Provincial Nominee Program
Nova Scotia Provincial Nominee Program
Nova Scotia runs a compact programme of four streams, and the Skilled Worker stream is the realistic route for most people applying from outside Canada. The province publishes only monthly totals of candidates selected, not individual draws or score cut-offs, so nobody can tell you a cut-off score for Nova Scotia.
Jacinth Immigration Canada teamReviewed by a licensed RCICLast updated
- Streams currently listed
- 5
- Usable from outside Canada
- 3
- Cities covered
- 1
- Occupations in demand
- 14
Status
The Nova Scotia Nominee Program right now
Open. Nova Scotia consolidated ten streams into four on 18 February 2026. Two changes since then affect applicants directly: expressions of interest now expire after twelve months, from 1 May 2026, and the province began charging application fees on 1 September 2026.
Ten streams were consolidated into these four on 18 February 2026. Expressions of interest submitted before that date remain active. Nova Scotia also lists Critical Vacancies in its navigation, but the province states plainly that it is not an invitation to apply for a nomination. Note also that the province's immigration website now lives at liveinnovascotia.com: the former novascotiaimmigration.com address redirects there, so older links and printed guides still work but no longer show the domain you may be expecting. The International Graduate Entrepreneur route was not closed in the consolidation, but it is no longer a standalone stream; it survives as sub-criteria of the Entrepreneur stream.
Official NSNP page Official draw results
Checked against the province's own pages on September 11, 2026. Streams change through the year, so confirm on the official page before you apply.
Streams
Streams you can use from outside Canada
Skilled Worker
Workers with a permanent Nova Scotia job offer that the employer could not fill locally.
Open to applicants outside Canada
Physicians (Skilled Worker and Express Entry criteria)
Family physicians and specialist physicians with an approved opportunity from Nova Scotia Health or the IWK Health Centre.
Open to applicants outside Canada
Entrepreneur
Business owners who will invest in and actively run a Nova Scotia business.
Open to applicants outside Canada
Streams
Streams that need you to be here already
Nova Scotia: Express Entry
People already working in Nova Scotia who hold an Express Entry profile, and approved physicians.
Requires you to already be in the province
Nova Scotia Graduate
Graduates of Nova Scotia institutions working in one of four care and health occupations.
Requires you to already be in the province
Occupations
Occupations in demand in Nova Scotia
- Nursing Co-ordinators and SupervisorsNOC 3011 · median $96,574
- Registered Nurses and Registered Psychiatric NursesNOC 3012 · median $90,002
- General Practitioners and Family PhysiciansNOC 3112 · median $232,227
- PharmacistsNOC 3131 · median $115,419
- PhysiotherapistsNOC 3142 · median $95,992
- Respiratory Therapists, Clinical Perfusionists and Cardiopulmonary TechnologistsNOC 3214 · median $85,280
- Medical Radiation TechnologistsNOC 3215 · median $83,200
- Licensed Practical NursesNOC 3233 · median $65,146
- Nurse Aides, Orderlies and Patient Service AssociatesNOC 3413 · median $49,920
- Food Service SupervisorsNOC 6311 · median $39,520
- Welders and Related Machine OperatorsNOC 7237 · median $62,400
- PlumbersNOC 7251 · median $70,720
- Heavy-Duty Equipment MechanicsNOC 7312 · median $77,210
- Automotive Service Technicians, Truck and Bus Mechanics and Mechanical RepairersNOC 7321 · median $62,171
From the blog
Related reading
- Provincial nomineesProvincial nominee streams that still take you without a job offerThe list of provincial streams open to candidates with no Canadian job offer is far shorter than the internet says. Ontario closed eight of them in 2026.September 24, 2026
- BusinessProvincial entrepreneur streams: how they really workA province does not hand you permanent residence for money. It hands you a work permit and a contract. The nomination comes later, if you deliver.September 19, 2026
- Provincial nomineesThe provincial pool you are sitting in is not an applicationRegistering an expression of interest with a province is not applying for a nomination. What the pools are, and what an invitation actually starts.September 24, 2026
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