Ontario Trucking Industry Benefits from Changes in Provincial Immigration

Ontario made a change in its Employer Job Offer In-Demand Skills Stream and this is benefiting trucking industry. The NOC code catering to the transport truck drivers -7511 was added to the OINP stream in July 2019. Moreover, this means that truck drivers having the experience and a job offer in Ontario will receive provincial support to obtain permanent residence in Canada.

Canada presently has a challenge in trucking industry and suffers from the staff shortages, as it fails in attracting young drivers in the occupation. The province reduced the requirement of work experience in the stream, keeping it at nine months in the past three years. Formerly, the candidates needed work experience of 12 months during the past three years.

These changes in the Stream are a part of new proposals that were announced in the budget during April 2019. The province also had a public consultation ending on May 30, and later confirmed these changes as per the announcement made on July 8th, 2019.

Moreover, two more occupations were added to the stream. These were NOC 3413: Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates and NOC 4412: Home support workers and related occupations, excluding housekeepers

Eligible Occupations in the Skills Stream are:

• NOC 4412 catering to workers in Home support plus associated occupations that exclude housekeepers

• NOC 3413 catering to orderlies, Nurse Aides, and associates in patient service 

• NOC 7441 catering to commercial/Residential servicers and installers

• NOC 7511 catering to Transport truck drivers

• NOC 7521 catering to operators of Heavy equipment that exclude crane operators

• NOC 8431 catering to workers in General farm 

• NOC 8432 catering to workers in greenhouse and Nursery 

• NOC 8611 catering to Harvesting laborers

• NOC 7611 catering to Construction trades helpers as well as laborers

• NOC 9462 catering to meat cutters, Industrial butchers, poultry preparing workers, and connected workers

This stream caters to such candidates who have specific skills in the in-demand jobs of Ontario. The qualifying norms for, applicants are:

• A full-time and permanent job offer in specific occupations in the construction or agriculture sector meeting the center wage norms in Ontario, for the job and in a necessary position for the business

• For the people working already in that post, the wage has to be equal to the present wage 

• 9 months of collective work experience during the past 3 years in an eligible occupation. This Experience has to be in a paid or full time job or equal in work (part time scenario) in the province,

• There is no importance for Seasonal work 

• High school education Equivalent to Canadian standards

• A Valid license/certificate while applying for claiming work experience 

• CLB/NCLC 4 in French or English in language competency 

• Adequate funds in Ontario for covering cost of settlement for self and family members

• Living abroad, or working/ studying/visiting Canada as per the valid permit;

• An objective to settle in the province