Aligned with the federal Express Entry system, successful applicants to the Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry stream receive a 600 point boost to their Express Entry profiles, virtually guaranteeing them an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residence. This stream is divided into two separate categories with unique program requirements and application procedures. Please read below to learn more about the various requirements for the Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry categories:

• Category A
• Category B

Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry – Category A

The Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry Category A has one central requirement which distinguishes it from Category B. Category A requires all applicants to have a full-time, skilled job offer from a Nova Scotia employer. In addition, applicants also must meet the general program requirements which are largely aligned with requirements for Express Entry candidates.

Program Requirements

Express Entry Requirement

To be eligible for Category A of the Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry stream, applicants must be registered in the federal Express Entry pool. To submit a profile to the pool, applicants must be eligible for at least one of three federal Economic programs:

• Federal Skilled Worker requires candidates to have, at minimum, a high school diploma, as well as at least one year of continuous full-time, skilled work experience.
• Canadian Experience Class has no minimum education requirement. CEC candidates must have a minimum of one year of full-time Canadian skilled work experience. This work experience does not have to be continuous, but it must have been obtained within the three years prior to application.
• Federal Skilled Trades has no minimum education requirement. FST candidates must have at least 2 years of full-time work experience in a skilled trade occupation. Candidates must also have either an offer of employment to work in a skilled trade in Canada or a certificate of qualification in their skilled trade issued by a Canadian authority.

Job Offer

In order for a job offer to qualify under this program, the offer must be for a position which is full-time, permanent, and at National Occupational Classification (NOC) Skill Level A, B, or 0. The job offer also must be supported by a valid Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) or be exempt from needing one.  

Language Proficiency

Candidates for this stream must have valid language test scores showing proficiency equivalent to the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) Level 7 or higher.  

Points Assessment Grid

To be eligible for the Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry stream, candidates must score at least 67 points on the province’s points assessment grid.  

Application Procedure

Category A accepts applications at all times, there is no specific intake period. If an applicant is qualified, they can submit their application using the Nova Scotia online immigration portal. Successful applicants will receive a nomination from Nova Scotia. After accepting the provincial nomination, the applicant’s Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score will increase by 600 points, virtually guaranteeing they will receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence in the next Express Entry draw.

After receiving an ITA, the applicant has 90 days to prepare and submit an official application for Canadian permanent residence. Applications for permanent residence submitted through Express Entry are generally processed within six months.

Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry – Category B

The Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry Category B has one central requirement which distinguishes it from Category A. Category B requires all applicants to have a minimum of 12-months of full-time, skilled work experience in one of Nova Scotia’s in-demand occupations. In addition, applicants must meet the general program requirements which are largely aligned with requirements for Express Entry candidates.

Program Requirements

Express Entry Requirement

To be eligible for Category B of the Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry stream, applicants must be registered in the federal Express Entry pool. To submit a profile to the pool, applicants must be eligible for at least one of three federal Economic programs:

• Federal Skilled Worker requires candidates to have, at minimum, a high school diploma, as well as at least one year of continuous full-time, skilled work experience.
• Canadian Experience Class has no minimum education requirement. CEC candidates must have a minimum of one year of full-time Canadian skilled work experience. This work experience does not have to be continuous, but it must have been obtained within the three years prior to application.
• Federal Skilled Trades has no minimum education requirement. FST candidates must have at least 2 years of full-time work experience in a skilled trade occupation. Candidates must also have either an offer of employment to work in a skilled trade in Canada or a certificate of qualification in their skilled trade issued by a Canadian authority.

Language Proficiency

Candidates for this stream must have valid language test scores showing proficiency equivalent to the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) Level 7 or higher.  

Work Experience

Candidates applying through this stream must have a minimum of 1 year of full-time work experience in one of Nova Scotia’s In-Demand Occupations.  

Points Assessment Grid

To be eligible for the Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry stream, candidates must score at least 67 points on the province’s points assessment grid.  

Settlement Funds

All candidates for this stream must meet the settlement funds requirement as determined by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). This can be demonstrated through their own finances, or through maintaining a valid offer of employment.  

Nova Scotia Target Occupations List

In order to qualify for Category B of the Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry stream, a candidate must have at least 12 months of full-time, skilled work experience in one of the occupations listed below. Work experience must have been obtained within the last 5 years.  

*Disclaimer: This list is subject to change at any point in time at the sole discretion of the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration. The province has been known to update this list multiple times per year without prior warning.  

Application Procedure

Category B of the Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry stream only accepts applications during periodic intakes. Eligible applicants must wait for the program to open before they can submit an application. Submitted applications are processed on a first-come, first-served basis. When the category opens, qualified applicants can complete applications online via the Nova Scotia online immigration portal. As soon as the program reaches its predetermined quota for the intake round, the online portal will stop accepting new applications.

In the history of the program, intake periods result in incredibly high web-traffic to the Nova Scotia online immigration portal. This can cause technical problems for those seeking to submit applications and makes it difficult to guarantee a successful submission in advance. Those interested in submitting to this category should be aware of the risks related to applying to this program. Successful applicants will receive a nomination from Nova Scotia.

After accepting the provincial nomination, the applicant’s Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score will increase by 600 points, virtually guaranteeing they will receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence in the next Express Entry draw.

After receiving an ITA, the applicant must prepare and submit an official application for Canadian permanent residence within the designated timeframe. Applications for permanent residence submitted through Express Entry are generally processed within six months.

Category B – Recent Draws

Below is the information regarding recent Nova Scotia Entrepreneur draws and the historic information about issuance of invitations to apply.

Points Assessment Grid

The Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry stream requires that all candidates score at least 67 out of 100 points on the Nova Scotia Points Assessment Grid.

Overview of Factors