A popular Canadian immigration stream in Nova Scotia will reopen for the first time since 2015 “in the coming weeks,” the province has announced. The Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry stream is part of the Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP), and is one of two NSNP streams aligned with the federal government’s Express Entry immigration selection system.

The NSNP is one of Canada’s Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs), through which Canadian provinces may nominate individuals who are deemed to have the credentials to settle quickly.

Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry is open to candidates in the Express Entry pool who also fulfil eligibility criteria for the stream. Successful applicants will receive 600 additional Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points, leading to an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residence at a subsequent draw from the pool.

Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry will become the latest such stream to become active so far in 2017. Over recent months, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia have also been particularly active in welcoming applications to their respective PNPs from candidates in the Express Entry pool.

Canada is aiming to bring in up to 51,000 new permanent residents through the PNPs in 2017, a seven percent increase on last year’s target. Many of these newcomers will arrive through ‘enhanced’ Express Entry streams.

Nova Scotia also announced that this stream may be paused and reopened periodically throughout the year until the annual allocation of spaces provided by the federal government is reached, allowing the province to process applications more efficiently. A similar strategy was recently implemented by Ontario for its own Express Entry-aligned Human Capital Priorities stream.

“This announcement from Nova Scotia will surely galvanize candidates in the pool,” says Attorney David Cohen.

“Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry has previously operated on a first-come, first-served model, meaning that there is no ‘Expression of Interest’ or registration stage. This, combined with the fact that the stream is likely to open and pause intermittently, means that candidates who prepare in advance are more likely to be able to submit a complete application than those who do not.”

Eligibility

To apply, candidates must:

• have an active profile registered in Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s Express Entry system;
• have at least one year of skilled work experience in one of Nova Scotia’s target occupations;
• have at least a Canadian high school credential or international equivalent;
• prove language ability in English or French at Canadian Language Benchmark 7 or better;
• score 67 points or more on the stream’s points assessment grid; and
• show enough financial resources to successfully settle in Nova Scotia.

Targeted occupations

For the most recent application cycle, which took place in 2015, the following occupations were included on the targeted occupations list. This list may change for the upcoming cycle.

To find out if you are eligible to immigrate to Canada through the NSNP, or any of the currently available immigration programs, fill out a free online assessment form.

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