Nova Scotia announces one-time expansion of immigration selection priorities
On July 14, 2026, Nova Scotia announced a one-time expansion of its immigration selection priorities to align with current labour market needs and available nomination spaces in 2026.
The Province is expanding its selection from active Expressions of Interest (EOIs) submitted on or before June 30, 2026, to include additional candidates already living and working in Nova Scotia. This approach supports workforce retention and helps address labour market needs within the province's available nomination spaces.
Eligibility criteria
The expanded selection includes candidates who have already submitted an EOI, have a work permit expiry date in 2026 or earlier, and meet one or more of the following criteria:
- Working in a TEER 0-4 occupation that supports key sectors of Nova Scotia's economy, such as Professional & Scientific, Manufacturing, Construction, Health & Social Services, Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Transportation
- Graduating from a Nova Scotia designated learning institution and working in a TEER 0-5 occupation
- Living in a community outside the Halifax Regional Municipality and working in a TEER 0-5 occupation
- Working in a Sales and Service occupation (TEER 0-2) and earning at least $20 per hour at the time of EOI submission
- Working in Nova Scotia in any occupation and earning at least $27 per hour at the time of EOI submission
Work permit expiry may be considered as a secondary factor when determining the order in which selected applications are processed.
Nova Scotia nominee program priorities
On April 27, 2026, Nova Scotia outlined its current nominee program priorities, which focus on the province's most pressing labour-market needs while managing a limited number of nomination spaces.
Priority is given to candidates who show a genuine intention to live, work, and settle in Nova Scotia long-term.
Current priority focus
Healthcare and skilled trades occupations remain the top priority, covering TEER levels 0 to 4 only. This applies to both international applicants and temporary residents already living and working in the province.
Other priority occupations
Beyond healthcare and skilled trades, Nova Scotia may also consider nominations for temporary residents already in the province working in the following NOC groups, provided they meet program criteria and labour-market needs:
- NOC 2 – Natural and Applied Sciences and Related Occupations
- NOC 4 – Education, Law and Social, Community and Government Services
- NOC 8 – Natural Resources, Agriculture and Related Production Occupations
- NOC 9 – Manufacturing and Utilities
These occupational groups are also limited to TEER levels 0 to 4.
Limited consideration for remaining occupations
For all other occupations outside the priority groups, nominations are currently restricted to TEER levels 0, 1, and 2, and only for temporary residents already living and working in Nova Scotia.
TEER 5 occupations are not being prioritized under any category at this time.
The guide below takes a deep look into one of the streams of Nova Scotia’s Provincial Nominee Program (NSNP), the Construction Worker category of the Nova Scotia Skilled Worker stream. The guide will go through an overview of the stream category, its eligibility requirements, how it works, the documentation needed, its cost and processing times.
NS Skilled Worker – Construction Worker – Overview
The Construction Worker category of the Nova Scotia Skilled Worker stream is one of Nova Scotia’s PNP stream category that targets candidates that have a job offer. In this case, specifically in construction occupations.
When receiving a nomination under the stream, candidates can then apply for Permanent Residence to the federal government of Canada.
This stream is not aligned with Express Entry, which means that candidates cannot take advantage of the 6-month average processing times of Express Entry. Processing times of Provincial Nominee Programs (not aligned with Express Entry) are usually longer and take at least 1 year.
The stream category does require the candidate to hold a valid job offer as its main eligibility requirement. There are other requirements that must be fulfilled regarding the candidate, the employer, and the job offer.
NS Skilled Worker – Construction Worker – Eligibility
There are 7 main categories of eligibility requirements that we will summarize below. You can apply to the Construction Worker category of the Nova Scotia Skilled Worker stream if you, your employer, and your job offer satisfy to all the requirements below (remember that for each requirement, you will have to provide supporting documents).
Job offer
To be eligible to apply, you must have a permanent (with no end date), full-time (at least 30h/week) job offer that is located in Nova Scotia with a Nova Scotia employer in the construction sector (NAICS 23), in either:
- NOC 70010 – Construction managers
- NOC 70011 – Home building and renovation managers
- NOC 72011 – Contractors and supervisors, electrical trades and telecommunications occupations
- NOC 72014 – Contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers
- NOC 72020 – Contractors and supervisors, mechanic trades
- NOC 72106 – Welders and related machine operators
- NOC 72200 – Electricians (except industrial and power system)
- NOC 72201 – Industrial electricians
- NOC 72310 – Carpenters
- NOC 72320 – Bricklayers
- NOC 72401 – Heavy-duty equipment mechanics
- NOC 72402 – Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics
- NOC 72500 – Crane operators
- NOC 73100 – Concrete finishers
- NOC 73102 – Plasterers, drywall installers and finishers and lathers
- NOC 73110 – Roofers and shinglers
- NOC 73200 – Residential and commercial installers and servicers
- NOC 73400 – Heavy equipment operators
- NOC 75101 – Material handlers
- NOC 75110 – Construction trades helpers and labourers
- NOC 75119 – Other trades helpers and labourers
The job offer must also:
- have compensation in the form of salary that meets provincial employment standards and the provincial wage range
- be for a position which has a shortage of qualified permanent residents or Canadian citizens to fill the position, and
- not contravene any existing bargaining unit agreements, labour agreements/standards or be involved in any employment disputes.
