About the Program
The Nova Scotia Physician Stream is a part of the Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP). This stream helps Nova Scotia’s public authorities — the Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) and the Izaak Walton Killam (IWK) Health Centre to recruit general practitioners, family physicians, and specialist physicians to work in the province and help alleviate healthcare labor shortages. The Physician Stream also supports the NSHA and IWK to recruit foreign physicians with the required skills for positions that they have been unable to fill with a permanent resident or Canadian citizen.
Eligible Applicants
The applicants must meet these following requirements:
1. Legal status in the country of residence:
- If you are living in Canada, you must provide proof of your legal status as a temporary worker or visitor.
- If you apply from outside Canada, you must provide proof that you have legal status in your country of residence.
- If you have lost your status, you are not eligible to apply until your status has been restored.
2. Approved opportunity:
The approved offer is for an opportunity as a General practitioners and family physicians (NOC 3112) or specialist physicians (NOC 3111).
The approved opportunity must be on official NSHA or IWK letterhead and must:
- Be signed and dated by a person authorized to hire physicians at the NSHA or IWK
- Be signed and dated by the applicant who is accepting the opportunity
- Indicate eligibility for licensure with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of NS
- Indicate that the applicant is eligible to apply for privileges and credentials with NSHA and the IWK
3. Education and Training:
The applicants must provide a copy of an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) or show proof of education and medical training required for licensure in Nova Scotia.
4. Language ability:
The ability to perform the job in one of Canada’s official languages as evidenced by an employment offer from the NSHA or the IWK.
Ineligible Applicants
Individuals should not apply to the stream if they are:
- a candidate who has received a nomination under the Nova Scotia Nominee Program dated within the last 12 months;
- an applicant under humanitarian and compassionate grounds, a refugee claimant or a failed refugee claimant;
- not legally present in your current country of residence;
- in Canada illegally, under a removal order, or are prohibited from entering or being in Canada;
- an individual who does not have status. You are not eligible to apply until your status has been restored;
- an international student who is currently studying at a Canadian post-secondary institution;
- an international graduate who has studied in Canada, whose studies have been sponsored by an agency or government and who is contractually obligated to return to their country of origin; or
- an individual with unresolved custody or child support disputes affecting any dependent.
How to Apply
If the applicants meet all the requirements of this stream, then he/she must follow these steps to complete the application.
Step 1. Prepare the NSNP application
The first step in applying for the Nova Scotia Physician Stream is to gather and prepare all the application materials. The Forms and Supporting Documents Checklist in Section 6 below will help your preparation.
Step 2. Submit your application
Applicants have to create an account on Nova Scotia’s online service or via email: nsnp@novascotia.ca to the NSOI. After that, you must save your application in process and Submit supporting documents as PDF attachments.
Step 3. Your application is assessed by the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration
Once an application is submitted to the NSOI, the NSNP conducts a complete evaluation beginning with an eligibility and completion check.
a. Eligibility and completion check
The Office of Immigration will review your application to ensure that it is complete and meets eligibility criteria before it is assessed. If your application is not complete or if you do not meet basic eligibility requirements, your application will be closed and not fully assessed.
b. Assessment
The Office of Immigration will conduct a full review and evaluation of the complete application subject to application volumes and the possible circumstances set out above under “Disclaimer”.
c. Decision
If an application is assessed, the Office of Immigration will communicate the decision in writing to the applicant or their representative through:
- a letter from the Office of Immigration to confirm that a nomination has been issued
- proof of nomination (the nomination expires 6 months after the date of issuance) will be sent directly to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada by the Office of Immigration.
d. Refusal
If the application is being considered for refusal, the applicant or their representative will receive a letter of intent to refuse from the Office of Immigration and have 10 business days to submit additional information.
Step 4. Temporary Work permit
If nominated, the applicant may request a letter of support from the NSOI to apply for a temporary work permit or the renewal of an existing work permit. The letter of support replaces a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) when applying for the new work permit. The work permit allows an applicant to continue working in Nova Scotia while a Canadian permanent residence application is being processed by IRCC.
Step 5. Make an application for a permanent resident visa
If you are nominated by the Province of Nova Scotia, you may then apply to the Government of Canada for a permanent resident visa through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. You must send your application to the IRCC Centralized Intake Office in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Applicants, please follow these steps to apply to the IRCC.
Immigrate as a provincial nominee (paper process): for an applicant whose nomination was issued before January 1, 2015.
Immigrate as a provincial nominee through Express Entry:
a. Submit an Express Entry profile
Create an account and an Express Entry profile
If you meet the Express Entry criteria, you will be accepted into the Express Entry pool of candidates.
b. Get an Express Entry stream nomination (or have your nomination confirmed)
If you apply to a province or territory’s Express Entry stream, and they agree to nominate you, they must confirm your nomination electronically.
After you submit your profile, you must contact the province or territory directly, outside your account, and give them your:
Express Entry profile number and
Job Seeker Validation Code.
c. Get an invitation to apply for permanent residence (once you have accepted your nomination)
To apply for permanent residence under Express Entry, you must first be invited to apply. If the government invite you to apply, you will get a message in your account. You can then apply online.
d. Fill out your application
If you are invited to apply for permanent residence, you will receive a letter in your account. Then you will:
- fill out your online application
- upload your supporting documents, and pay your application fees.
e. If the province or territory withdraws your nomination
If a province or territory withdraws your nomination before you are invited to apply for permanent residence, you must withdraw your profile from the Express Entry pool and submit a new profile.
If the province or territory withdraws your nomination after you are invited to apply for permanent residence, but before you submit your application, you must:
- decline the invitation, and
- withdraw your current profile and submit a new one.
Step 6. Issuance of permanent resident visa
If approved by the visa office, you, your spouse and dependents will be issued a Confirmation of Permanent Residence. You must contact the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration within 30 days of your arrival and provide the Office of Immigration with a copy of the Confirmation of Permanent Residence, as well as a current Nova Scotia address and contact information such as phone number(s) and email address.
Cost
There are some fees that applicants must pay in this program.
Temporary resident permit: $200 CAD
Work permit (including extensions) – per person: $155 CAD
Work permit (including extensions) – a group of performing artists (3 or more): $465 CAD
Openwork permit holder: $100 CAD
Restore your status as a worker: $355 CAD
Temporary resident permit: $200 CAD
Biometrics – per person: $85 CAD
Biometrics – family (2 or more): $170 CAD
Biometrics – a group of performing artists (3 or more): $255 CAD
Processing Time
The processing time for:
- Provincial Nominees via Express Entry: about 6 months (includes the time required to give your biometrics).
- Visitor Visa (Inside Canada): 4 days for online form and 56 days for a paper form.
- Visitor Visa (Outside Canada): depends on which country the applicant currently lives. You can check online for more detail.
- Work Permit: depends on which country the applicant currently lives. You can check online for more detail.
Required Documents
Use of a Representative (NSNP 50)
Authority to Release Personal Information (NSNP 60)
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