For applicants who wish to live in Nova Scotia permanently, the Nova Scotia Experience: Express Entry (“NSE:EE”) is a great stream to apply for permanent residence.
To qualify for NSE:EE, an applicant must be between 21 and 55 years old, have the required work experience, demonstrate they have graduated high school or have the equivalent of a secondary school education in Canada or abroad, prove they can communicate in French or English, intend to live in Nova Scotia and demonstrate that they can support themselves and their family.
An applicant must have one year of work experience in Nova Scotia, or a total of 1,560 hours of work experience in the 3 years before they submit the application. This could be 30 hours per week for 12 months at one or more jobs, or 15 hours per week for 24 months.
The work experience cannot be self-employment, work done while being a full-time student, co-op work terms, unpaid internships or volunteer work. The work experience must be in a TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 level job as described in the NOC 2021 Job Classification. During the work experience, the applicant must have done at least 51% of the main duties in the corresponding NOC 2021 job. Applicants can learn more about the TEER or NOC 2021 system in our previous article (“Changes to the National Occupation Classification and Eligibility Requirements under the Atlantic Immigration Program,” November 22, 2022).
An applicant must demonstrate that they obtained a high school diploma or a certificate, diploma or degree from a post-secondary institution in Canada. If they studied outside of Canada, they will require an Educational Credential Assessment that proves their certificate, diploma, degree, or other proof of education is valid and is equivalent to at least a secondary school education in the Canadian education system.
Please note that as of June 9, 2022, the Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration is focusing on Nova Scotia graduates who received their 1 year of work experience while on a Post-Graduate Open Work Permit. This change does not affect applicants who gained Nova Scotia experience while on other types of Work Permits.
An applicant must prove that they can speak English or French as measured by the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB). For jobs classified as TEER 0 or 1, an applicant needs a score of CLB 7 or higher. For jobs classified as TEER 2 or 3, an applicant needs a score of CLB 5 or higher.
Lastly, an applicant must make a profile in Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s Express Entry System to which their NSE:EE application can be linked.
If you are an employer who would like to retain a foreign national who has worked for you in a skilled job for at least 1 year or if you are an applicant who has at least 1 year of skilled work experience with a Nova Scotian employer, please don’t hesitate to contact Suzanne Rix or Sarah Gray for assistance with an NSE:EE Application.
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