLB 7 for TEER 0–1 work and CLB 5 for TEER 2–3 work. Work experience gained on a PGWP counts only if you graduated from a Nova Scotia institution. Physicians with an approved Nova Scotia Health Authority or IWK opportunity and a signed two-year return-for-service agreement have a separate sub-criteria; they must receive a Letter of Interest and submit within 30 days of it. This stream replaced the former Nova Scotia Experience: Express Entry, Labour Market Priorities and Labour Market Priorities for Physicians streams.

Entrepreneur. For experienced business owners or senior managers who will start or buy a business and manage it day to day. Applications are by invitation only, after an EOI. Nova Scotia's published criteria include age 21 or older, CLB 5, a net worth of at least $600,000 ($400,000 if the business is outside the Halifax Regional Municipality), an investment of at least $150,000 of your own money ($100,000 outside the municipality), and either 3 years owning and managing a business (at least one-third ownership) or more than 5 years in senior management. After running the business for a year, you may be nominated. Recent graduates of a Nova Scotia university or the Nova Scotia Community College who already run a Nova Scotia business for a year can use the International Graduate Entrepreneur sub-criteria (valid PGWP and CLB 7). See the province's current criteria before you plan an investment.

• A complete submissionYou submit a full application with all documents. Nova Scotia treats it as an EOI. An incomplete EOI is closed, and you must resubmit.
• Language abilityAt the CLB level your stream and occupation require. For some workers a first language of English or French is enough proof, but several sub-criteria require a test result even for native speakers.
• Settlement fundsEnough money to settle successfully in Nova Scotia.
• Competitive wagesPositions in all occupations must pay competitive wages for the industry or sector.
• Licences and certificationsAny certification a Nova Scotia regulatory body requires for the job.
• Real intention to stayNova Scotia gives weight to candidates who show a genuine intention to live, work and settle long term in the province.
• Accurate, current documentsIf selected, everything you upload must be current, complete and accurate.

Nova Scotia does not publish a points grid for the NSNP. It periodically selects EOIs from the pool based on provincial priorities and program capacity. Factors it may consider include labour market needs, occupation or sector priorities, likelihood of staying in Nova Scotia, intended region of work, your immigration status in Canada, available allocations, program integrity and the number and strength of EOIs in the pool. Only selected candidates are contacted.

From January to September 2026, Nova Scotia selected 5,400 candidates from its EOI pool (as published on the province's EOI Selection page, updated October 23, 2026, checked November 4, 2026). The province says selection volumes and timing vary by month and depend on program criteria, labour market priorities and available nomination spaces.

The province says candidates were selected mainly from healthcare occupations, skilled trades and other priority occupations. Its priorities, published April 27, 2026, are:

• Top priority: healthcare and skilled trades occupations at TEER 0–4, for both international applicants and temporary residents already working in Nova Scotia.
• Other priority groups, for temporary residents already living and working in Nova Scotia at TEER 0–4: natural and applied sciences (NOC 2), education, law and social, community and government services (NOC 4), natural resources and agriculture (NOC 8), and manufacturing and utilities (NOC 9).
• All other occupations: limited to TEER 0, 1 and 2, and to temporary residents already living and working in Nova Scotia.
• TEER 5 occupations are not being prioritized in any category.

On July 14, 2026, Nova Scotia announced a one-time expansion for active EOIs submitted on or before June 30, 2026 by candidates already living and working in the province whose work permits expire in 2026 or earlier. It covers people working in TEER 0–4 in key sectors (such as professional and scientific, manufacturing, construction, health and social services, natural resources, agriculture and transportation), Nova Scotia graduates in TEER 0–5 jobs, people living outside the Halifax Regional Municipality in TEER 0–5 jobs, sales and service workers at TEER 0–2 earning at least $20 an hour, and anyone earning at least $27 an hour, at the time of EOI submission. Selected candidates are contacted directly.

