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Entrepreneur Category

The Nova Scotia Entrepreneur stream is one of the streams of the Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP), a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), operated by the province of Nova Scotia. This stream is designed to target experienced business owners or senior business managers who want to live in Nova Scotia.

Get Started

Successful applicants must start a new business or buy an existing business in which they participate in the day-to-day management duties. After operating the business for one year, the entrepreneur may be nominated for permanent resident status.

Program Requirements

Requirement
Express Entry Profile	No
Connection to Province	No
Job Offer	No
Language Proficiency	CLB 5
Level of Education	No minimum
Work Experience	3 years business ownership or 5 years senior business management
Investment Requirement	Investment: $150,000 CAD Personal Net Worth: $600,000 CAD

Language Proficiency

To be eligible for the Nova Scotia Entrepreneur stream, candidates must have official language test scores showing proficiency equivalent to the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 5 or higher.

 

Work Experience

Since this is a business immigration stream, candidates must demonstrate that they have enough business ownership or management experience to successfully establish and run a business in Nova Scotia. Candidates must have at least three (3) years of business ownership experience, or five (5) years of senior business business management.

 

Investment Requirement

Candidates must demonstrate a personal net worth of at least $600,000 CAD. As well, successful applicants must invest a minimum of $150,000 CAD in a Nova Scotia business which they will establish and manage.

Application Procedure

The Nova Scotia Entrepreneur stream operates on an Expression of Interest (EOI) system. Eligible candidates must submit a profile to a pool of candidates. All the profiles are then assigned a score based on the Nova Scotia Entrepreneur Ranking System. The candidates with the highest-ranking profiles will be invited to apply to the stream in one of the program’s periodic intakes. Candidates must include a business establishment plan and a net worth verification report with their application to the stream.

If the applicant successfully demonstrates that they meet the stream requirements, they will be invited to participate in an interview with an immigration officer in Nova Scotia. If the interview is successful, the candidate will be invited to sign a business performance agreement. Once the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration (NSOI) receives the signed business performance agreement, it will issue the applicant a letter of support for a work permit. The applicant must then apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for a temporary work permit. Work permits issued to business immigration candidates generally do not require a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).

If the applicant is issued a temporary work permit, they may then travel to Nova Scotia to establish their business. If the applicant meets the conditions described in the business performance agreement, they will be eligible for a provincial nomination from Nova Scotia once the business has been in operation for at least 12 months.

After receiving a provincial nomination, an applicant has six months to submit a federal application for Canadian permanent residence. Applicants in this program must complete and submit a paper-based application for permanent residence and submit it by mail to the appropriate application centre. Paper-based PNP applications for permanent residence are generally processed within 18 months.

Nova Scotia Entrepreneur Ranking System

The Nova Scotia Entrepreneur stream uses the following system to rank candidates who have submitted Expressions of Interest (EOIs). There is no minimum score, but only those candidates with the most competitive scores will be invited to apply to the program.

Overview of Factors

Selection factor	Maximum Points
Language	35
Education	25
Business Ownership or Management Experience	35
Net Worth	10
Age	10
Adaptability	10
Economic Priorities	10
Investment	15

Language Ability

Language Ability	Points				Documentation required
First official language	Speaking	Listening	Reading	Writing
CLB level 7 or higher	7	7	7	7	English language: CELPIP – General test or IELTS- General training test French: TEF Test must be taken no more than two years prior to the date the EOI is submitted.
CLB level 6	6	6	6	6
CLB level 5	5	5	5	5
Second official language
At least CLB 5 in all of the four abilities				7
Maximum				35
Note: You can only get 7 points in total for basic-level skills in your second official language, and only if you have a score of at least CLB 5 in each of the four language abilities in your first official language.

