Canadian immigration 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 Alberta approves your application.

The NSNP is divided in four different streams:

• Skilled Worker
• Family Business Worker
• Community Identified
• International Graduate

Skilled Worker

The Skilled Worker stream is employer driven. The applicant must have a guaranteed full-time, permanent job offer from a Nova Scotia employer before submitting the application to the NSNP. The job offer must provide compensation in the form of a salary and benefits package that meets provincial employment standards and prevailing wage rates. Priority will be given to positions with minimum salary in excess of CA$10/hour or a minimum annual wage in excess of CA$20,000.

Your Nova Scotia employer will need to show evidence that there was a genuine attempt to recruit qualified Canadian citizens or permanent residents. They will also need to prove that they will provide additional support to assist newcomers with their settlement needs. The NSNP also demands that employers have an acceptable strategy to recruit and retain immigrant workers in Nova Scotia.

Additionally, to be eligible to apply, you must:

• Have legal status in your country of residence
• Wish to settle permanently in Nova Scotia
• Have sufficient settlement support
• 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

To apply, you will need to submit the forms below to the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration:

• NSNP Skilled Worker Stream Guide
• NSNP 100 – NSNP Skilled Worker Application Form
• NSNP 200 – Skilled Worker Employer Application Form
• NSNP 50 Use of a Representative form
• NSNP 60 Authority to Release Personal Information to a Designated Individual
• IMM EP7000 Guide for Provincial Nominees
• IMM 0008 Generic – Application for Permanent Residence
• IMM 0008 Schedule 1 – Background/Declaration
• IMM 0008 Schedule 4 – Economic Classes: Provincial Nominees
• IMM 5406 – Additional Family Information
• IMM 5475 – Authority to Release Personal Information to a Designated Individual (if applicable)
• IMM 5476 – Use of a Representative Form (if applicable)

Family Business Worker

The Family Business Worker stream helps employers hire workers who are close relatives and also have the required skills for positions that they were unable to fill with a permanent resident or Canadian citizen.

To apply, you must have a guaranteed, permanent job offer in Nova Scotia from an employer who is a close relative and who owns an established business in the province. The job offer must provide 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 CA$10/hour or a minimum annual wage in excess of CA$20,000.

The applicant must be related to the family business owner (or his/her spouse, common-law or conjugal partner) in one of the following ways:

• Son or daughter
• Brother or sister
• Niece or nephew
• Uncle or aunt
• Grandchild

There are other requirements that you have to meet in order to apply under this category. You must:

• Have legal status in your country of residence
• Wish to settle permanently in Nova Scotia
• Have sufficient settlement supports
• 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 qualifications, skills, experiencing or licensing
• Meet the minimum criteria for age, education, work experience, and language ability requirements for this stream

Employers who can demonstrate that they will provide additional supports to assist the worker and accompanying dependents with their settlement needs will be given priority in the process.

To apply, you will need to submit the following documents:

• NSNP Skilled Worker Stream Guide
• NSNP 100 – NSNP Skilled Worker Application Form
• NSNP 300 Family Business Employer Application Form
• NSNP 50 Use of a Representative form
• NSNP 60 Authority to Release Personal Information to a Designated Individual
• IMM EP7000 Guide for Provincial Nominees
• IMM 0008 Generic – Application for Permanent Residence
• IMM 0008 Schedule 1 – Background/Declaration
• IMM 0008 Schedule 4 – Economic Classes: Provincial Nominees
• IMM 5406 – Additional Family Information
• IMM 5475 – Authority to Release Personal Information to a Designated Individual (if applicable)
• IMM 5476 – Use of a Representative Form (if applicable)

Community Identified

This stream was created to help individuals who have long established connections to a Nova Scotia community, wish to live there permanently, are employable, and can contribute to the labour market and economy of the specific community.

The applicant must supply a Letter of Identification from an organisation mandated by the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration (the list of mandated organisations can be found in Appendix 3 of the NSNP Community Identified Application Guide ).

To be eligible to apply for permanent residency under this category, you also must:

• Not be eligible for any other NSNP streams
• Have legal status in your country of residence
• 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

In order to apply, you must submit copies of the following documents:

• NSNP Community Identified Guide
• NSNP 100 Application Form
• NSNP 50 Use of a Representative form
• NSNP 60 Authority to Release Personal Information to a Designated Individual
• IMM EP7000 Guide for Provincial Nominees
• IMM 0008 Generic – Application for Permanent Residence
• IMM 0008 Schedule 1 – Background/Declaration
• IMM 0008 Schedule 4 – Economic Classes: Provincial Nominees
• IMM 5406 – Additional Family Information
• IMM 5475 – Authority to Release Personal Information to a Designated Individual (if applicable)
• IMM 5476 – Use of a Representative Form (if applicable)

International Graduate

The International Graduate stream helps employers hire and retain recent international graduates whose skills may be in limited supply in Nova Scotia. The graduates must have strong ties to the province and intend to live, work and establish their careers in Nova Scotia.

The applicant must have a guaranteed, full-time, permanent job offer in his/her field of study from a Nova Scotia employer before submitting the application to the NSNP. Priority will be given to international graduates whose employers can demonstrate that they will provide additional supports to assist the newcomers with their settlement needs.

Additionally, the job offer must be in a position which meets NSNP requirements with respect to type of job, and have relatively high education and skill levels. It must also include compensation in the form of a salary and benefits package that meets provincial employment standards and prevailing wage rates. Priority will be awarded to positions with a minimum salary in excess of CA$10/hour or a minimum annual wage in excess of CA$20,000.

In order to be eligible, the graduate also must:

• Have graduated within the last two years from a program of at least one academic year of full-time study in Nova Scotia and received a certificate, diploma or degree from a recognised Nova Scotia post-secondary institution
• Have legal status in Canada on a temporary work permit
• Have the qualifications, training or skills, and accreditation required for the job or a suitable plan to obtain the necessary
• Can demonstrate intention and ability to settle permanently in Nova Scotia/li>
• Have sufficient settlement supports
• Meet the minimum criteria for age, education, work experience and language ability requirements for this stream

If you meet the requirements to apply under this stream, the next step is submitting the following documents:

• NSNP International Graduate Application Guide
• NSNP 100 Nominee Program Application Form
• NSNP 400 International Graduate Employer Form
• NSNP 50 Use of a Representative form
• NSNP 60 Authority to Release Personal Information to a Designated Individual
• IMM EP7000 Guide for Provincial Nominees
• IMM 0008 Generic – Application for Permanent Residence
• IMM 0008 Schedule 1 – Background/Declaration
• IMM 0008 Schedule 4 – Economic Classes: Provincial Nominees
• IMM 5406 – Additional Family Information
• IMM 5475 – Authority to Release Personal Information to a Designated Individual
• IMM 5476 – Use of a Representative Form