Maple News reports that Nova Scotia has unveiled new selection priorities for the Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP), outlining a three-level framework to fast-track certain occupations. The changes were announced on April 27 and respond to evolving labour market needs.
Level 1 — top priority: healthcare workers and skilled trades. These occupations will receive the highest priority for NSNP nominations and are open to TEER 0 to 4, with this level available to both international applicants and temporary residents already living and working in Nova Scotia.
Level 2 — additional priority occupations: the province may consider nominations for temporary residents already in Nova Scotia who are employed in TEER 0 to 4 within major groups including natural and applied sciences (NOC 2), education and related services (NOC 4), natural resources and related production (NOC 8), and manufacturing and utilities (NOC 9).
Level 3 — limited consideration: for all remaining occupations, the NSNP will only consider temporary residents already in Nova Scotia at TEER 0 to 2.
Note: Levels 2 and 3 restrict nominations to temporary residents in the province, meaning applicants outside Canada who do not work in healthcare or skilled trades will face significant constraints through the NSNP’s general Expression of Interest (EOI) pool. The province also cautions that priorities may shift as labour market needs and nomination allocations change.