TORONTO, (May 10, 2005) — The Ontario Trucking Association is calling on the government to join most other provinces across the country in launching a Provincial Nominee Immigration Program.

In two strongly worded letters to Federal Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Joe Volpe and to Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, OTA President David Bradley asked the two levels of government to consider such a program, which would make it easier for foreign truckers to immigrate and work as truck drivers in Ontario.

The OTA rightly points out that Ontario is one a handful, if not the only province in Canada, not to have a PNP-related program.

The provincial nomination programs, such as in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, take temporary foreign drivers and expedite their application into Canada through foreign worker recruitment and a temporary work permit. Once settled in those provinces, the worker, with the help of the PNP and new employer, can then apply to the federal government for permanent residency. Visa processing time through PNPs takes between six months and a year, while it could take 2-6 years when Citizenship and Immigration Canada controls the entire process for some immigrants.

However, without the provincial programs, truck drivers recruited from overseas do not qualify for direct federal selection of permanent residency because they are not deemed by the Feds to be skilled workers.

To recruit foreign drivers, in Alberta for example, potential employers must have demonstrated efforts to hire in Canadians, cover all recruitment costs, pay full airfare for the worker, and provide medical coverage for worker and family until worker is eligible for provincial health insurance.

In his letters, Bradley pointed out that Ontario is facing a shortage of 15,000 to 20,000 a year for the next five years at least.

However, the industry in Ontario is currently prevented from bringing in foreign trained drivers because, despite the overwhelming need for new drivers, and “for reasons that defy logic, truck drivers are not deemed to be a skilled occupation for immigration purposes.”

Bradley concluded his letters by requesting meetings with both Volpe and McGuinty to discuss this issue further.