Canadian Immigration

Truck drivers and Canadian immigration

Sometimes Canadian employers are not able to find qualified truck drivers within Canada. This is especially true for certain parts of Canada where unemployment rates are very low. In those situations Canadian trucking companies are reaching out and hiring foreign workers.

Milorad Borota is a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant which means he is authorized by the federal government of Canada to provide services in the area of Canadian immigration (and charge fee for the services provided). Canadian employers must secure Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) for foreign workers before they (the foreign workers) can apply for their work permit and start working in Canada. Many if not most foreign workers want to stay in Canada permanently. In all those situations assistance provided by the experienced immigration consultant may be invaluable. For over 5 years he has been providing his services to Canadian employers and temporary foreign workers in all parts of Canada.

LMIA

Labour Market Impact Assessment or LMIA is a document issued by Service Canada which gives the Canadian employers green light for bringing in a foreign worker to work for their company. If LMIA is issued it means Canadian employer has successfully demonstrated to Service Canada that they indeed need a worker, which they were not able to recruit such worker (or workers) in Canada and that bringing a foreign worker to Canada is likely to have positive or neutral impact on the local labour market.
In 2014 LMIA rules changed dramatically, several restrictions were imposed on the number of foreign workers Canadian employers can employ, duration of validity of LMIA (and work permits) etc. At the present time (April of 2016) LMIA application packages are normally comprised of around 80 pages which include LMIA application form and several accompanying documents. Most employers benefit from the assistance of immigration consultants when it comes to preparation of their LMIA applications. That is because most Canadian employers are too busy with their day-to-day work and also they may not be fully familiar with the application process and Service Canada requirements.

Work permits

Many foreign truck drivers have a dream of coming to Canada to drive trucks. This probably has to do with vastness of the country on one hand and with the very good reputation that Canada has internationally on the other hand. Once their Canadian employers secure LMIA for them foreign workers have to apply for work permits before they are legally authorized to work in Canada. For truck drivers coming from visa exempt countries such as Croatia applying for work permit is a very easy (and fast) process: they can apply for their work permit at the Canadian border, when they enter Canada (normally it is done at the airport). Work permits are routinely issued within 30-60 minutes.
Those truck drivers who require both work permit and visitor visa to enter Canada they must apply for their work permit before they arrive in Canada. They can apply online or they can send their paper application to the Canadian visa office abroad (either to the visa office responsible for processing of work permits for the country of their nationality or to the closest visa office in case they legally reside in the country other than their country of nationality). Milorad Borota can help foreign truck drivers with their application for work permits.

Permanent Resident status in Canada

Practically all foreign workers (truck drivers) want to remain in Canada even after their work permit expires. Often their employers apply for new LMIA and foreign workers extend their work permits however the federal government has introduces 4 year limit for temporary foreign workers such as truck drivers - after being in Canada for four years truck drivers are expected to leave Canada.

The thing is - most of them would rather stay in Canada than return back home. At the present time (2016) only a few provinces in Canada have immigration options for long haul truck drivers who want to stay in Canada (short-haul or delivery truck drivers do not have that option). Those provinces are British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Prince Edward Island.

Milorad Borota can help foreign long haul truck drivers and their Canadian employers find their way through the maze of provincial and federal immigration rules towards the permanent resident status in Canada for foreign truck drivers.