Living and Working in Halifax: Jobs, AIP, Nominee Streams, Rent

Halifax is the biggest city in Atlantic Canada and the one most Nigerians look at first when they consider the East Coast. It has a smaller job market than Toronto, but two immigration routes that reward people with a local job offer.

Here is the honest picture for 2026.

The Halifax job market

Halifax is Nova Scotia's capital and its economic centre. Government, universities, hospitals, the port and the defence sector (including a major naval base and shipbuilding) anchor the economy.

The demand that matters most for newcomers is in:

• Healthcare: nurses, continuing care assistants, physicians, pharmacists, lab and imaging staff. Nova Scotia has been actively recruiting health workers, and its nominee programme has a physician pathway.
• Construction and skilled trades: carpenters, electricians, plumbers, heavy-equipment operators and labourers. The province's Skilled Worker stream has a construction sub-category.
• Manufacturing and ocean industries: seafood processing, shipbuilding and marine services.
• IT and professional services: a smaller but growing tech scene, plus engineering and finance roles.

The market is smaller, so networking counts for more. Many hires come through referrals, settlement agencies and employer job fairs rather than cold applications.

Pay

Nova Scotia's general minimum wage is $17.00 an hour from 1 October 2026. At 40 hours a week, that is about $35,400 a year before tax.

Professional salaries in Halifax are generally below Toronto or Vancouver levels. Check Job Bank's wage data for your occupation in the Halifax region before you compare offers.

Routes in

The Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP)

The AIP is a federal permanent residence programme for skilled workers and international graduates of Atlantic Canadian institutions. It covers Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador.

You can apply while living in Nigeria. The non-negotiable part is the job offer: it must be a full-time offer from an employer the province has designated. To be designated, an employer must be in good standing, work with a settlement provider and complete mandatory training.

How it works, step by step:

1. Find a job with a designated employer. The employer must show it tried to hire locally first.
2. Get a settlement plan. You contact an approved settlement service provider, which prepares an individual plan for you and your family. You give a copy to your employer.
3. The employer seeks endorsement. The province reviews the job offer and settlement plan and, if satisfied, issues an endorsement certificate.
4. Apply to IRCC for permanent residence with your endorsement.
5. Ask about a work permit if needed. If you need to start work before PR is decided, you need a provincial referral letter to support a temporary work permit.

Nova Scotia now runs an Expression of Interest process alongside these programmes, and from 1 May 2026 an EOI stays valid for 12 months. Read our full Atlantic Immigration Program guide for the language, education and experience requirements.

The Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP)

On 18 February 2026, Nova Scotia merged its ten nominee streams into four:

The province says the old eligibility rules carry over as sub-criteria inside the new streams. All candidates submit an Expression of Interest, and the province selects from that pool.

The Express Entry stream is the one to watch if you are applying from Nigeria without a job offer. A nomination adds a large boost to your federal CRS score. Our Provincial Nominee Program guide explains how nominations link to Express Entry.

Do not forget the other Atlantic provinces

The AIP also runs in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Moncton, Fredericton, Saint John, Charlottetown and St. John's often have lower rents than Halifax and the same programme rules. If your job search in Halifax stalls, widening it to the whole region can help.

Rent and vacancy

Halifax used to be the cheap alternative to Toronto. That is less true now. CMHC's 2025 Rental Market Report, based on its October 2025 survey, shows:

The turnover figure is what a newcomer signing a new lease should expect. CMHC noted that it actually fell compared with 2024, as new supply came on and migration slowed, but rent growth for sitting tenants picked up and affordability worsened.

Many newcomers start in a shared flat or a room in Dartmouth, Bedford or Clayton Park rather than the peninsula, and use Halifax Transit buses and the harbour ferry.

Health care: MSI

Nova Scotia's public health insurance is called MSI, and you get a Nova Scotia Health Card.

The good news for people arriving from Nigeria: there is no three-month wait when you move from outside Canada. The three-month wait applies to people moving from another Canadian province.

• Permanent residents: coverage usually starts on the date you become a Nova Scotia resident.
• Work permit holders: coverage starts on the date you become a resident or the date your permit was issued, whichever is later. Your permit must be valid for 12 months or more.

If your permit is shorter than 12 months, or there is any doubt, arrange private insurance before you travel.

Job hunting from Nigeria: what works

• Target designated employers with real vacancies. Check job boards and employer career pages, then confirm the employer is designated for AIP.
• Use a Canadian-style CV. Two pages, no photo, no date of birth, achievements in numbers.
• Get licensing moving early. Nurses and other health workers should start registration with the Nova Scotia regulator before they move.
• Prepare for video interviews. Most first-round interviews with overseas candidates happen online, so test your connection and set-up.

Your first month in Halifax: checklist

• Apply for your Social Insurance Number at Service Canada
• Apply for your Nova Scotia Health Card through MSI
• Buy private health cover if your permit is under 12 months
• Join the provincial waitlist for a family doctor
• Book a free appointment with an immigrant settlement agency
• Open a bank account and set up a Canadian phone number
• Check if your profession or trade is regulated in Nova Scotia
• Buy proper winter clothing before November

Before you move: Nigerian paperwork

• Credential assessment: get an ECA for Express Entry and most nominee routes. Nigerian universities can be slow to send transcripts, so request them early.
• Language test: IELTS General Training, CELPIP General or PTE Core for English; TEF Canada or TCF Canada if you also speak French.
• Police certificate: you will need one from Nigeria when IRCC asks for it.
• Passport and NIN: make sure names and dates match across your passport, NIN and certificates. Mismatches cause delays.

Who Halifax suits

Halifax is a good target if you work in healthcare or the trades, want a smaller city, and are willing to job-hunt before you move. It is a weaker fit if you are counting on very low rent or a large corporate job market.

This guide is general information, not immigration advice. Programmes, wages and rents change, so check the official pages below before you act.