Nova Scotia Introduces E-processing for Most Immigration Applications

Effective today, Dec. 17, most prospective immigrants to Nova Scotia are able to apply to immigrate through a new online system.

"E-processing is more convenient for applicants, giving them immediate feedback on incomplete files," said Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab. "It should speed up their completion of applications and will reduce our burden of paper-based files."

The Nova Scotia Office of Immigration will continue to accept paper-based applications for its immigration streams until the end of June 2016.

The province is also making other changes to more effectively manage the immigration system.

Effective immediately, to help work through the applications caused by high demand, the province will temporarily halt taking new applications for its Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry stream. Applications postmarked with today's date, Dec. 17, will be accepted. The stream will reopen for applications later in 2016.

The Office of Immigration will also close the Family Business Worker stream at the end of 2015. Applicants who would have applied through that stream will be able to apply under the Skilled Worker stream which has the same requirements.

Nova Scotia was the first province to launch Express Entry streams in January 2015. The allocation for the Express Entry is nearly filled for this year. The allocation from the federal government was initially 350 and later increased by another 300 to a total of 650.

In total, Nova Scotia will nominate 1,350 immigrants under the Provincial Nominee Program in 2015, nearly double the 2014 cap of 700.