Nova Scotia fishes out skilled and self-employed carpenters from the Express Entry pool

Nova Scotia held its second draw this month through its Labour Market Priorities Stream, this time inviting eligible carpenters with a profile in the federal Express Entry pool to apply for a provincial nomination for Canadian permanent residence.

The Labour Market Priorities Stream allows the Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP) to search the Express Entry pool for eligible candidates with work experience in occupations that are facing a shortage of domestic workers.

This past selection round sent out 22 invitations to eligible carpenters.

Selected candidates are required to provide letters of reference from employers to demonstrate that they have two or more years of skilled trades experience as a carpenter.

Self-employed carpenters were also eligible and have to provide documentation from third parties indicating the service provided, and payment details.

Those selected must also have a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) score of 5 or higher in English or French in all four language abilities: reading, writing, speaking and listening.

In addition, they must demonstrate sufficient funds to successfully establish themselves and their families in Nova Scotia and to pay immigration costs and travel expenses.

The Labour Market Priorities Stream was launched in August 2018 and since then has been used to invite early childhood education workers, financial auditors and accountants, and French-speaking Express Entry candidates.

The carpenters selected from the September 20 draw now have 30 days to apply for a provincial nomination.

Successful nominees receive 600 Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points towards their Express Entry ranking score, effectively guaranteeing them an invitation to apply for Canadian permanent residence.

In this past draw, there was no minimum CRS requirement.

*This story was updated at 11:08 a.m. on September 23, 2019, to include the number of invitations and the CRS requirement.

Find out if you are eligible for Express Entry