Nova Scotia is one of Canada’s three Maritime provinces and constitutes one of the four Atlantic Canada provinces. It is the second-smallest province in Canada with an area of 55,284 square kilometres (21,300 sq mi), including Cape Breton Island and another 3,800 coastal islands. As of 2011, the population was 921,727, making Nova Scotia the second-most-densely populated province in Canada. For more information about Nova Scotia, please visit our website and, in particular, the following URL: http://www.akcanada.com/lic_novascotia.cfm.
Recently, the Government of Nova Scotia introduced the new Nova Scotia Nominee Program – Regional Labour Market Demand Stream, which is aimed at selecting individuals who meet the labour market needs, are destined to join the labour market with a full-time and permanent position, and wish to live in the Province of Nova Scotia permanently. It is ideal for those wishing to immigrate to Canada who do not otherwise qualify under the Federal Skilled Worker Program.
Applicants are not required to have a permanent, full-time job offer from a Nova Scotia employer at the time of submitting their application; however, they must intend to pursue employment in an occupation that is in demand in the Province.
Currently, the list includes the following occupations:
- Managers in Health Care
- Retail Trade Managers
- Restaurant and Food Service Managers
- Financial Auditors and Accountants
- Other Financial Officers
- Civil Engineers
- Mechanical Engineers
- Electrical and Electronics Engineers
- Computer Engineers (Except Software Engineers and Designers)
- Information Systems Analysts and Consultants
- Database Analysts and Data Administrators
- Software Engineers and Designers
- Computer Programmers and Interactive Media Developers
- Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians
- Electrical and Electronics Engineering Technologists and Technicians
- Systems Testing Technicians
- Specialist Physicians
- General Practitioners and Family Physicians
- Dentists
- Pharmacists
- Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists
- Physiotherapists
- Occupational Therapists
- Registered Nurses
- Allied primary health practitioners
- Medical Laboratory Technologists and Pathologists’ Assistants
- Respiratory Therapists, Clinical Perfusionists and Cardiopulmonary Technologists
- Medical Radiation Technologists
- Medical Sonographers
- Licensed Practical Nurses
- Other Technical Occupations in Therapy and Assessment
- Psychologists
- Early Childhood Educators and Assistants
- Retail Trade Supervisors
- Chefs
- Cooks
- Contractors and Supervisors, Metal Forming, Shaping and Erecting Trades
- Machinists and Machining and Tooling Inspectors
- Industrial Electricians
- Welders and Related Machine Operators
- Heavy-Duty Equipment Mechanics
- Automotive Service Technicians, Truck and Bus Mechanics and Mechanical Repairers
- Crane Operators
- Supervisors, Other Mechanical and Metal Products Manufacturing
The outlook for an applicant’s intended occupation must be good-to-fair in the area he/she intends to settle in order for his/her application to be considered under the Regional Labour Market Demand stream.
Applicants eligible for nomination must meet all of the eligibility criteria below:
- An applicant must be between the ages of 21 and 55 at the time the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration receives his/her complete application;
- An applicant must have achieved a minimum language standard on the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) scale or Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) of at least CLB/NCLC Level 5;
- An applicant’s intended occupation is a National Occupational Classification (NOC) level 0, A, or B and there is demonstrated demand for this occupation in the regional labour market in the community in which the applicant intends to live;
- An applicant must be a citizen of or hold a passport or other documentation permitting him/her to legally reside in his/her current country of residence;
- An applicant must have the required amount of funds;
- An applicant must have completed the equivalent of a Canadian high school diploma with a minimum of twelve (12) years of education and/or training from a recognized educational institution AND an applicant must have completed and received a degree, diploma or certificate from a recognized post-secondary educational institution or training program. The post-secondary education or training program must have been at least one academic year in length;
- An applicant must have at least two (2) years of continuous full-time work experience within the last five (5) years, in a field of work related to his/her intended occupation in Nova Scotia;
- An applicant must demonstrate that he/she will become economically established in Nova Scotia and that he/she intends to live in the province permanently;
- An applicant must have completed an Employment and Settlement Plan which outlines his/her potential economic, labour market and social contributions to the community; and
- If required, an applicant must be able to attend an in-person interview in Nova Scotia.
Applicants are INELIGIBLE to apply if they are:
- eligible for any other stream in the Nova Scotia Provincial Nominee Program;
- intending to work in an occupation that is a National Occupational Classification (NOC) level C or D;
- a grand-parent, parent, spouse, common-law or conjugal partner of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident living in Canada, an applicant under humanitarian and compassionate grounds, a refugee claimant or a failed refugee claimant;
- in Canada illegally, under a removal order, or are prohibited from entering or being in Canada;
- an international student who is currently in study at a Canadian post-secondary institution;
- an international graduate who has graduated from a Canadian post-secondary institution and is eligible for the Canadian Experience Class;
- an international graduate who has a valid post-graduate work permit in Canada;
- an international student’s spouse, and your spouse is in study in a Canadian post-secondary institution but is not in his/her last academic year of studies;
- the spouse of an international graduate who has a valid post-graduate work permit in Canada.
- an individual with unresolved custody or child support disputes affecting any dependent;
- an individual with a full-time permanent employment offer, a seasonal, part-time or casual worker. Individuals with a full-time permanent employment offer should apply under the NSNP Skilled Worker stream;
- in a sales position that is based solely on commission for compensation;
- a helper and/or labourer in construction, agriculture or primary resources sectors;
- a live-in caregiver;
- intending to start a business and/or be self-employed in Nova Scotia;
- a passive investor (individuals who intend to invest in a Nova Scotia business with very limited or no involvement in the day-to-day management of the business).
If you had your eligibility to immigrate to Canada in the Federal Skilled Worker Class previously assessed by Abrams & Krochak and would like to have your eligibility to immigrate to Canada reassessed under the Nova Scotia Nominee Program – Regional Labour Market Demand Stream, please send an e-mail to askus@akcanada.com with your request. If you are already a client of Abrams & Krochak, and wish to obtain more information about this program, please send an e-mail to info@akcanada.com. Otherwise, please complete our Online Eligibility Assessment Questionnaire at http://www.akcanada.com/assessment1.cfm and we will be pleased to assess you under this new and exciting program!