One-Time Nova Scotia Nominee Program and AIP Priority Expansion Targets In-Province Workers

Why is Nova Scotia Expanding its Selection Criteria?

With nomination spaces limited and application volumes high, Nova Scotia has had to make strategic decisions about how it uses its federal allocation. Although the province has not publicly announced its nomination allocation, Moving2Canada estimates Nova Scotia has approximately 4,125 spaces for 2026, keeping in line with the 30-31 percent hike other provinces received over last year’s allocation.

With this expansion, the Nova Scotia government says it is trying to balance two goals: retaining workers already contributing to the provincial economy, and addressing labour shortages in sectors that cannot be filled locally.

Earlier this year, the province published a three-tier priority framework for the Nova Scotia Nominee Program. Health care and skilled trades are the top priority and are open to both international applicants and temporary residents already in the province. Four additional occupational groups were also named as priority categories, but only for temporary residents already working in Nova Scotia: natural and applied sciences (NOC 2), education and social services (NOC 4), natural resources and agriculture (NOC 8), and manufacturing and utilities (NOC 9). Occupations outside those groups are considered only at TEER 0-2, and only for candidates already in the province. TEER 5 occupations are not being considered in any category.

The one-time expansion announced on July 14 builds on the existing selection priorities. The province intends to use its remaining 2026 nomination spaces to reach a broader set of temporary residents already in the province, specifically those whose work permits are running out before the year ends.

What This Means for NSNP and AIP Candidates

If you submitted an EOI on or before June 30, 2026, and your work permit expires this year, check whether your situation fits any of the expanded criteria listed above. If it does, you do not need to take any further steps. The Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration will reach out if your profile is selected. An EOI that is not selected through this initiative stays in the pool and will continue to be assessed against the priorities the province has already published.

Just because you fit the expanded criteria, it does not mean you will necessarily receive a nomination. The province weighs a range of factors when selecting from the EOI pool, including how many spaces remain, labour market conditions, and program integrity.

Between January and May 2026, Nova Scotia issued 2,040 invitations to apply under the NSNP. There is room remaining in the second half of the year, both under the NSNP and the AIP. This expansion will allow the province to choose eligible candidates and retain workers already contributing to the local economy.

If you have not yet submitted an EOI and are applying from outside Canada, nothing has changed for you. Health care and skilled trades remain the top priorities under the NSNP and the only occupational categories where both international applicants and in-province temporary residents are considered.