NS Labour Market Priorities – Overview
The NS Labour Market Priorities (NSLMP) stream is one of Nova Scotia’s PNP streams that invites Express Entry candidates based on the province’s current market needs.
When receiving a nomination under the NSLMP stream, candidates can then apply for Permanent Residence to the federal government of Canada.
This stream is aligned with Express Entry, and if nominated, a candidate will receive an additional 600 CRS points in their Express Entry profile, thus guaranteeing an Invitation to Apply. With Express Entry, candidates can take advantage of the 6-month average processing times of applications.
The NSLMP stream does not require the candidate to hold a valid job offer to be eligible, but depending on each draws, having work experience in a set NOC code and/or having minimum language scores may be required. Unfortunately, there is no way to know what the next draw’s requirements will be until the day it happens.
NS Labour Market Priorities – Eligibility
There are 5 main categories of eligibility requirements that we will summarize below. You can apply to the Labour Market Priorities (NSLMP) stream if you satisfy to all the requirements below (remember that for each requirement, you will have to provide supporting documents).
Letter of Interest from the NSNP
To be eligible to apply to the NSLMP stream, you must have received a Letter of Interest in your Express Entry account indicating that Nova Scotia is inviting you to apply.
You will have 30 days from receiving the Letter of Interest to apply.
Draw-specific requirements
Each draw will have its own specific criteria that will be identified by the NSNP and that depend on the province’s labour market needs (More details on this in the Draw History section below).
You will only receive a Letter of Interest if you satisfy the draw’s criteria based on your Express Entry profile. You will need to provide proof that you satisfy these specific criteria.
Work experience
To be eligible to this stream, you must demonstrate that you meet the minimum work experience requirements of the Express Entry federal program for which you have qualified. For information on each program’s minimum work experience criteria, click on your program below:
Settlement funds
You must show that you have sufficient funds to successfully establish yourself and your family in Nova Scotia. The amount needed and types of funds accepted can be found in the settlement funds guide.
You do not have to show that you have these funds (i) if you have a valid job offer and are authorized to work in Canada, OR (ii) if you are applying under the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) in Express Entry.
Immigration status
In order to apply to the NSLMP stream, you must have legal status in your current country of residence.
If you are in Canada on a Work Permit, it must be valid at the time of application.
NS Labour Market Priorities – Application Process
For a better understanding of the process, below is a list of the steps involved in obtaining Permanent Residence through the NS Labour Market Priorities (NSLMP) stream. Candidates must:
- Meet the eligibility requirements of the federal FSW, FST, or CEC programs.
- Generate their Express Entry profile, and specify their interest in the province by selecting “Nova Scotia” or “All Provinces and Territories”.
- Qualify for the NSLMP stream eligibility requirements.
- Obtain a Letter of Interest directly in their Express Entry profile.
- Apply to the NSLMP stream within 60 days of receiving the Letter of Interest, by submitting their application through the Nova Scotia’s online service (filling in forms and uploading required documents).
- Accept the Nova Scotia provincial nomination (after the NSNP processes their application) within 30 days of receiving it on their Express Entry profile.
- Obtain an additional 600 CRS points in the Express Entry profile, and receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA).
- Apply for permanent residence through your Express Entry profile.
You can check out our 10-step guide for Express Entry for more detailed information and advice.
NS Labour Market Priorities – Application Fees
NS Labour Market Priorities – Processing Times
NS Labour Market Priorities – Latest News & Data
The NS Labour Market Priorities (NSLMP) stream draws are very diverse and each draw has its own eligibility criteria (that never included having a job offer) that can range from having work experience in a set NOC code to having minimum language scores.
You can check out our awesome Live PNP Monitor to see the latest news and draw details and history on the NSLMP stream, as well as for all the other PNP streams.
NS Labour Market Priorities – 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 NS Labour Market Priorities stream, there is no official in-demand list. However, candidates with work experience (between 2 to 5 years) in NOC codes 11100 (Financial auditors and accountants) and 42202 (Early Childhood Educators and Assistants) have been previously invited. More details on this in the Draw History section above.
You can find out about the other provinces’ in-demand jobs in our in-demand NOC codes article.