Education

Education	Points
Canadian high school diploma, or equivalent	8
Canadian post-secondary degree or diploma for a one-year program, or equivalent	12
Canadian post-secondary degree or diploma for a two- year program, or equivalent	19
Canadian post-secondary degree or diploma for a program of three years or longer, or equivalent	21
Two or more Canadian post-secondary degrees or diplomas or equivalent (at least one must be for a program of at least three years)	22
Master’s degree or equivalent	23
University level entry-to-practice professional degree Occupation related to the degree must be: - NOC 2016 Skill Level A, and - Licensed by a provincial regulatory body.	23
University degree at the Doctoral (PhD) level or equivalent	25
Maximum	25

Business Ownership

Business Ownership or Senior Management Experience	Points
3 to 5 years of business ownership experience (minimum 1/3 ownership) in the last 10 years	20
Greater than 5 years of experience in a senior management role in the last 10 years	20
Greater than 5 years of business ownership experience (minimum 1/3 ownership) in the last 10 years	35
Maximum	35

Net Worth

Net Worth	Points
$600,000 CAD – $999,999 CAD	5
1Million CAD – $1.5 Million CAD	7
Greater than $1.5 Million CAD	10
Maximum	10

Age

Age	Points
21-24	5
25-32	7
33-39	10
40-44	7
45-55	5
56+	0
Maximum	10

Adaptability

Adaptability	Points
Your spouse or common-law partner’s language level Your spouse or common-law partner has a language level in either English or French at CLB 4 level or higher in all four language abilities (speaking, listening, reading and writing)	5
Your past study in Nova Scotia You have finished at least two years of full-time study (in a program at least two years long) at a secondary or post- secondary school in Nova Scotia (full-time study means at least 15 hours of instruction per week), and have remained in good academic standing (as defined by the school) during the period of full-time study in Nova Scotia.	10
Your spouse or common-law partner’s past study in Nova Scotia Your accompanying spouse or common-law partner has finished at least two years of full-time study (in a program at least two years long) at a secondary or post-secondary school in Nova Scotia (full-time study means at least 15 hours of instruction per week), and has remained in good academic standing (as defined by the school) during the period of full-time study in Nova Scotia.	5
Your past work in Nova Scotia You did at least one year of full-time work in Nova Scotia: - In an occupation listed in Skill Type 0 or Skill Levels A or B of the National Occupational Classification (NOC), and - on a valid work permit or while authorized to work in Canada.	10
Your spouse or common-law partner’s past work in Nova Scotia Your spouse or common-law partner did at least one year of full-time work in Nova Scotia on a valid work permit or while authorized to work in Canada.	5
Relatives in Nova Scotia You, or, if it applies, your spouse or common-law partner, have a relative, either a parent, grandparent, brother/sister, aunt/uncle, niece/nephew, who is living in Nova Scotia for at least one continuous year, 19 years or older, and a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.	5
Maximum	10

Economic Priorities

Nova Scotia Economic Priorities	Points
Export-oriented business	5
Proposed business location outside of Halifax County	5
Business succession	5
Maximum	10

Investment

Investment	Points
$150,000 CAD– $300,000 CAD	10
Greater than $300,000 CAD	15
Maximum	15

Nova Scotia Entrepreneur - Recent Draws

Below is the information regarding recent Nova Scotia Entrepreneur draws and the historic information about issuance of invitations to apply.

Draw date	Number of invitations	Score of lowest-ranked candidate invited
November 1, 2022	6	128
December 22, 2021	20	119
September 13, 2021	28	120
February 24, 2021	43	118
December 9, 2020	34	122
February 5, 2020	27	115
November 12, 2019	20	118
September 6, 2019	46	113
June 24, 2019	43	110
May 17, 2019	27	112
April 4, 2019	27	112
February 19, 2019	22	112
January 7, 2019	33	112
November 14, 2018	30	112
October 9, 2018	44	109
September 20, 2018	43	109
August 7, 2018	32	116
June 26, 2018	22	120
May 21, 2018	18	123
March 27, 2018	22	108
February 20, 2018	22	100
January 16, 2018	27	91
December 19, 2017	27	91
November 15, 2017	24	91
October 10, 2017	12	97
September 15, 2017	28	91
August 9, 2017	25	94
July 11, 2017	20	97
June 13, 2017	30	95
May 9, 2017	35	98
March 7, 2017	26	100
January 18, 2017	28	90

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Related Links

• British Columbia Entrepreneur

• Manitoba Business Investor Stream

• Ontario Entrepreneur

• Prince Edward Island Business Impact

• Saskatchewan Entrepreneur and Farm