The Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP) Family Business Worker stream helps employers in hiring workers who are close relatives and also have the required skills for positions that they may have been unable to fill with a permanent resident or Canadian citizen.

This stream is employer-driven. The worker must have a guaranteed, permanent job offer in Nova Scotia from an employer who is a close relative and who owns an established business in Nova Scotia.


  The worker must be related to the family business owner(or his/her spouse, common-law or conjugal partner) in one of the following ways. The worker is the business owner¡¯s*:

  • Son or daughter
  • Brother or sister
  • Niece or nephew (children of brothers or sisters)
  • Uncle or aunt (parents¡¯ brothers or sisters)
  • Grandchild
* or a step- or half- relative of the same degree




  To be eligible to apply to this category, the Worker must:

  • Have legal status in his/her country of residence
  • Wish to settle permanently in Nova Scotia
  • Have sufficient settlement supports
  • Have a permanent, full-time job offer in Nova Scotia from an established Nova Scotia business which belongs to a close family member.
    • The job offer must provide compensation in the form of salary and benefits package that meets provincial employment standards and prevailing wage rates
    • priority will be awarded to positions with minimum salary in excess of $10.00/hour or a minimum annual wage in excess of $20,000 Canadian dollars
    • be sufficient to retain the worker in Nova Scotia and does not contravene existing bargaining unit agreements or any employment disputes
  • Have the qualifications, training or transferable skills, work experience, and licensing or accreditation required for the job or have a suitable plan.
  • Meet the minimum criteria for age, education, work experience, and language ability requirements for this stream.


Priority will be given to workers whose family employer can demonstrate that they will provide additional supports to assist the Worker and accompanying dependents with their settlement needs.