Your Guide to Moving to Canada as a Transport Worker
Canada has always been a desirable destination for skilled workers from across the world, and multiple immigration pathways enable individuals to move and work in Canada easily. Welcoming communities, high wages, appropriate working hours, acceptable living costs, accessibility to standard rights, and a better lifestyle are some of the most prominent reasons why individuals prefer to immigrate and live in Canada compared to other countries.
This guide is specifically created for Transport professionals to assist in navigating the path to Canada.
If you are a skilled transport worker seeking options to relocate to Canada, you have landed right. Read the blog to learn how to move to Canada as a Transport Worker.
Move to Canada as a Transport Worker
Immigration is a vital tool for Canada to enhance both its labor market capabilities and its economy.
Last week, Canada held its first category-based Express Entry Draw for candidates in Transport professions. In this draw, IRCC invited 1,000 skilled transport workers who had a minimum score of 435.
This reflects Canada’s efforts and headway in filling critical gaps and shortages within the country’s labor market.
In addition, this highlights the possibilities for you to Move to Canada as a Transport Worker.
The inclusion of Transport occupation in the Express Entry New Category
For category-based selections, six new categories were selected by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), and among those, one Category is Transport occupations. IRCC selected the occupations where there are significant vacancies in the country’s labor market.
As category selection was a major decision, IRCC has consulted with provincial and territorial governments, government partners, and other notable stakeholders in the country.
During the discussions, about 16 % of respondents decided that the sectors that are experiencing greater labor shortages include Trades. Transport, Equipment Operations, and Related Occupations.
Which occupations qualify for the Transport Category in Category-based draws?
There are ten professions that are considered eligible for the Express Entry Transport Category, which are as follows. If you are willing to move to Canada as a Transport Worker, you must be skilled in any of the following occupations.
- Deck officers, water transport
- Engineer officers, water transport
- Transport truck drivers
- Air pilots, flight engineers, and flying instructors
- Railway car men/women
- Air traffic controllers and related occupations
- Managers in transportation
- Aircraft mechanics and aircraft inspectors
- Aircraft assemblers and aircraft assembly inspectors
- Railway traffic controllers and marine traffic regulators
Pathways to Move to Canada as a Transport Worker
Express Entry Category-Based selection is a newly introduced and effective immigration pathway for skilled individuals. However, there are various other easy immigration pathways that transport workers can use to immigrate to Canada.
Express Entry Draw
For Transport Workers, Express Entry Category-Based draw is an effective pathway. Besides this, the typical Express Entry Pathway is also available for candidates with work experience in transport professions.
This implies that eligible candidates can also immigrate to Canada via these Express Entry Draw.
Instead of considering the candidate’s work experience, these Express Entry draws give preference to their Comprehensive Ranking System score and rank candidates against others.
Express Entry manages applications of eligible candidates from three pathways for economic immigration, which are as follows:
- The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
- The Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
- The Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)
In order to submit an application under Express Entry, interested candidates need to determine whether they qualify for any of the three Express Entry Programs listed above.
Eligible candidates can then submit their Express Entry profile to the IRCC website and await a decision.
The typical Express Entry draws evaluate candidates based on their CRS score assigned by the IRCC as per their profiles and rank them alongside other candidates in the Express Entry pool.
In the EE draw, if candidates had a CRS score above the minimum necessary score, IRCC sent them an invitation to apply (ITA). Candidates with an ITA can then apply for Canadian permanent residence within 60 days from the day they obtain an ITA.
Other Immigration programs: PNP, AIP, and RNIP.
PNP, AIP, and RNIP are the other effective ways to move to Canada as a transport worker.
PNP stands for the Provincial Nomination Program, AIP for the Atlantic Immigration Program, and the RNIP for Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot.
- The Provincial Nomination Program
It is the immigration pathway managed by the provincial governments in eleven Canadian provinces out of thirteen provinces and territories. Quebec and Nunavut are the two provinces that don’t use PNP.
- The Atlantic Immigration Program
It is the immigration pathway that allows skilled workers to move and settle in Atlantic regions in Canada, such as New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, or Newfoundland and Labrador, and allows them to gain permanent residence.
Through AIP, local employers invite candidates who can help lower labor market shortages and enable new workers to easily establish themselves locally.
- The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot
It is the immigration pathway managed by the Canadian government with eleven small and distant communities to admit overseas skilled workers. Ontario, Western Canada, and the territories are the Canadian regions involved in this pilot. The relevant communities can invite new skilled immigrants to fill the labor market vacancies and help them connect with community members and settlement services.
Any Canadian province or territory that employs any of these immigration programs can choose potential skilled workers who can assist the local government in filling the labor market gaps in those regions. The provincial/territorial governments can then issue invitations to candidates to immigrate to the inviting region.
Candidates desiring to immigrate to Canada as transport workers can apply to any of the above programs that is/are operated in a particular region where there is a high demand for skilled transport workers. In such an instance, they have a better chance of being selected for Canadian immigration.
Quebec Immigration pathways
Besides the above effective immigration pathways, the province of Quebec manages other immigration programs. If you want to move to Canada as a transport worker, particularly in Quebec, you can use these immigration programs:
- The Quebec’s Regular Skilled Workers Program (QSWP)
- The Quebec Experience Program (PEQ).
The QSWP
Quebec uses the QSWP to invite potential candidates to settle in the province. Interested candidates are needed to submit an expression of interest (EOI) through an online portal.
Similar to Canada’s Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), MIFI chooses candidates from the QSWP pool and invites them for permanent residency.
The PEQ
PEQ is Quebec’s other popular immigration pathway that allows international graduates of Quebec’s post-secondary institutions and candidates with Quebec work experience to gain a Quebec Selection certificate quickly. If candidates desire to settle in the province, they are required to have a selection certificate.
Final Thoughts!
Candidates with work experience in any of the eligible Transport occupations can easily move to Canada as a transport worker. This is possible as Canadian and provincial governments manage several effective immigration programs.
Some of the popular programs for transport workers discussed above are:
- Category-based Selection draw.
- Typical Express Entry draw.
- The Provincial Nomination Program (PNP)
- The Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP)
- The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP)
- The Quebec’s Regular Skilled Workers Program (QSWP)
- The Quebec Experience Program (PEQ).
Check the eligibility requirements of each program and discover which plan is most suitable for you to come to Canada as a transport worker.
