Nova Scotia Nominee Program – Entrepreneur Stream

Permanent residence for family members

The following relatives can move to Canada with the applicant and apply for permanent residence:

• Spouses (official or living in a civil partnership for more than 1 year).
• Unmarried children under the age of 22. Or older children if they cannot earn their living for medical reasons.

Requirements for applicants and business

Requirements for a candidate

• Age over 21.
• Experience over the past 10 years: at least 3 years of active management in business ownership (at least 1/3 of the investment property) or more than 5 years in a senior management position.
• At least 5 points in the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) test in English or French.
• Compliance with Canadian immigration laws.
• Education should be at the level of  at least secondary by Canadian standards.
• Willingness to live and do business in Nova Scotia.

Business requirements

• The applicant must own at least one third (33.33%) of the company's capital.
• The main goal of a business should be to make a profit from the sale of goods and / or services.
• The company is required to pay income tax in Nova Scotia.
• The business must be actively managed by an applicant  in Nova Scotia.
• The business must have the potential to create significant economic benefits for Nova Scotia.

Additional criteria

When opening a new business:

The applicant must create at least one job position  that meets the following requirements:

• It will be occupied by a Canadian citizen or permanent resident  of  Nova Scotia - not a relative of the applicant.
• This position will be above any position held by the applicant.
• This position should be directly related to the applicant's business.
• This position should be paid according to the actual rates of the province.

When purchasing an existing business:

• The acquired business must have been owned by the same owner for the previous 5 years.
• All applicants should make a study visit and meet with the current owner.
• Applicants should provide evidence that reasonable efforts have been made to establish the fair market value of the business.
• The business should be on stream, not just owned.
• The working conditions of the existing staff, including salaries, should be maintained.

Types of business that do not give the right to participate in the program:

• Remotely conducted business - from another Canadian jurisdiction or from another country.
• Renting out or investing in real estate.
• Construction or development, as well as brokerage services in real estate, insurance or business - if the applicant cannot prove that their project in this area will clearly benefit the province of Nova Scotia.
• Any professional services or self-employed business that requires licensing or accreditation.
• Loan distribution, check cashing, money exchange and ATM service.
• Loan Sharking.
• Cooperatives and credit unions.
• Business from home - if the applicant is unable to prove that the business will clearly benefit the province of Nova Scotia.
• Investing in a business whose main goal is to generate passive income.
• Erotica, pornography, sex services.
• Joint ventures with other program applicants.
• Any other type of business disreputable for the program or the administration of the province.

Documents

Business plan

Its required parameters: 

• Ownership of at least one third (33.33%) of the capital of a declared company in Nova Scotia.
• The applicant's active and ongoing involvement in the day-to-day running of the business.
• When starting a new business: to create at least 1 job position for a Canadian or a permanent resident of Nova Scotia, which will be occupied by non-relatives of the applicant. When buying a business: maintaining the working conditions of the existing staff, including the wages.
• In case of purchase of a company: a study visit to Nova Scotia, the conclusions of which will be included in the business plan.
• Net Asset Verification Report. The report is prepared by experts appointed by the program, a list of which can be found on the program website. The applicant should apply for it and  submit all the necessary documents on their own.

Relation to the region

Education. If the applicant or his / her spouse (partner) have studied in Nova Scotia for at least 2 years (both secondary education and subsequent stages are taken into account), it is necessary to provide all  diplomas, certificates received during the study.

Work. If the applicant or his / her spouse (partner) has legally worked for at least one year full-time in Nova Scotia in a position of Type 0 or Level A or B (executive, highly skilled or skilled worker), they should submit letters of recommendation from previous employers, as well as a copy of the T4 form (information on payments), and a copy of the work permit.

Relatives. If the applicant or his / her spouse (partner) has close relatives of at least 19 years of age - citizens or permanent residents of Canada who have lived in Nova Scotia for at least one year in a row, it is necessary to provide evidence of family relations and of their residence in the province. The supporting documents will be certificates of birth, marriage or adoption, from which the status of relationship will follow. Confirmation of residency in Nova Scotia can be: a copy of your passport or permanent resident card, a copy of the lease agreement, a letter from your employer, etc.  

Proof of work experience

For top-managers:

• CV.
• Letters of recommendation from all employers over the past 10 years (indicating positions, income received, company and manager contacts).
• Copies of employment contracts.
• Receipts or statements of payment of wages for the last 12 months of work.

For business owners:

• License to register each business owned by the main applicant.
• Certificate of registration with the tax authorities.
• Documents confirming the ownership of shares.
• Financial report for the last year showing the place of payment of salaries and dividends to the main applicant.
• Documentary evidence of  the business functioning: flyers, photographs of the enterprise, etc.

When purchasing a business:

• Evidence that the fair market evaluation of the acquired business has been established (for example, a business valuation report).
• Financial statements of the company for the previous 5 years.
• List of employees with salaries and numbers of working hours.
• Proof of salary payments to the employees for the last 12 months.
• Letters with job offers that were accepted by the employees of the enterprise.
• Confirmation of the study visit to Nova Scotia (tickets, boarding passes, meeting summaries, meeting schedules, photos, business cards, emails, etc.)

Other document

• A valid passport or a document valid instead of it. For those living outside the country of their citizenship, a copy of the visa to the country of residence and proof of their legal stay there (for example, a work permit) will also be required.
• All previous Canadian temporary residence permits.
• Documents of previous attempts to immigrate to Canada under provincial or federal programs.
• Marriage certificate.
• Birth certificates of the children.
• Applicant's educational documents. Foreign degrees should  pass the Canadian Standards Attestation (ECA).
• Results (not older than two years) of the official test of knowledge of English (CELPIP - General or IELTS - General Training) or French (TEF or TCF).

Rights and obligations

Permanent residents (PR) of Canada have the right to:

• receive most of the same social benefits as Canadian citizens, including health insurance;
• live, work or study in Canada;
• apply for Canadian citizenship.

They are obliged to:

• pay taxes;
• comply with all Canadian laws at the federal, provincial and municipal levels.

Permanent residents cannot:

• vote or run for political office position;
• get some job positions that require a high level of safety.

To maintain permanent resident status, you must have stayed  in Canada for at least 730 days in total over the past five years.