Under the Nova Scotia International Graduate Entrepreneur stream of the Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP), the government of Nova Scotia targets recent university or community college graduates from Nova Scotia who have owned or founded a Nova Scotia business that has been in operation for at least one year.
Program Eligibility
Requirement | |
| Job Offer | – Need not require a job offer to apply under this category. |
| Level of Education | – Have obtained a minimum of a 2 Years full time, in person study of diploma or degree from an eligible Nova Scotian University or community college. – Have resided Nova Scotia during the academic program. |
| Work Experience | – Have at least 1 year of continuous experience actively managing and owning their current Nova Scotia business having a minimum 33.33% ownership of the eligible business. – Have held a valid post-graduation work permit for at least 1 year while operating a business in Nova Scotia, also have a valid PGWP at the time of application to NSOI. – Demonstrate they are receiving compensation in the form of salary from the business, meeting LICO. |
| Language Proficiency | – Demonstrate competence at level 7 or above on the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB). |
| Connection to Province | – Have completed at least 2 years of full-time study at a Nova Scotia University or community college. – Demonstrate at least 1 year of ownership and management experience in a Nova Scotia business – Have a minimum one-third ownership – Be currently residing in Nova Scotia and hold a valid post-graduation work permit |
Application Procedure:
- Candidates submit profiles to a candidate pool.
- Profiles are scored using the Nova Scotia International Graduate Entrepreneur Ranking System.
- Highest-ranked candidates receive invitations to apply.
- Include audit opinion and special purpose report with their application.
- Successful candidates have interviews with Nova Scotia immigration officers.
- If successful, they receive provincial nominations for permanent residence.
- Within six months, candidates must submit a paper-based federal application by mail.
- Paper-based PNP applications typically take around 18 months for processing.
Nova Scotia International Graduate Entrepreneur Points Grid
| Selection factor | Points |
| Language | 35 |
| Education | 25 |
| Work experience | 15 |
| Adaptability | 10 |
| Age | 10 |
| Economic Priorities | 5 |
| Language Ability | Speaking | Listening | Reading | Writing |
| First official language | ||||
| CLB level 9 or higher | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| CLB level 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| CLB level 7 | 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 in your first official language. | ||||
| Education | Points |
| Completion of a Nova Scotia post-secondary diploma for a two- year program | 12 |
| Completion of a Nova Scotia post-secondary degree or diploma for a program of three years or longer | 15 |
| Two or more Canadian post-secondary degrees or diplomas (at least one must be for a program of at least three years completed at a Nova Scotia institution) | 17 |
| Nova Scotia university degree at the Master’s level | 22 |
| Completion of a Nova Scotia 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 | 22 |
| Nova Scotia university degree at the Doctoral (PhD) level | 25 |
| Maximum | 25 |
| Work Experience | Points |
| 3 to 5 years of work experience in the last 10 years at NOC 0, A or B level | 10 |
| Greater than 5 years of work experience in the last 10 years at NOC 0, A or B level | 15 |
| Maximum | 15 |
| Adaptability | Points |
| Your spouse or 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 spouse or partner’s past study in Nova Scotia Your spouse or common-law partner finished at least two academic 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 must have remained in good academic standing (as defined by the school) during the period of full-time study in Nova Scotia. | 5 |
| Your spouse or common-law partner’s past work in Nova Scotia Your spouse / 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 |
| Age | Points |
| 21-39 | 10 |
| 40-44 | 7 |
| 45-55 | 5 |
| 56+ | 0 |
| Maximum | 10 |
| Nova Scotia Economic Priorities | Points |
| Export-oriented business | 5 |
| Business location outside of Halifax County | 5 |
| Purchasing an Existing Business | 5 |
| Maximum | 5 |
Nova Scotia International Graduate Entrepreneur – Recent Draws
| Draw date | Number of invitations | Score of lowest-ranked candidate invited |
| November 1, 2022 | 6 | 47 |
| December 22, 2021 | 2 | 53 |
| February 5, 2020 | 1 | 67 |
| September 6, 2019 | 1 | 54 |
| June 24, 2019 | 1 | 74 |
| January 7, 2019 | 1 | 54 |
| November 14, 2018 | 1 | 68 |
| September 20, 2018 | 1 | 47 |
| August 7, 2018 | 1 | 47 |
| June 21, 2018 | 1 | 56 |
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