IRCC invites candidates in first ever category-based Express Entry draw for Transport Occupations
On September 20, 2023, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) IRCC held its first Express Entry round of invitations for Transport occupations, with 1,000 invitations sent to candidates. For the current draw #264 the minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score required to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) was 435. The draw came after an announcement was made by IRCC on September 18, 2023, that a category-based draw for transport occupations will be made during that week.
Occupations eligible for category-based selection in the Transport category
The following 10 occupations are eligible for the transport occupation category under Express Entry:
- Aircraft assemblers and aircraft assembly inspectors
- Transport truck drivers
- Railway traffic controllers and marine traffic regulators
- Engineer officers, water transport
- Deck officers, water transport
- Air traffic controllers and related occupations
- Air pilots, flight engineers and flying instructors
- Aircraft mechanics and aircraft inspectors
- Railway car men/women
- Managers in transportation
Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP’s) and Pilot Programs
In addition to the Federal Express Entry, IRCC has introduced multiple programs to assist agri-food employers since 2020. On May 15, 2020, IRCC announced an Agri-Food pilot program that would welcome 2750 applications annually. In addition, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada introduced the Agricultural Stream Temporary Foreign Worker Program, which provides temporary work permits for up to 2 years, as well as expedited processing of work permits. There are also several provincial pilot programs assisting with agriculture and agri-food industries that can lead to permanent residence. Now, with the introduction of agriculture and agri-food as a selection-based category, candidates can also apply under the federal express entry program.
Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) are operated by the individual Provinces and provide different pathways under which foreign nationals can apply based on the Province’s labour needs. PNP’s adhere to their own selection process to select candidates for permanent residency. Transport occupations are in great demand for most provinces. In Novia Scotia, Transport workers can immigrate under the Occupations in Demand category, which requires a job offer from a Nova Scotia employer. In Saskatchewan, there is the Long Haul Truck Drivers Project where permanent residency is offered to Long Haul Truck Drivers with a permanent job offer from an approved trucking firm and who have worked for the trucking firm on a temporary work permit for a minimum of 6 months. Under the PEI PNP Critical Worker Stream, candidates can apply for permanent residency with least 12 months of long haul truck driving experience and a job offer with an eligible PEI employer.
Other Immigration Options
The Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) created in 2017 (originally referred to as the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program) is a pathway to permanent residence for skilled foreign workers who want to work and live in 1 of Canada’s 4 Atlantic provinces—New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island or Newfoundland and Labrador. The AIP allows intermediate to highly and semi-skilled foreign workers to fill labour shortage jobs in Canada’s Atlantic provinces that employers have not been able to fill locally. Since Transport truck drivers are in high demand in all the 4 Atlantic provinces, you may be eligible to apply if you have a valid job offer for at least 1 year.
Another pilot program that can assist Transport Truck Drivers to obtain permanent residency is the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot Program (RNIP), introduced in 2019. The RNIP is a community-driven program aimed at creating a path for permanent residency for candidates interested in living and working in smaller communities. Based on the economic needs of the community, most of the 11 participating communities currently have a need for Transport Truck Drivers.
This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact us via email at info@poonahimmigrationlaw.com for further information.
