How the stream works
The Entrepreneur stream is how Nova Scotia recruits people who will own and actively run a business in the province. You are not buying permanent residence. You are agreeing to establish or acquire a business, move to Nova Scotia, run it yourself for at least a year, and be assessed on whether you did what you said you would.
Since 18 February 2026 there has been one Entrepreneur stream with two sets of sub-criteria. The Entrepreneur sub-criteria are for experienced owners and senior managers, from anywhere, and are assessed on a plan; the business does not need to exist yet. The International Graduate Entrepreneur sub-criteria are for graduates of a Nova Scotia university or the Nova Scotia Community College who have already been running a Nova Scotia business for a year, and are assessed on the business you actually have.
Both are invitation only. You submit a scored Expression of Interest, and the province chooses the highest scores first. It may also create priority sectors and select the strongest candidates within a sector, and it says plainly that it may change or stop using a priority sector at any time without notice. There is no published pass mark, and no queue position to watch.
Meeting the thresholds is the first step. It places you in the pool. The detailed work, and most of the cost, begins once an invitation arrives.
The government process, start to finish
- Submit an Expression of InterestComplete and submit an application. It is scored, there is no fee at this stage, and it stays in the pool for 12 months.
- Receive an Invitation to ApplyThe province selects the highest scores, sometimes within a priority sector. Selection also triggers the application fee.
- Build and file the applicationA Business Establishment Plan, a Net Worth Verification Report from a prescribed verifier, and a financial review from a prescribed provider, against fixed deadlines that differ depending on whether you are starting or buying.
- InterviewUsually within 30 days of being contacted, or 15 business days with a site visit on the graduate route. Failing it closes the file, and there is no appeal.
- Sign the Business Performance Agreement, then move and operateYour legal agreement with the province. Entrepreneur applicants then apply for a work permit, arrive, meet NSNP staff, and run the business for at least a full year.
- Nomination, then permanent residenceOnce the agreement is satisfied the province nominates you, and you apply to IRCC within 12 months. IRCC decides.
The two sets of sub-criteria
| Sub-criteria | Who it is for | Net worth | Investment | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entrepreneur | Experienced owners and senior managers, from anywhere, starting or buying a Nova Scotia business. The business need not exist yet. | $600,000 within HRM $400,000 outside |
$150,000 within HRM $100,000 outside |
CLB 5 |
| International Graduate Entrepreneur | Graduates of a Nova Scotia university or NSCC who already own and actively run a Nova Scotia business, and have done so for a full year. | No threshold | No threshold | CLB 7 |
HRM is the Halifax Regional Municipality. Figures set by the Government of Nova Scotia and current at the review date on this page.
Entrepreneur
Plan based, open to applicants abroad, scored out of 200. Lower thresholds outside Halifax, and points for locating there.
See requirements and score → 02 / Nova Scotia graduatesInternational Graduate Entrepreneur
For a business that already exists and already works. No net worth threshold, a higher language bar, scored out of 120, and a shorter path.
See requirements and score →What it costs, and what you will need
Alongside the provincial fee, plan for two professional engagements chosen from the province's own lists, and for a set of fixed deadlines once an invitation arrives.
The application fee
From 1 September 2026, a non-refundable $2,000 CAD fee applies once your Expression of Interest is selected for assessment. Submitting an EOI remains free. Payment is due within 90 calendar days of the Invitation to Apply if you are starting a new business or applying as an International Graduate, and within 180 calendar days if you are purchasing an existing business. Candidates whose selection letter is dated before 1 September 2026 are exempt.
Two prescribed vendors, both at your cost
You will engage a Net Worth Verifier from the province's published list to produce a Net Worth Verification Report, and separately a Financial Statement Review Service Provider from a second published list to produce a Review Engagement and Special Purpose Report. Both must come from those lists rather than your own accountant, and both take time. The verifier will interview you and may request documents beyond the published checklist.
Deadlines
| Stage | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Choose a Net Worth Verifier and tell NSNP who it is | 20 calendar days |
| File the application and Business Establishment Plan, starting a new business | 90 calendar days |
| File the application, plan, Net Worth Verification Report and preliminary purchase price and evaluation, buying an existing business | 180 calendar days |
| Net Worth Verification Report, in all cases | 180 calendar days |
| Interview, once contacted | usually within 30 days |
| Sign and return the Business Performance Agreement | 15 business days |
| Apply to IRCC for a work permit after the Entrepreneur Approval Letter | 60 calendar days |
| Meet NSNP staff after arriving in Nova Scotia | 60 calendar days |
| Operate the business before requesting nomination | at least one full year |
| Apply to IRCC for permanent residence after nomination | 12 months |
| Tell NSNP once permanent residence is confirmed | 30 business days |
The Expression of Interest form cannot be saved partway through, so gather your information before you start. If you need a work permit extension while IRCC processes your permanent residence application, the letter of support must be requested at least 90 calendar days before your current permit expires.
What to plan for
Four requirements deserve attention early. None of them are about whether you have enough capital, and all of them are manageable with preparation.
- The deadlines are fixed. Each stage has its own, and a missed one closes the file. If you still want the stream you begin again with a new Expression of Interest, so the calendar deserves as much attention as the documents.
- Your net worth report needs to match your Expression of Interest. The report is prepared months after you file, and net worth moves in the meantime. Where the figures differ, the province treats the difference seriously. Getting the documentation right at the outset is what prevents the problem.
- The interview is a formal step. If it is not passed, the file is closed and the decision is final. Preparation matters, and so does consistency with everything you have already filed.
- The Business Performance Agreement commits you to the business you described. Changing the plan afterwards means showing the province you genuinely tried to deliver the original, with evidence, and approval is not automatic.
None of this makes the route difficult so much as unforgiving of loose preparation. The Expression of Interest is the beginning of a legal file rather than a form, and most later problems trace back to something stated quickly at that stage.
Which route fits you?
Six questions to see which set of sub-criteria to look at first, and whether you clear the thresholds. An indication only, not an eligibility decision, not legal advice, and not a prediction of selection.
Your situation
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Where to look first
Book a strategy consultationCurrent position · reviewed 15 August 2026
What has changed recently
A $2,000 fee applies once an EOI is selected for assessment
Non-refundable, charged per principal applicant, with no waivers or exemptions. Payment is due within 90 calendar days of the Invitation to Apply for a new business or an International Graduate, and 180 calendar days for purchasing an existing business. Selection letters dated before 1 September 2026 are exempt.
Expressions of Interest expire after 12 months
An EOI is held for one year from the date it is received. If you are not chosen in that time you can submit a new one, and if your circumstances have improved in the meantime your score may be higher than it was.
Two streams became one, with two sets of sub-criteria
The former Entrepreneur and International Graduate Entrepreneur streams were consolidated into a single Entrepreneur stream. Eligibility criteria did not change. Guidance published before this date, including much of what is still online elsewhere, describes them as separate programmes.