Nova Scotia adds $1,000 fee to provincial immigration

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.

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.

The province notes that application fees will be non-refundable, except where required by law or in the case that an administrative error occurs.

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."

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.

Most provincial nominee programs already require a fee for workers to submit a provincial nomination application, such as Manitoba ($500), Alberta ($1,500), British Columbia ($1,750), Ontario ($1,500–$2,000). Entrepreneur fees are standard as well.

How to be considered for provincial immigration through the NSNP

The process to immigrate to Nova Scotia through the NSNP is as follows:

• Ensure eligibility for at least one NSNP stream;
• Submit an EOI profile to the province and be entered into the candidate pool;
• Get selected from the candidate pool in an upcoming draw, receiving an invitation to apply for provincial nomination;
  • Selections are made on a first-come, first-served basis, and are based on provincial priorities and program capacity.
• Submit an application for provincial nomination within seven calendar days, and pay the application fee;
• If successful in securing a provincial nomination certificate, submit a complete application for permanent residence (PR) to the federal government (payment included); and
  • This can be done either directly through the base PNP or through Express Entry (enhanced PNP).
• Receive a confirmation of permanent residence (COPR) from IRCC if successful, following the department's assessment of your PR application.

The current federal permanent residence fee for economic immigration is $1,590, which includes both the processing fee and the right of permanent residence fee. An additional $1,590 applies for an accompanying spouse or partner, while the fee for each dependent child is $270. These are to be paid in addition to the fees paid to Nova Scotia.

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