International Graduate Entrepreneur Category
Nova Scotia International Graduate Entrepreneur 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 recent graduates of a Nova Scotia university or Nova Scotia Community College. Applicants must have already started or bought a Nova Scotia business and operated it for at least one year.
This program is by invitation only. Interested candidates must submit an Expression of Interest (EOI). After submitting an EOI the candidate will be assigned a score based on the Nova Scotia International Graduate Entrepreneur points grid. The applicants with the most competitive scores will be invited to submit an official application to the program. Please read below to learn more about the program requirements and application procedure for the Nova Scotia International Graduate Entrepreneur stream.
Program Requirements
| Requirement | |
|---|---|
| Express Entry Profile | No |
| Connection to Province | Study Experience |
| Job Offer | No |
| Language Proficiency | CLB 7 |
| Level of Education | Post-secondary 2 years |
| Work Experience | Business ownership and management In Nova Scotia 1 year |
| Investment Requirement | None |
Connection to Nova Scotia
To be eligible for the Nova Scotia International Graduate Entrepreneur stream, candidates must have graduated from a Nova Scotia university or community college with a degree or diploma after a minimum of two years of full time study. Candidates must also demonstrate that they have owned and managed a Nova Scotia business for at least 12 months. The candidate must have one-third ownership of the business. Finally, applicants must currently be residing in Nova Scotia with a valid post-graduation work permit.
Language Proficiency
Candidates for this stream must have official language test scores showing proficiency equivalent to the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 7 or higher.
Level of Education
Candidates must have completed a minimum two-year diploma or degree from an eligible university or community college in Nova Scotia.
Work Experience
Candidates must have owned and operated a business in Nova Scotia for at least one (1) year while on a valid post-graduation work permit.
Application Procedure
The Nova Scotia International Graduate 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 International Graduate 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 an audit opinion and special purpose report attesting to the viability of the business 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 issued a provincial nomination for permanent residence.
After receiving a provincial nomination, the candidate 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 International Graduate Entrepreneur Points Grid
The Nova Scotia International Graduate 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 | Points |
|---|---|
| Language | 35 |
| Education | 25 |
| Work experience | 15 |
| Adaptability | 10 |
| Age | 10 |
| Economic Priorities | 5 |
Language
| Language Ability | Speaking | Listening | Reading | Writing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First official language | ||||
| CLB level 9 or higher | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| CLB level 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| CLB level 7 | 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 |
|---|---|
| Completion of a Nova Scotia post-secondary diploma for a two- year program | 12 |
| Completion of a Nova Scotia post-secondary degree or diploma for a program of three years or longer | 15 |
| Two or more Canadian post-secondary degrees or diplomas (at least one must be for a program of at least three years completed at a Nova Scotia institution) | 17 |
| Nova Scotia university degree at the Master’s level | 22 |
| Completion of a Nova Scotia 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 | 22 |
| Nova Scotia university degree at the Doctoral (PhD) level | 25 |
| Maximum | 25 |
Work Experience
| Work Experience | Points |
|---|---|
| 3 to 5 years of work experience in the last 10 years at NOC 0, A or B level | 10 |
| Greater than 5 years of work experience in the last 10 years at NOC 0, A or B level | 15 |
| Maximum | 15 |
Adaptability
| Adaptability | Points |
|---|---|
| Your spouse or 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 spouse or partner’s past study in Nova Scotia Your spouse or common-law partner finished at least two academic 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 must have remained in good academic standing (as defined by the school) during the period of full-time study in Nova Scotia. | 5 |
| Your spouse or common-law partner’s past work in Nova Scotia Your spouse / 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 |
Age
| Age | Points |
|---|---|
| 21-39 | 10 |
| 40-44 | 7 |
| 45-55 | 5 |
| 56+ | 0 |
| Maximum | 10 |
Economic Priorities
| Nova Scotia Economic Priorities | Points |
|---|---|
| Export-oriented business | 5 |
| Business location outside of Halifax County | 5 |
| Purchasing an Existing Business | 5 |
| Maximum | 5 |
Nova Scotia International Graduate Entrepreneur - Recent Draws & Invitation History
Below is the information regarding recent Nova Scotia International Graduate 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 | 47 |
| December 22, 2021 | 2 | 53 |
| February 5, 2020 | 1 | 67 |
| September 6, 2019 | 1 | 54 |
| June 24, 2019 | 1 | 74 |
| January 7, 2019 | 1 | 54 |
| November 14, 2018 | 1 | 68 |
| September 20, 2018 | 1 | 47 |
| August 7, 2018 | 1 | 47 |
| June 21, 2018 | 1 | 56 |
| May 21, 2018 | 2 | 60 |
| March 27, 2018 | 1 | 67 |
| February 20, 2018 | 2 | 47 |
| November 15, 2017 | 2 | 62 |
| October 10, 2017 | 1 | 57 |
| June 13, 2017 | 1 | 81 |
| March 8, 2017 | 2 | 52 |
| December 22, 2016 | 1 | 56 |
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