Nova Scotia invites Express Entry candidates in first draw of the year

Nova Scotia invited immigration candidates to apply for a provincial nomination for permanent residence through its Labour Market Priorities stream on January 19.

The Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP) did not disclose how many invitations were issued in the draw.

The stream is linked with Express Entry. This means that those who received invitations must have a valid profile in the federal Express Entry system. The NSNP is able to select eligible candidates from the Express Entry Entry pool who meet provincial labour market needs.

In this draw, candidates must have a primary occupation as a financial officer - National Occupation Classification (NOC) code 1114. In previous draws, the stream has targeted programmers and media developers, automotive industry workers as well as nurses.

In order to receive an invitation, candidates must have received a Letter of Interest from the NSNP through Express Entry. Invited candidates must have also met the minimum work experience requirement for the Express Entry stream they are qualified for, and must have enough money to establish themselves in Nova Scotia, and pay the required fees.

To apply for provincial nomination, candidates are required to provide reference letters from their employers and must have at least four years of work experience as a financial officer. Candidates must have a bachelor's degree or completed a program of at least three years at an educational institution.

They must also have a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) score of 9 or higher in English. This is significantly higher than the last draw, when having a CLB score of 5 was sufficient.

Those who received an letter of invitation in today's draw will have until February 18, 2021 to submit their application. Candidates are required to include a copy of their language tests, proof of education and proof of employment.

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Express Entry

Candidates invited to apply for a provincial nomination through the Labour Market Priorities stream in today's draw must have a valid Express Entry profile.

Express Entry is the system that the federal government uses to manage permanent residence applications. It is used primarily for the three main economic class immigration programs:

Candidates in the Express Entry system are assessed based on multiple factors such as their age, education, work experience and language ability. They are ranked according to the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) invite the highest-ranking candidates in the system through regularly held Express Entry draws.

Those who receive a provincial nomination are awarded an additional 600 CRS points. This practically guarantees receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) in a subsequent Express Entry draw.

Find out if you're eligible for Canadian immigration