Under the Nova Scotia Entrepreneur stream of the Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP), the government of Nova Scotia aims to attract senior company executives or seasoned business owners who wish to relocate to Nova Scotia:
Program Eligibility
| Requirement | |
| Express Entry Profile | – Need not required to be registered under the Federal Express Entry program |
| Age | – Be 21 Years or older |
| Job Offer | – Need not require a job offer to apply under this stream |
| Level of Education | – Need not require any specific education to apply under this stream |
| Work Experience | – 3 years of business ownership experience, actively managing and owning minimum 33.33% ownership, or
– Have a minimum of 5 years of senior business management experience, or – In the last 10 Years |
| Language Proficiency | – Demonstrate competence equivalent to the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 5 or above. |
| Personal Net Worth | – Have a personal net worth of at least $600,000 CAD |
| Investment Requirement | – Invest a minimum of $150,000 CAD into a Nova Scotia business that they will create and manage. |
| Connection to Province | – Need not require any specific connection to BC |
| Business Plan / Performance Agreement | – Submit a business establishment plan.
– Enter into business performance agreement. |
Application Procedure
- Candidates initiate the process by submitting an Expression of Interest (EOI) profile.
- The Nova Scotia Entrepreneur Ranking System is used to rank each EOI profile.
- The highest-ranking candidates receive invitations to apply to the stream.
- They are required to submit a company formation plan and a net worth verification report.
- Successful candidates may be invited to participate in an interview with an immigration officer in Nova Scotia.
- If the interview goes well, candidates are asked to sign a business performance agreement.
- After signing the agreement, candidates receive a letter of support for a work permit from the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration (NSOI).
- Candidates apply for a temporary work permit to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
- Upon obtaining the temporary work permit, candidates can move to Nova Scotia and begin operating their business.
- After successfully running the business for at least one year and meeting the business performance agreement requirements, candidates become eligible for a provincial nomination from Nova Scotia.
Nova Scotia Entrepreneurs Ranking System:
- The Nova Scotia Entrepreneur stream employs the Nova Scotia Entrepreneur Ranking System to assess and rank applicants who have submitted Expressions of Interest (EOIs).
- While there isn’t a specific minimum score requirement, invitations to submit applications to the program are extended only to the most qualified and deserving applicants based on their rankings.
| Selection factor | Maximum Points |
| Language | 35 |
| Education | 25 |
| Business Ownership or Management Experience | 35 |
| Net Worth | 10 |
| Age | 10 |
| Adaptability | 10 |
| Economic Priorities | 10 |
| Investment | 15 |
| Language Ability | Points | Documentation required | |||
| First official language | Speaking | Listening | Reading | Writing | |
| CLB level 7 or higher | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | English language: CELPIP – General test or IELTS- General training test
French: TEFTest must be taken no more than two years prior to the date the EOI is submitted. |
| CLB level 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | |
| CLB level 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | |
| Second official language | |||||
| At least CLB 5 in all of the four abilities | 7 | ||||
| Maximum | 35 | ||||
| Note: You can only get 7 points in total for basic-level skills in your second official language, and only if you have a score of at least CLB 5 in each of the four language abilities 20 points awarded for first official language. | |||||
| Education | Points |
| Canadian high school diploma, or equivalent | 8 |
| Canadian post-secondary degree or diploma for a one-year program, or equivalent | 12 |
| Canadian post-secondary degree or diploma for a two- year program, or equivalent | 19 |
| Canadian post-secondary degree or diploma for a program of three years or longer, or equivalent | 21 |
| Two or more Canadian post-secondary degrees or diplomas or equivalent (at least one must be for a program of at least three years) | 22 |
