- Home
- Provinces
- Nova Scotia
- NS Express Entry
Nova Scotia: Express Entry
A Nova Scotia stream for people who already work in the province and hold an Express Entry profile, with a physicians sub-category for approved health-authority opportunities. A provincial nomination adds points in Express Entry. Nova Scotia selects from its EOI pool and does not publish a minimum CRS score.
Who it suits
- Express Entry candidates with at least one year of skilled work in Nova Scotia (TEER 0-3)
- Post-graduation work permit holders who graduated from a Nova Scotia institution
- Physicians with an approved opportunity at the Nova Scotia Health Authority or IWK Health Centre
Requirements
- Ee profileA profile registered in IRCC's Express Entry system. ↗ liveinnovascotia.com
- Work experienceAt least one year of experience working in Nova Scotia in a TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 occupation. ↗ liveinnovascotia.com
- LanguageCLB 7 for TEER 0 and 1 jobs; CLB 5 for TEER 2 and 3 jobs, in English or French. ↗ liveinnovascotia.com
- EducationCanadian high school credential or equivalent. ↗ liveinnovascotia.com
- AgeAged 21 to 55. ↗ liveinnovascotia.com
- PgwpPost-graduation work permit holders must have graduated from a Nova Scotia institution. ↗ liveinnovascotia.com
- PhysicianPhysician sub-category: approved opportunity from the Nova Scotia Health Authority or IWK Health Centre, signed Return for Service Agreement (minimum two years in Nova Scotia), a Letter of Interest from the NSNP, and an EOI within 30 calendar days of that letter. Physicians must also show enough funds to establish themselves and family. ↗ liveinnovascotia.com
- FeeApplication fee $1,000, due within 7 calendar days of being selected, for EOIs selected on or after 2026-09-01. ↗ liveinnovascotia.com
How candidates are selected
EOI pool; Nova Scotia selects periodically on labour-market priorities (healthcare, trades and other priority occupations have been the main groups). No CRS cutoff is published. Separately, the province's Critical Vacancies initiative searches the Express Entry pool for candidates for specific employer vacancies; it is not an NSNP application.
Location requirement: Must have worked in Nova Scotia for at least one year (physicians: approved Nova Scotia health-authority opportunity).
Processing: After selection the candidate has 7 calendar days to upload documents and pay the fee. The provincial assessment time is not published. A nominee certificate is valid for 12 months to apply to IRCC. IRCC processing time for the federal stage is shown in IRCC's tool (Provincial nominees) and was not readable as a number on the page.
Recent rounds
| Date | Round | Minimum score | Invitations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07 | All NSNP streams combined (monthly selection count; not broken down by stream; no score published) | — | 671 |
| 2026-06 | All NSNP streams combined (monthly selection count; not broken down by stream; no score published) | — | 531 |
| 2026-05 | All NSNP streams combined (monthly selection count; not broken down by stream; no score published) | — | 789 |
| 2026-04 | All NSNP streams combined (monthly selection count; not broken down by stream; no score published) | — | 161 |
| 2026-03 | All NSNP streams combined (monthly selection count; not broken down by stream; no score published) | — | 370 |
| 2026-02 | All NSNP streams combined (monthly selection count; not broken down by stream; no score published) | — | 357 |
| 2026-01 | All NSNP streams combined (monthly selection count; not broken down by stream; no score published) | — | 363 |
Related pathways
Critical Construction Worker Pilot (former Nova Scotia stream)
OpenNova Scotia Nominee Program: Entrepreneur
ReplacedLabour Market Priorities (former Nova Scotia stream)
ReplacedPhysician Stream (now sub-category of Skilled Worker and Nova Scotia: Express Entry)
OpenNova Scotia Nominee Program: Skilled Worker
Official sources
- liveinnovascotia.comNova Scotia: Express Entry stream pageChecked 2026-10-01
- liveinnovascotia.comNSNP overview and newsChecked 2026-10-01
- liveinnovascotia.comNSNP update: ten streams consolidated into four (Feb 18, 2026)Checked 2026-10-01
- liveinnovascotia.comEOI selection counts by monthChecked 2026-10-01
- liveinnovascotia.comEOI processing policyChecked 2026-10-01
- canada.caIRCC processing times toolChecked 2026-10-01
- liveinnovascotia.comCritical Vacancies initiativeChecked 2026-10-01
- liveinnovascotia.comApplication fees noticeChecked 2026-10-01
Program rules change often. This page summarizes the official pages listed above; the official page always takes precedence.