Nova Scotia Occupations in Demand

There are 7 main categories of eligibility requirements that we will summarize below. You can apply to the Occupations in Demand (OiD) 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 to the OiD stream, 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 either:

• NOC 33102 – Nurse Aides
• NOC 65310 – Light duty cleaners
• NOC 73300 – Transport truck drivers
• NOC 73400 – Heavy equipment operators
• NOC 75110 – Construction 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. 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 of 4 for each language skill, either in French or in English .

Immigration status

In order to apply to the OiD stream, 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).

For a better understanding of the process, below is a list of the steps involved in obtaining Permanent Residence through the Occupations in Demand (OiD) stream. Candidates must: 

1. Apply to the OiD stream when the stream is open, by submitting their application through the Nova Scotia’s online service (filling in forms and uploading required documents).
2. Apply for permanent residence to the federal government (IRCC) within 6 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.

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 Occupations in Demand stream, there are a few NOC occupations codes that are targeted by the stream, but a job offer is needed:

• NOC 33102 – Nurse Aides
• NOC 65310 – Light duty cleaners
• NOC 73300 – Transport truck drivers
• NOC 73400 – Heavy equipment operators
• NOC 75110 – Construction trades helpers and labourers

You can find out about the other provinces’ in-demand jobs in our in-demand NOC codes article.

Do I have to stay in the Province?