| Master’s degree or equivalent | 23 |
| University level entry-to-practice professional degree Occupation related to the degree must be: – NOC 2016 Skill Level A, and – Licensed by a provincial regulatory body. |
23 |
| University degree at the Doctoral (PhD) level or equivalent | 25 |
| Maximum | 25 |
| Business Ownership or Senior Management Experience | Points |
| 3 to 5 years of business ownership experience (minimum 1/3 ownership) in the last 10 years | 20 |
| Greater than 5 years of experience in a senior management role in the last 10 years | 20 |
| Greater than 5 years of business ownership experience (minimum 1/3 ownership) in the last 10 years | 35 |
| Maximum | 35 |
| Net Worth | Points |
| $600,000 CAD – $999,999 CAD | 5 |
| 1Million CAD – $1.5 Million CAD | 7 |
| Greater than $1.5 Million CAD | 10 |
| Maximum | 10 |
| Age | Points |
| 21-24 | 5 |
| 25-32 | 7 |
| 33-39 | 10 |
| 40-44 | 7 |
| 45-55 | 5 |
| 56+ | 0 |
| Maximum | 10 |
| Adaptability | Points |
| Your spouse or common-law partner’s language level Your spouse or common-law partner has a language level in either English or French at CLB 4 level or higher in all four language abilities (speaking, listening, reading and writing) |
5 |
| Your past study in Nova Scotia You have finished at least two years of full-time study (in a program at least two years long) at a secondary or post- secondary school in Nova Scotia (full-time study means at least 15 hours of instruction per week), and have remained in good academic standing (as defined by the school) during the period of full-time study in Nova Scotia. |
10 |
| Your spouse or common-law partner’s past study in Nova Scotia Your accompanying spouse or common-law partner has finished at least two years of full-time study (in a program at least two years long) at a secondary or post-secondary school in Nova Scotia (full-time study means at least 15 hours of instruction per week), and has remained in good academic standing (as defined by the school) during the period of full-time study in Nova Scotia. |
5 |
| Your past work in Nova Scotia You did at least one year of full-time work in Nova Scotia: – In an occupation listed in Skill Type 0 or Skill Levels A or B of the National Occupational Classification (NOC), and – on a valid work permit or while authorized to work in Canada. |
10 |
| Your spouse or common-law partner’s past work in Nova Scotia Your spouse or common-law partner did at least one year of full-time work in Nova Scotia on a valid work permit or while authorized to work in Canada. |
5 |
| Relatives in Nova Scotia You, or, if it applies, your spouse or common-law partner, have a relative, either a parent, grandparent, brother/sister, aunt/uncle, niece/nephew, who is living in Nova Scotia for at least one continuous year, 19 years or older, and a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. |
5 |
| Maximum | 10 |
| Nova Scotia Economic Priorities | Points |
| Export-oriented business | 5 |
| Proposed business location outside of Halifax County | 5 |
| Business succession | 5 |
| Maximum | 10 |
| Investment | Points |
| $150,000 CAD– $300,000 CAD | 10 |
| Greater than $300,000 CAD | 15 |
| Maximum | 15 |
Recent Draws – Entrepreneur in Nova Scotia
Below is the recent Nova Scotia Entrepreneur draws:
| Draw date | Number of invitations | Score of lowest-ranked candidate invited |
| December 22, 2021 | 20 | 119 |
| September 13, 2021 | 28 | 120 |
| February 24, 2021 | 43 | 118 |
| December 9, 2020 | 34 | 122 |
| February 5, 2020 | 27 | 115 |
| November 12, 2019 | 20 | 118 |
| September 6, 2019 | 46 | 113 |
| June 24, 2019 | 43 | 110 |
| May 17, 2019 | 27 | 112 |
| April 4, 2019 | 27 | 112 |
| February 19, 2019 | 22 | 112 |
| January 7, 2019 | 33 | 112 |
| November 14, 2018 | 30 | 112 |
| October 9, 2018 | 44 | 109 |
| September 20, 2018 | 43 | 109 |
| August 7, 2018 | 32 | 116 |
| June 26, 2018 | 22 | 120 |
| May 21, 2018 | 18 | 123 |
| March 27, 2018 | 22 | 108 |
| February 20, 2018 | 22 | 100 |
| January 16, 2018 | 27 | 91 |
| December 19, 2017 | 27 | 91 |
| November 15, 2017 | 24 | 91 |
| October 10, 2017 | 12 | 97 |
| September 15, 2017 | 28 | 91 |
| August 9, 2017 | 25 | 94 |
| July 11, 2017 | 20 | 97 |
| June 13, 2017 | 30 | 95 |
| May 9, 2017 | 35 | 98 |
| March 7, 2017 | 26 | 100 |
| January 18, 2017 | 28 | 90 |
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