Nova Scotia Express Entry Stream Opens, Pauses, Expected to Open Again

Since this article was first published, the Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP) is not currently receiving applications to the Demand: Express Entry Stream. To learn more, see this story.

Candidates in the Express Entry pool have another potential option to secure a provincial nomination certificate, with both categories of the Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry stream having opened for new applications as of May 8, 2017. Nova Scotia has proven to be an increasingly popular Canadian immigration destination over recent years.

Soon after opening, however, intake under Category B of the stream (for eligible applicants without a job offer) was paused. Speaking to CICNews, a staff member at the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration said that this was because the online application system was experiencing technical difficulties. Once these issues have been overcome, it is expected that applicants will be able to submit their application.

The Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry stream is part of the Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP), one of Canada’s Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs). Through the NSNP, the government of Nova Scotia welcomes new permanent residents who have the ability to settle in the province.

As this is an Express Entry-aligned stream, successful applicants are awarded 600 additional Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points and issued an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence in a subsequent draw from the pool.

For the current application intake period, the NSNP has announced that it will accept 250 new applications for Category B of the stream. This category is for applicants with experience in one of 16 opportunity occupations. A job offer is not required for this category.

Category A will remain open indefinitely. This category is for applicants with a job offer in Nova Scotia.

Applications under either category are submitted online through the NSNP’s unique online system.

Eligibility requirements: Category B

Express Entry candidates who wish to apply to Category B of Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry must:

Have a profile in the Express Entry pool;
Have their foreign education credentials assessed, authenticated, and given an equivalent value in Canada by one of the four designated credential assessment agencies;
Demonstrate, by way of a standardized language test acceptable to the governments of Canada and Nova Scotia, at least an adequate intermediate language proficiency in English or French (Canadian Language Benchmark: 7);
Obtain at least 67 points on the Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry points grid. Points are awarded based on language proficiency, age, work experience, education, and adaptability; and
Have at least one year of full-time (or equivalent part-time) skilled work experience in the last six years in one of the 16 ‘opportunity’ occupations considered by Nova Scotia. The list includes eight occupations that were not on the previous list, which was in effect for previous application cycles. These eight occupations are in bold in the table below.

Occupation	NOC code
Financial Auditors and Accountants	1111
Other financial officers	1114
Professional occupations in advertising, marketing and public relations	1123
Administrative assistants	1241
Accounting and related clerks	1311
Civil engineers	2131
Information systems analysts and consultants	2171
Computer programmers and interactive media development	2174
Computer network technicians	2281
User support technicians	2282
Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses	3012
Licensed practical nurses	3233
College and other vocational instructors	4021
Paralegal and related occupations	4211
Social and community service workers	4212
Financial sales representatives	6235

Eligibility requirements: Category A

Express Entry candidates who wish to apply to Category A of Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry must:

Have a profile in the Express Entry pool;
have a full-time permanent skilled job offer from a Nova Scotia employer;
have at least one year of skilled work experience related to the job;
Have their foreign education credentials assessed, authenticated, and given an equivalent value in Canada by one of the four designated credential assessment agencies;
Demonstrate, by way of a standardized language test acceptable to the governments of Canada and Nova Scotia, at least an adequate intermediate language proficiency in English or French (Canadian Language Benchmark: 7); and
Obtain at least 67 points on the Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry points grid. Points are awarded based on language proficiency, age, work experience, education, and adaptability.

“At this point, there a couple of things we do know, and a couple of things we don’t know. We know the requirements, and we know that Nova Scotia plans on opening this stream for applicants without a job offer intermittently throughout the year,” says Attorney David Cohen.

“However, at this point we don’t know when the online application system may be back up and running, and we don’t know how long it may take before category B reaches its cap for this intake period. Therefore, for eligible potential applicants the most prudent step would be to get prepared for either the current intake, or a future intake, as the case may be. This preparation entails gathering and reviewing all relevant documents and forms.

“And of course, for potential applicants who are not yet in the Express Entry pool, the first step is to determine one’s eligibility and, if eligible, create an Express Entry profile.”