Toronto immigration lawyer Andy Semotiuk: An interesting development out of Nova Scotia:

It will now be a little easier for international graduates to settle in Nova Scotia after their studies in Canada are finished.

The province announced today that any international graduate from a Canadian college or university can apply for permanent residency if they have a job offer from a Nova Scotia employer.

This is good news for Durgesh Singh, a student in NSCC’s construction management technology program.

“Now, because of these changes to the Nova Scotia Nominee Program, international graduates will have an avenue to immigrate to Nova Scotia that wasn’t open to them before,” he said in a news release issued by the province.

Nova Scotia universities welcome more than 7,000 international students a year, but fewer than 50 have applied to stay since the paperwork moved to Ottawa.

This is a welcome development, and a smart move as well, but one caveat should be noted. The challenge for one of our current clients is that the program requires that the employer who is employing the college graduate on the work permit must have been in business for two years.

Incidentally, if you are not a student, but are seeking to immigrate to Nova Scotia, the province does have opportunities for immigrant investors, as well.

Andy Semotiuk is a Canadian and US immigration lawyer with immigration law firm Pace Immigration. You can learn more about Andy at My Work Visa.