Nova Scotia Labour Market Priorities
Nova Scotia Labour Market Priorities 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 workers with experience in extremely high-demand occupations or those with proficiency in the province’s language priorities.
Aligned with the federal Express Entry system, successful applicants to the Nova Scotia Labour Market Priorities stream receive a 600 point boost to their Express Entry profiles, virtually guaranteeing them an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residence. This stream selects candidates with work experience in extremely high-demand occupations or those with proficiency in the province’s language priorities. The program sometimes announces occupations in advance of an intake, but sometimes occupations are not announced and candidates are invited directly from the Express Entry pool.
Eligibility Criteria
| Requirement | |
|---|---|
| Express Entry Profile | Yes |
| Connection to Province | No |
| Job Offer | No |
| Language Proficiency | CLB 7; or, as indicated |
| Level of Education | High school |
| Work Experience | Express Entry Requirement; or, High Priority NOC (if indicated) |
| Investment Requirement | None |
Express Entry Requirement
To be eligible for the Nova Scotia Labour Market Priorities stream, applicants must be registered in the federal Express Entry pool. To submit a profile to the pool, applicants must be eligible for at least one of three federal Economic programs:
- Federal Skilled Worker requires candidates to have, at minimum, a high school diploma, as well as at least one year of continuous full-time, skilled work experience.
- Canadian Experience Class has no minimum education requirement. CEC candidates must have a minimum of one year of full-time Canadian skilled work experience. This work experience does not have to be continuous, but it must have been obtained within the three years prior to application.
- Federal Skilled Trades has no minimum education requirement. FST candidates must have at least 2 years of full-time work experience in a skilled trade occupation. Candidates must also have either an offer of employment to work in a skilled trade in Canada or a certificate of qualification in their skilled trade issued by a Canadian authority.
Language Proficiency & Education
Sometimes the province specifically selects candidates with high French-language proficiency. However, this is not always the case. Candidates for this stream must meet the minimum language proficiency and education requirements of their Express Entry program.
Work Experience
The program often requires applicants to have work experience in a specific occupation. Eligible occupations change regularly and are announced by the province. Candidates for this stream must meet the minimum work experience requirements of their Express Entry program.
Application Procedure
The Nova Scotia Labour Market Priorities stream operates on an invitation only basis. To apply to the stream, candidates who meet the minimum eligibility requirements must create an Express Entry profile. They must then wait to be issued a Letter of Interest (LOI) from Nova Scotia. If the candidate is selected, the LOI will be issued directly to their IRCC account, linked to their Express Entry profile. After receiving an LOI, the candidate must prepare and submit an application to Nova Scotia.
If the province approves the application, Nova Scotia will notify the applicant they have been selected for provincial nomination. This notification will be sent to the applicant’s IRCC online account. After accepting the provincial nomination, the applicant’s CRS score will increase by 600 points, virtually guaranteeing they will receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence in the next Express Entry draw.
After receiving an ITA, the applicant must prepare and submit an official application for Canadian permanent residence within the designated timeframe. Applications for permanent residence submitted through Express Entry are generally processed within six months.
Recent Intake Rounds
Below is the information regarding past intake rounds for the Nova Scotia Labour Market Priorities stream.
| Date | Priority | Details |
|---|---|---|
| February 8th, 2022 | NOC 3012 | Candidates must have CLB score of 9 or higher in all English or French language abilities and demonstrate three or more years of experience as a registered nurse or registered psychiatric nurse, and have completed a bachelor's degree or a program of 3 years or more at a university, college, trade, or technical school or another institute. |
| October 7th, 2021 | NOC 7271 | Candidates must have CLB score of 5 or higher in all English language abilities and demonstrate two or more years of skilled trades experience as a carpenter. |
| October 7th, 2021 | Nova Scotia Job Offer | Candidates must have CLB score of 5 or higher in all English or French language abilities, hold a high school diploma, and have at least 1 year of work experience related to the job. |
| March 29th, 2021 | French-speakers | Candidates must have selected French as their first official language and have a CLB 9 or higher in all French language abilities and a CLB score of 7 or higher in all English language abilities, hold a bachelor's degree or have completed a program of 3 years or more at a university, college, trade, or technical school or other institute. |
| January 19th, 2021 | NOC 1114 | Candidates must have CLB score of 9 or higher in all English language abilities, hold a bachelor's degree or have completed a program of 3 years or more at a university, college, trade, or technical school or other institute. |
| December 1st, 2020 | Nova Scotia Job Offer | Candidates must have CLB score of 5 or higher in all English or French language abilities, hold a high school diploma, and have at least 1 year of work experience related to the job. |
| October 22nd, 2020 | NOC 2174 | Candidates must have CLB score of 7 or higher in all English language abilities, hold a bachelor's degree or have completed a program of 3 years or more at a university, college, trade, or technical school or other institute. |
| September 24th, 2020 | NOC 7321, 7322 | Candidates must have CLB score of 5 or higher in all English language abilities, have completed a program of 2 years or more at a university, college, trade, or technical school or other institute. |
| May 22nd, 2020 | NOC 3012 | Candidates must have CLB score of 8 or higher in all English or French language abilities, hold a bachelor's degree or have completed a program of 3 years or more at a university, college, trade, or technical school or other institute. |
| April 27th, 2020 | French-speakers | Candidates must have selected French as their first official language and have a CLB 8 or higher in all French language abilities and a CLB score of 6 or higher in all English language abilities , hold a bachelor's degree or have completed a program of 3 years or more at a university, college, trade, or technical school or other institute. |
| December 20th, 2019 | NOC 1123 | Candidates must have CLB 9 or higher in English or French, hold a master’s degree, plus at least 2 years of experience in advertising, marketing or public relations. |
| December 5th, 2019 | NOC 4212 | Candidates must have CLB 7 or higher in English or French, plus at least 2 years of experience as a social worker or community service worker. |
| October 28th, 2019 | NOC 3012 | Candidates must have CLB 8 or higher in English or French, plus at least three years of experience in NOC 3012. |
| September 20th, 2019 | NOC 7271 | Candidates must have CLB 5 or higher in English or French, plus at least two years of experience in NOC 7271. |
| September 4th, 2019 | French-speakers | Candidates must have CLB 8 or higher in French and CLB 6 in English. |
| March 20th, 2019 | French-speakers | Candidates must have CLB 7 in French and CLB 5 in English. |
| January 24th, 2019 | NOC 1111 | Candidates required a CRS score of 400-450 plus at least 5 years of experience in NOC 1111. |
| August 8th, 2018 | NOC 4214 | Candidates must have at least two years' experience in NOC 4214. |
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