1. 1

   1. Choose your stream and check the priorities

   Confirm your NOC code, TEER level and sector against the stream rules and Nova Scotia's current selection priorities.

2. 2

   2. Submit a complete EOI

   Use the province's online system and attach every required document. For Nova Scotia: Express Entry, create your federal Express Entry profile first. There is no fee to submit an EOI.

3. 3

   3. Wait in the pool

   EOIs submitted since May 1, 2026 stay valid for 12 months. EOIs submitted between May 1, 2024 and April 30, 2026 expire on April 30, 2027 if not selected. Expiry is not a refusal, and you can resubmit if you still qualify.

4. 4

   4. If selected, act within 7 calendar days

   Worker stream candidates must upload updated documents and proof of fee payment within 7 calendar days. If you miss the deadline, your EOI is closed. Entrepreneur candidates pay within 90 days of an Invitation to Apply (180 days if buying an existing business).

5. 5

   5. Provincial assessment

   LSI assesses your documents. Integrity reviews, employer compliance checks and requests for more information can lengthen the time. Applications that do not meet requirements are refused.

6. 6

   6. Nomination

   If approved, you receive a nomination and, if applicable, a letter of support for a work permit. For Nova Scotia: Express Entry, accept the nomination in your Express Entry profile and wait for an IRCC invitation.

7. 7

   7. Apply to IRCC within 12 months

   Submit your permanent residence application within 12 months of receiving your nominee certificate. You and your family must pass IRCC's medical, security and criminal checks, and you may be interviewed.

The fee applies to EOIs selected on or after September 1, 2026, whatever the date of the EOI. It does not change with the number of dependants. It is paid online in one payment by credit card, cannot be prepaid or paid in instalments, and is non-refundable except where required by law or after an administrative error. Paying does not speed up processing or affect the decision. If you submit a new EOI and are selected again, you pay again.

Nova Scotia does not publish provincial processing times and says it cannot give a timeline for selection. IRCC's processing times for the second stage are shown below, live from IRCC's processing times tool.

Closure or expiry of an EOI is not a refusal. A refused application, however, means the fee is lost, because Nova Scotia charges it for the assessment.

1. April 17, 2024

   Accommodation and food services paused

   No new NSNP submissions from the accommodation and food services sector (NAICS 72). Workers in these occupations with an employer outside NAICS 72 may still apply.

2. Date not stated

   Food service supervisors paused

   Work experience in NOC 62020 under the Express Entry stream (the notice uses the former name, Nova Scotia Experience: Express Entry) and NOC 62020 job offers under the Atlantic Immigration Program are temporarily not eligible.

3. February 18, 2026

   Ten streams merged into four

   Merged: Critical Construction Worker Pilot and Physician Stream (now Skilled Worker sub-criteria), International Graduates in Demand (now Nova Scotia Graduate), International Graduate Entrepreneur (now Entrepreneur sub-criteria), and Nova Scotia Experience: Express Entry, Labour Market Priorities and Labour Market Priorities for Physicians (now Nova Scotia: Express Entry).

4. May 1, 2026

   Old EOIs closed

   EOIs submitted before May 1, 2024 were closed. This is not a refusal.

The Occupations in Demand sub-criteria of the Skilled Worker stream still exists, but Nova Scotia lists no occupations under it at this time.

The Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) is a separate federal program, not part of the NSNP. It helps designated employers in the four Atlantic provinces hire skilled workers and international graduates of Canadian institutions for jobs they could not fill locally.

In Nova Scotia, AIP designation and endorsement submissions also go through the EOI pool and the same draw process. To be endorsed, the employer must show local hiring efforts failed and provide a full-time, non-seasonal job offer and an individualized settlement plan, both co-signed by you. With an endorsement certificate, you apply to IRCC for permanent residence, and a provincial referral letter can support a work permit while you wait.

Once IRCC approves your application, you receive a confirmation of permanent residence and, after landing, a permanent resident card. Nova Scotia gives weight to candidates who show a genuine intention to live, work and settle in the province, so plan to settle there.