Work experience
You must have previous work experience of at least 12 months (1,560 hours) within the last 5 years related to the position and skills for the job. Volunteer work and unpaid internships are not eligible.
Education and training
You must demonstrate that you have completed at least secondary (high school) education or that you have completed a construction specific industry training program. You must also have the appropriate training, skills, and/or accreditation required for the job.
For occupations requiring licensing or certification, you must meet licensing or certification requirements in Nova Scotia before applying to the stream.
There is no need to provide an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) for non-Canadian education credentials.
Language
You must take an approved language test, and demonstrate you have a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level for each language skill, either in French or in English of minimum:
- CLB5 for TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 job offer occupations,
- CLB4 for TEER 4 or 5 job offers occupations.
You can find your job offer occupation’s National Occupational Classification (NOC) TEER Category here.
Immigration status
In order to apply, you must have legal status in your current country of residence.
If you are in Canada on a Study Permit or Work Permit, it must be valid at the time of application.
Settlement requirements
You must show that you have a genuine intention to settle in Nova Scotia. You must provide a detailed explanation of why you choose to settle permanently in Nova Scotia and what you feel Nova Scotia can offer to you and your family. Your explanation can include details such as your plans for accommodation/housing, transportation, employment/job, schools or child care, language training plans, and integration into community.
You must show that you have sufficient funds to successfully establish yourself and your family in Nova Scotia. The NSNP will not approve your application if it appears likely that your family income (based on your job offer and any spousal income) will be below Statistics Canada’s applicable Low-Income Cut-Off.
Main employer requirements
The employer must provide evidence of recruitment for the position. This evidence must predate the applicant’s current offer of employment. Satisfactory evidence can be either:
- a current positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA),
- proof that the position offered, or the worker, is considered to be LMIA exempt, or
- three advertisements in three different publications, one being national in scope (Job Bank for example), and must occur in the 6 months prior to the date of the job offer to the applicant. Each advertisement must be publicly available for no less than 4 consecutive weeks. The advertisement must be in English or French and include the:
- Company operating name and contact information including telephone number, cell phone number, email address, fax number, and mailing address
- Title of position
- Job duties
- Skill requirements
- Location of work (city or town)
The employer’s business must have been in active operation in Nova Scotia for at least 2 years and be in good standing with provincial occupational health and safety and labour authorities and not be in violation of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) or Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR).
NS Skilled Worker – Construction Worker – Application Process
For a better understanding of the process, below is a list of the steps involved in obtaining Permanent Residence through the Construction Worker category of the Nova Scotia Skilled Worker stream. Candidates must:
- Submit an expression of interest to the stream category through the Nova Scotia’s online service (filling in forms and uploading required documents).
- Nova Scotia will conduct periodic draws to select expression of interest for processing. Factors that may guide selection include provincial priorities, remaining allocation, expression of interest pool volume, and program integrity considerations
- Apply for permanent residence to the federal government (IRCC) within 12 months of receiving the nomination (after the NSNP processes their application). Candidates need to apply online to IRCC, and include the Nomination Letter received from the NSNP.
Optional: after receiving your provincial nomination, you can request a letter of support from the NSNP to apply for a temporary work permit or the renewal of an existing work permit (within 3 months of expiry). This letter of support replaces the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from Service Canada in applying for the new work permit.
NS Skilled Worker – Construction Worker – Application Fees
NS Skilled Worker – Construction Worker – Processing Times
NS Skilled Worker – Construction Worker – Latest News & Data
NS Skilled Worker – Construction Worker – In-Demand Occupations?
Some streams target specific NOC codes, meaning that if you have experience in those in-demand jobs, you either (i) have more chances to be invited or (ii) that you can be eligible to the stream.
In the case of the Construction Worker category of the Nova Scotia Skilled Worker stream, there are a few construction NOC occupations codes that are targeted by the stream, but a job offer is needed:
- NOC 70010 – Construction managers
- NOC 70011 – Home building and renovation managers
- NOC 72011 – Contractors and supervisors, electrical trades and telecommunications occupations
- NOC 72014 – Contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers
- NOC 72020 – Contractors and supervisors, mechanic trades
- NOC 72102 – Sheet metal workers
- NOC 72106 – Welders and related machine operators
- NOC 72200 – Electricians (except industrial and power system)
- NOC 72201 – Industrial electricians
- NOC 72310 – Carpenters
- NOC 72320 – Bricklayers
- NOC 72401 – Heavy-duty equipment mechanics
- NOC 72402 – Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics
- NOC 72500 – Crane operators
- NOC 73100 – Concrete finishers
- NOC 73102 – Plasterers, drywall installers and finishers and lathers
- NOC 73110 – Roofers and shinglers
- NOC 73200 – Residential and commercial installers and servicers
- NOC 73400 – Heavy equipment operators
- NOC 75101 – Material handlers
- NOC 75110 – Construction trades helpers and labourers
- NOC 75119 – Other trades helpers and labourers
You can find out about the other provinces’ in-demand jobs in our in-demand NOC codes article.
