diff --git a/swh/loader/svn/tests/test_converters.py b/swh/loader/svn/tests/test_converters.py
--- a/swh/loader/svn/tests/test_converters.py
+++ b/swh/loader/svn/tests/test_converters.py
@@ -5,14 +5,11 @@
 
 import unittest
 
-from nose.tools import istest
-
 from swh.loader.svn import converters
 
 
 class TestAuthorGitSvnConverters(unittest.TestCase):
-    @istest
-    def svn_author_to_gitsvn_person(self):
+    def test_svn_author_to_gitsvn_person(self):
         """The author should have name, email and fullname filled.
 
         """
@@ -25,8 +22,7 @@
             'email': b'ynot@dagobah',
         })
 
-    @istest
-    def svn_author_to_gitsvn_person_no_email(self):
+    def test_svn_author_to_gitsvn_person_no_email(self):
         """The author should see his/her email filled with author@<repo-uuid>.
 
         """
@@ -39,8 +35,7 @@
             'email': b'tony@some-uuid',
         })
 
-    @istest
-    def svn_author_to_gitsvn_person_empty_person(self):
+    def test_svn_author_to_gitsvn_person_empty_person(self):
         """The empty person should see name, fullname and email filled.
 
         """
@@ -55,8 +50,7 @@
 
 
 class TestAuthorConverters(unittest.TestCase):
-    @istest
-    def svn_author_to_swh_person(self):
+    def test_svn_author_to_swh_person(self):
         """The author should have name, email and fullname filled.
 
         """
@@ -68,8 +62,7 @@
             'email': b'ynot@dagobah',
         })
 
-    @istest
-    def svn_author_to_swh_person_no_email(self):
+    def test_svn_author_to_swh_person_no_email(self):
         """The author and fullname should be the same as the input (author).
 
         """
@@ -80,8 +73,7 @@
             'email': None,
         })
 
-    @istest
-    def svn_author_to_swh_person_empty_person(self):
+    def test_svn_author_to_swh_person_empty_person(self):
         """Empty person has only its fullname filled with the empty
         byte-string.
 
@@ -95,8 +87,7 @@
 
 
 class TestRevisionConverters(unittest.TestCase):
-    @istest
-    def build_swh_revision_default(self):
+    def test_build_swh_revision_default(self):
         """This should build the swh revision with the swh revision's extra
         headers about the repository.
 
@@ -158,8 +149,7 @@
 
 
 class TestGitSvnRevisionConverters(unittest.TestCase):
-    @istest
-    def build_gitsvn_swh_revision_default(self):
+    def test_build_gitsvn_swh_revision_default(self):
         """This should build the swh revision without the swh revision's extra
         headers about the repository.
 
@@ -215,8 +205,7 @@
 
 
 class ConvertDate(unittest.TestCase):
-    @istest
-    def svn_date_to_swh_date(self):
+    def test_svn_date_to_swh_date(self):
         """The timestamp should not be tampered with and include the
         decimals.
 
@@ -240,8 +229,7 @@
                 'offset': 0
             })
 
-    @istest
-    def svn_date_to_swh_date_epoch(self):
+    def test_svn_date_to_swh_date_epoch(self):
         """Empty date should be EPOCH (timestamp and offset at 0)."""
         # It should return 0, epoch
         self.assertEquals({
@@ -260,8 +248,7 @@
 
 
 class ConvertGitSvnDate(unittest.TestCase):
-    @istest
-    def svn_date_to_gitsvn_date(self):
+    def test_svn_date_to_gitsvn_date(self):
         """The timestamp should be truncated to be an integer."""
         actual_ts = converters.svn_date_to_gitsvn_date(
             '2011-05-31T06:04:39.800722Z')
@@ -274,8 +261,7 @@
             'offset': 0,
         })
 
-    @istest
-    def svn_date_to_gitsvn_date_epoch(self):
+    def test_svn_date_to_gitsvn_date_epoch(self):
         """Empty date should be EPOCH (timestamp and offset at 0)."""
         # It should return 0, epoch
         self.assertEquals({
diff --git a/swh/loader/svn/tests/test_loader.py b/swh/loader/svn/tests/test_loader.py
--- a/swh/loader/svn/tests/test_loader.py
+++ b/swh/loader/svn/tests/test_loader.py
@@ -4,16 +4,13 @@
 # See top-level LICENSE file for more information
 
 import os
-
-from nose.tools import istest
 from unittest import TestCase
 
+from swh.loader.core.tests import BaseLoaderTest, LoaderNoStorage
+from swh.loader.svn.loader import (DEFAULT_BRANCH, SvnLoader,
+                                   SvnLoaderFromRemoteDump, build_swh_snapshot)
 from swh.model import hashutil
 
-from swh.loader.svn.loader import build_swh_snapshot, DEFAULT_BRANCH
-from swh.loader.svn.loader import SvnLoader, SvnLoaderFromRemoteDump
-from swh.loader.core.tests import LoaderNoStorage, BaseLoaderTest
-
 
 class BaseSvnLoaderTest(BaseLoaderTest):
     """Base test loader class.
@@ -29,8 +26,7 @@
 
 
 class TestSnapshot(TestCase):
-    @istest
-    def build_swh_snapshot(self):
+    def test_build_swh_snapshot(self):
         actual_snap = build_swh_snapshot('revision-id')
 
         self.assertEquals(actual_snap, {
@@ -162,8 +158,7 @@
         super().setUp()
         self.loader = SvnLoaderNoStorage()
 
