Nova Scotia.
NSNP, decoded.
Nova Scotia rebuilt its program twice in three months. In November 2025 every application became an expression of interest: your complete file enters a central pool and the province periodically selects which applications it will process, based on priorities, remaining allocation and pool volume. Being eligible no longer means being assessed — unselected files can sit indefinitely. Then in February 2026 ten streams collapsed into four: Skilled Worker, Nova Scotia Express Entry, Nova Scotia Graduate, and Entrepreneur.
The headline change lands on September 1, 2026: Nova Scotia becomes the first Atlantic province to charge four-figure fees — $1,000 for worker streams and $2,000 for entrepreneur pathways, payable within seven days of selection for workers, non-refundable even if the nomination is ultimately refused. The Atlantic Immigration Program, which Nova Scotia also runs through the same selection pool, remains free of provincial fees — expect it to absorb fee-sensitive demand.
How the NSNP works.
Nova Scotia Nominee Program, run by Nova Scotia Dept. of Labour, Skills & Immigration with IRCC. You qualify under a stream, get selected or nominated, then IRCC decides your PR. Official site →
EOI
Nova Scotia abandoned first-come processing in November 2025: complete applications sit in one EOI pool and the province selects which files it will even assess — eligibility no longer guarantees processing.
Allocation & fees
EOI pool since Nov 2025 — selection is not guaranteed; fee due within 7 days of selection. Figures change — verify on the official site. Data checked 2026-08-23.
Live tracker
Nova Scotia in 2026, by the numbers.
Nova Scotia reports monthly selection totals, not individual draws. Has not published a 2026 nomination allocation. IRCC allocated 43,999 spaces nationally; the seven jurisdictions that published theirs account for 37,255, leaving about 6,744 shared between Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, PEI and Newfoundland and Labrador.
| Date | Round | Invited |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 31, 2026 | —July 2026 monthly EOI selection total | 671 |
| Jun 30, 2026 | —June 2026 monthly EOI selection total | 531 |
| May 31, 2026 | —May 2026 monthly EOI selection total | 789 |
| Apr 30, 2026 | —April 2026 monthly EOI selection total | 161 |
| Mar 31, 2026 | —March 2026 monthly EOI selection total | 370 |
| Feb 28, 2026 | —February 2026 monthly EOI selection total | 357 |
Nova Scotia does not publish individual draws. It reports how many candidates it selected from the EOI pool each month - these are selections for assessment, not nominations, which is why the running total can pass the nomination cap: 3,242 selected from January to July 2026, with August onward still to be reported. Selections focus on healthcare, skilled trades and other priority occupations.
A separate federal program with its own allocation. These figures are not provincial nominations and are never added to the PNP totals above.
endorsements — no round-level counts published
Nova Scotia reports NSNP selection totals monthly but does not publish AIP endorsement counts. AIP is unaffected by the NSNP application fee introduced September 1, 2026 — there is no provincial fee for AIP.
IRCC allocated 3,315 AIP spaces across the four Atlantic provinces for 2026.
Official source ↗ · checked 2026-08-23
Where people settle in Nova Scotia
Atlantic Immigration Program endorsements run through designated employers, which are spread across the province rather than concentrated in Halifax.
Halifax
The Atlantic region's largest city: health care, universities, defence, ocean technology and finance.
Sydney
Cape Breton centre with health care, tourism and a growing international student population.
Truro
Central hub for agriculture, transport and trades.
Living in Nova Scotia is what the NSNP is for: a nomination ties you to this province, and you are expected to settle here. Talk to a licensed RCIC before you commit to a destination.
NSNP streams, criteria and process.
Choose the stream that fits your profile. Criteria and open or closed status change often — we confirm what is live before you file.
Skilled Worker
The consolidated core — absorbs the old Skilled Worker, Occupations in Demand, Critical Construction Worker Pilot and Physician streams. Job offer required, TEER 0–5, ages 21–55.
Nova Scotia Express Entry
For candidates with a year of Nova Scotia work experience at TEER 0–3 — absorbs the old Experience and Labour Market Priorities streams, including physicians.
Nova Scotia Graduate
For graduates of Nova Scotia institutions with offers in listed occupations: early childhood educators, nurse aides, paramedical and pharmacy technicians.
Entrepreneur
Location-priced: roughly $600K net worth and investment inside Halifax, $400K outside — plus pathways for buying an existing business and for international graduates.
Atlantic Immigration Program
Employer designations and endorsements are selected from the same provincial pool since November 2025 — but AIP stays free of provincial fees.
Where Nova Scotia selection actually turns — the factors that decide whether a profile is invited.
Selection, not queueing
Since November 28, 2025 an acknowledged application is only in the pool. Nova Scotia states outright it cannot guarantee your file will ever be assessed.
The September fee cliff
Selected on or after September 1, 2026: $1,000 (workers, within 7 days) or $2,000 (entrepreneurs). Selected before: nothing. Timing has real money attached.
Ten streams became four
Old stream names — Occupations in Demand, Critical Construction Worker Pilot — died in February 2026. Applications citing them are built on sand.
A tiered occupation map
Health care and trades are open worldwide; NOC groups 2, 4, 8 and 9 only for temporary residents already in Nova Scotia; everything else needs NS residence at TEER 0–2.
Four stages from first interest to a permanent-residence decision.
Register / submit an EOI
Create a profile in the NSNP pool; you are scored and ranked on EOI.
Get selected / invited
Nova Scotia invites or approves candidates who meet its priorities, then issues a nomination.
Provincial nomination
Add 600 CRS in Express Entry (enhanced) or apply on paper (base), depending on your stream.
Apply to IRCC for PR
Submit your permanent-residence application; IRCC makes the final decision.
A NSNP nomination = +600 CRS
Through the Nova Scotia: Express Entry, an enhanced nomination adds 600 points to your Comprehensive Ranking System score — in practice, a guaranteed invitation to apply in the next Express Entry round.
NSNP FAQ.
I submitted a complete NSNP application. When will it be processed?
How much does the NSNP cost now?
Is the Atlantic Immigration Program a cheaper way into Nova Scotia?
Which occupations does Nova Scotia actually want in 2026?
Does a NSNP nomination guarantee permanent residence?
How does the NSNP connect to Express Entry?
What is the NSNP scoring system?
Can CHK Immigration help if I'm not in Ontario?
NSNP eligibility review
Would Nova Scotia actually invite you?
Send a few details and a licensed RCIC will tell you where you would rank under EOI, which NSNP stream fits, and whether another province is a faster route.
- Scored against the live NSNP cut-offs, not last year’s
- A written shortlist of the streams you realistically qualify for
- Reviewed by a CICC-licensed Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant; fees and thresholds verified September 2026
- Consultations are fee-based; you get the fee and available times by reply
CHK Immigration Services — Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (CICC). Offices in Brampton and London, Ontario. Submitting this form does not create a client–consultant relationship; IRCC makes all final decisions.
consultant
Brampton & London
nomination
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