Canadian province announces every immigration submission will be treated as EOI

The government of Nova Scotia, a province in Canada has announced that henceforth, every submission made to its immigration streams, regardless of when it was filed, will be treated as an Expression of Interest (EOI) under its Nova Scotia Provincial Nominee Programme (NSPNP).

The change was introduced on November 28, and brings the province in line with other Canadian provinces that already rely on EOI-based systems.

Provincial officials attribute this shift to the widening gap between the number of people seeking to immigrate to Nova Scotia and the limited number of applications permitted under its annual allocation from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

The rationale for the change is that reduced nomination spaces had placed pressure on provinces to adopt more selective and flexible intake models, prompting several to move towards EOI-driven systems this year.

Nova Scotia’s reform follows the broader national trend as it seeks to direct its limited nomination capacity towards sectors facing acute labour shortages and demographic pressures.

The new system also extends to endorsements under the Atlantic Immigration Programme (AIP), marking a significant shift in how both candidates and employers will engage with provincial immigration pathways.

Officials have further clarified that holding a case ID or meeting eligibility requirements no longer guarantees that an application will be processed.

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How the EOI model works

Under the previous system, NSPNP candidates submitted full applications which were assessed and either approved or refused. Under the new structure, complete submissions will be placed into a centralised candidate pool. The province will periodically select individuals from the pool based on Nova Scotia’s immigration and labour priorities, an approach similar to the federal Express Entry system.

Nova Scotia has indicated that its immediate priority is to target applicants who match current labour market and economic demands. Sectors expected to be prioritised include healthcare, construction, trades, STEM fields, natural resources, and manufacturing. These priorities, the province noted, are likely to evolve over time.

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Selection and processing under the new system

While applicants and AIP employers will continue to submit full documentation, these submissions will now function solely as EOIs until selected. The province will conduct draws at intervals, advancing chosen candidates to the processing stage. Selection will depend on several factors, including, current provincial labour priorities, the number of available nomination or endorsement slots, the size of the EOI pool, and programme integrity considerations.

Candidates or employers selected during a draw will be contacted directly by the province. Selection indicates alignment with provincial needs at that moment but does not ensure final approval. EOIs not selected in a draw will remain in the pool, and applicants who do not receive further communication can assume that their status is unchanged.

Ngozi Ekugo is a Senior Correspondent at BusinessDay. She holds a Masters in management from the University of Lagos, an undergraduate from University of Lagos, and is in an alumni of Queen's College. Shes currently an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM). She has a brief experience at Goldman sachs, London in its Human Capital Management division. She is interested in human capital development and is leveraging her varied experience across sectors to report labour and global mobility trends for stakeholders to make informed decisions.

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