As of September 1, foreign nationals wishing to immigrate through the Nova Scotia Provincial Nominee Program’s (NSNP’s) worker streams must pay a $1,000 application fee.
The provincial government will also be introducing an application fee for its entrepreneur stream, to the tune of $2,000, with the same effective date.
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The Government of Nova Scotia communicated these fee increases on its NSNP updates webpage on August 6, 2026.
Previously, submitting a provincial nomination application to the NSNP following selection from the province’s Expression of Interest (EOI) pool was completely free of charge.
The $1,000 fee will apply to the following worker streams: Skilled Worker, Nova Scotia Graduate; Nova Scotia Express Entry.
The $2,000 fee will apply to the following entrepreneur stream pathways: Purchase of a New business, Purchase of an Existing Business, and International Graduates.
The new fees will only apply to those candidates who are selected from the EOI pool on or after September 1; those invited before this date are not subject to the new application fees.
Those invited through a worker stream must pay the $1,000 application fee within seven days of being selected from the pool for assessment.
For entrepreneurs, the deadline to submit the application fee will depend on the pathway they’ve been selected under:
- Purchase of a New business: within 90 calendar days of being invited.
- Purchase of an Existing Business: within 180 days of being invited.
- International Graduates: within 90 calendar days of being invited.
Candidates selected for assessment will receive an email with instructions on how to submit the application fee. Once the payment has been made, a receipt will be sent by email to be used as proof of payment.
If proof of payment is not provided to the NSNP within the required time frame, the EOI will be closed and will not advance to the assessment stage. A new EOI may be submitted if stream eligibility requirements continue to be met.
Applications that remain unpaid after the specified deadline will not proceed to processing.
Those submitting an application must do so online—using Visa, MasterCard, Discover Card, or American Express—and in a single payment. The provincial government does not accept payment in installments.
The fee will be charged per principal applicant; inclusion of dependents does not affect the fee.
According to the Government of Nova Scotia, application fees are being introduced because demand for nominations continues to surpass the province’s annual federal allocation. The fees will help “ensure limited nomination spaces are allocated in support of Nova Scotia’s labour market and economic priorities.”
The fees are also intended to support the long-term sustainability and effective administration of the program.
Nova Scotia has clarified that there will continue to be no fee to submit an EOI.
There will also continue to be no provincial application fee for the Atlantic Immigration Program.
This is a breaking news article. CIC News will provide more updates as they become available.
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