-    @istest
-    def load(self):
+    def test_load(self):
         """Load a new repository results in new swh object and snapshot
 
         """
@@ -206,8 +201,7 @@
         super().setUp()
         self.loader = SvnLoaderUpdateNoStorage()
 
-    @istest
-    def load(self):
+    def test_load(self):
         """Load a repository without new changes results in same snapshot
 
         """
@@ -242,8 +236,7 @@
         super().setUp(archive_name='pkg-gourmet-with-updates.tgz')
         self.loader = SvnLoaderUpdateHistoryAlteredNoStorage()
 
-    @istest
-    def load(self):
+    def test_load(self):
         """Load known repository with history altered should do nothing
 
         """
@@ -276,8 +269,7 @@
         super().setUp(archive_name='pkg-gourmet-with-updates.tgz')
         self.loader = SvnLoaderUpdateNoStorage()
 
-    @istest
-    def process_repository(self):
+    def test_process_repository(self):
         """Process updated repository should yield new objects
 
         """
@@ -324,8 +316,7 @@
         super().setUp(archive_name='pkg-gourmet-with-updates.tgz')
         self.loader = SvnLoaderUpdateNoStorage()
 
-    @istest
-    def load(self):
+    def test_load(self):
         """Load an existing repository from scratch yields same swh objects
 
         """
@@ -412,8 +403,7 @@
         super().setUp(archive_name='pkg-gourmet-with-updates.tgz')
         self.loader = SvnLoaderWithPreviousRevisionNoStorage()
 
-    @istest
-    def load(self):
+    def test_load(self):
         """Load from partial previous visit result in new changes
 
         """
@@ -459,8 +449,7 @@
         super().setUp(archive_name='pkg-gourmet-with-updates.tgz')
         self.loader = SvnLoaderUpdateNoStorage()
 
-    @istest
-    def load(self):
+    def test_load(self):
         """Load known and partial repository should start from last visit
 
         """
@@ -561,8 +550,7 @@
         super().setUp(archive_name='pkg-gourmet-with-updates.tgz')
         self.loader = SvnLoaderUpdateLessRecentNoStorage()
 
-    @istest
-    def load(self):
+    def test_load(self):
         """Load repository should yield revisions starting from last visit
 
         """
@@ -625,8 +613,7 @@
                       filename='mediawiki-repo-r407-eol-native-crlf')
         self.loader = SvnLoaderNoStorage()
 
-    @istest
-    def process_repository(self):
+    def test_process_repository(self):
         """Load repository with CRLF endings (svn:eol-style: native) is ok
 
         """ # noqa
@@ -659,8 +646,7 @@
             filename='pyang-repo-r343-eol-native-mixed-lf-crlf')
         self.loader = SvnLoaderNoStorage()
 
-    @istest
-    def load(self):
+    def test_load(self):
         """Load repo with mixed CRLF/LF endings (svn:eol-style:native) is ok
 
         """
@@ -690,8 +676,7 @@
         super().setUp(archive_name='pkg-gourmet-with-external-id.tgz')
         self.loader = SvnLoaderNoStorage()
 
-    @istest
-    def load(self):
+    def test_load(self):
         """Repository with svn:externals property, will stop raising an error
 
         """
@@ -754,8 +739,7 @@
             archive_name='pkg-gourmet-with-edge-case-links-and-files.tgz')
         self.loader = SvnLoaderNoStorage()
 
-    @istest
-    def load(self):
+    def test_load(self):
         """File/Link removed prior to folder with same name creation is ok
 
         """
@@ -813,8 +797,7 @@
             archive_name='pkg-gourmet-with-wrong-link-cases.tgz')
         self.loader = SvnLoaderNoStorage()
 
-    @istest
-    def load(self):
+    def test_load(self):
         """Wrong link or empty space-named link should be ok
 
         """
@@ -885,8 +868,7 @@
     def setUp(self):
         super().setUp(archive_name='pkg-gourmet.tgz')
 
-    @istest
-    def load(self):
+    def test_load(self):
         """
         Compare results of remote dump loader and base loader
         """
@@ -916,8 +898,7 @@
         super().setUp(archive_name='httthttt.tgz', filename='httthttt')
         self.loader = SvnLoaderNoStorage()
 
-    @istest
-    def load(self):
+    def test_load(self):
         """Decoding user defined svn properties error should not fail loading
 
         """
diff --git a/swh/loader/svn/tests/test_utils.py b/swh/loader/svn/tests/test_utils.py
--- a/swh/loader/svn/tests/test_utils.py
+++ b/swh/loader/svn/tests/test_utils.py
@@ -5,14 +5,11 @@
 
 import unittest
 
-from nose.tools import istest
-
 from swh.loader.svn import utils
 
 
 class TestUtils(unittest.TestCase):
-    @istest
-    def strdate_to_timestamp(self):
+    def test_strdate_to_timestamp(self):
         """Formatted string date should be converted in timestamp."""
         actual_ts = utils.strdate_to_timestamp('2011-05-31T06:04:39.800722Z')
         self.assertEquals(actual_ts, {'seconds': 1306821879,
@@ -22,8 +19,7 @@
         self.assertEquals(actual_ts, {'seconds': 1306821819,
                                       'microseconds': 123450})
 
-    @istest
-    def strdate_to_timestamp_empty_does_not_break(self):
+    def test_strdate_to_timestamp_empty_does_not_break(self):
         """Empty or None date should be timestamp 0."""
         self.assertEquals({'seconds': 0, 'microseconds': 0},
                           utils.strdate_to_timestamp(''))