How to Apply for the Nova Scotia PNP Without a Canadian Job Offer

Nova Scotia is one of Canada’s most immigrant-friendly provinces. In 2019, the province surpassed its immigrant intake record by welcoming 7,580 foreign nationals. In 2020, the authorities have continued to accept and process applications from immigration aspirants, and are on track for meeting or exceeding last year’s record. Most of these immigrants enter the country through the Nova Scotia PNP and the Atlantic Immigration Pilot.

The Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP) nominates eligible candidates under various categories or streams for permanent residence. Skilled workers who do not have a job offer from an employer in Nova Scotia may be eligible for the Labor Market Priorities stream, which selects suitable registrants from the federal Express Entry pool who can satisfy the province’s labor market requirements. In order to be eligible, candidates must:

• Possess legal status in the country where they are currently residing.

• Submit an Expression of Interest under a federal Express Entry stream by meeting the work experience requirement and other criteria for that stream, and possess a valid Express Entry number.

• Have sufficient funds to cover travel expenditure, immigration costs, and support oneself and accompanying family members after arriving in Nova Scotia.

• Satisfy the draw-specific eligibility criteria applicable at the time of being invited to apply for nomination under this Canada PNP program stream.

Receiving a nomination under any Provincial Nominee Program adds 600 points to an Express Entry candidate’s Comprehensive Ranking System score. This greatly increases the chances of being invited to apply for permanent residence by the federal immigration authority – Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). In order to apply for this stream, aspirants can pursue the following procedure:

Step 1: Submit an EOI under the relevant Express Entry stream, indicating an interest in moving to Nova Scotia. Eligible candidates will be identified and will receive a Letter of Interest (LoI) from NSNP through the Express Entry System.

Step 2: Within 60 days of receiving a LoI, candidates must fill the online application form, attach supporting documents, and submit the completed application package to NSNP online. There is no fee for submitting the application.

Step 3: If the application is approved, NSNP will issue a nomination to the applicant via the Express Entry System. The nomination must be accepted within 30 days. Subsequently, the nominee would be invited to apply for permanent residence (PR) to IRCC, through the regular Express Entry draws.

Within 60 days of receiving this invitation, the aspirant should submit a complete PR application to IRCC. Once PR is granted, the nominee must contact the Nova Scotia PNP and provide a copy of the Confirmation of PR. To find out what the draw-specific eligibility requirements entail, and how you can secure a nomination from Nova Scotia or other Canadian provinces/territories, it is best to seek the guidance of authorized and experienced consultants at Abhinav Immigration Services.