Nova Scotia Experience: Express Entry (NSEEE): Closed and Merged in 2026

Nova Scotia Experience: Express Entry, often shortened to NSEEE, was part of the Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP). It was built for people already working in Nova Scotia in skilled jobs who also had a profile in the federal Express Entry pool. A nomination through NSEEE added 600 points to the candidate's Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score.

The stream suited temporary foreign workers and international graduates of Nova Scotia schools who had worked in the province on a Post-Graduation Work Permit.

On February 18, 2026, Nova Scotia replaced its ten Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP) streams with four: Skilled Worker, Nova Scotia Graduate, Entrepreneur, and Nova Scotia: Express Entry. The Nova Scotia Experience: Express Entry stream no longer exists as a separate stream. Its eligibility requirements now sit under the Skilled Work Experience in Nova Scotia sub-criteria of the Nova Scotia: Express Entry stream.

The province says the new streams include sub-criteria that mirror the requirements of the old streams, and that the consolidation "does not affect your eligibility." In practice, that means:

• If you qualified for the Nova Scotia Experience: Express Entry stream before, you should qualify under the new stream, as long as you still meet every requirement on the day you submit.
• The changes apply only to new expressions of interest (EOIs) submitted after February 18, 2026.
• EOIs already in the pool on that date remain active, and you do not need to do anything.
• The NSNP application portal was closed from February 13 to 18, 2026 while forms were updated.

The Skilled Work Experience in Nova Scotia criteria of the new stream require you to:

• have at least one year of experience working in Nova Scotia in a TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 occupation of the National Occupational Classification (NOC)
• have a Canadian high school credential or equivalent
• prove English or French ability at CLB 7 for TEER 0 and 1 jobs, or CLB 5 for TEER 2 and 3 jobs, using an approved language test
• have a profile registered in the federal Express Entry system

Work experience gained on a Post-Graduation Work Permit counts only if you graduated from a school located in Nova Scotia.

Pauses that applied to NSEEE still apply as of September 2026: work experience in NOC 62020 (food service supervisors) is not eligible, and new EOIs from the accommodation and food services sector (NAICS 72) have been paused since April 17, 2024.

Two other 2026 changes affect everyone in the NSNP pool, including people who applied under old stream names:

A closed or expired EOI is not a refusal. You can submit a new EOI at any time if you still meet the requirements. Selection is based on provincial priorities, not on the order EOIs arrive.

1. Submit an EOI under Nova Scotia: Express Entry if you have one year of skilled Nova Scotia experience and an Express Entry profile.
2. Use the Skilled Worker stream if you have a full-time, permanent job offer but are not in the Express Entry pool or have less than one year of Nova Scotia experience.
3. Ask your employer about the Atlantic Immigration Program, which works through designated employers and has no provincial fee.
4. Stay in the federal pool. You can still receive an invitation from a federal draw based on your score. See how the CRS works.