Immigrate to Nova Scotia as a Truck Driver: Everything you need to know

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Nova Scotia provides a pathway to immigration and jobs in Canada for internationally trained truck drivers through her Occupations In-Demand stream Provincial nominee program (PNP).

That provincial immigration program lists truck drivers as one of the seven target occupations and makes it easier for transportation industry employers seeking jobs begging for a lack of qualified workers.

In early June, the Federal Job Bank’s job search and career planning website listed 67 trucking jobs, categorized under the National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 system with the code 73300, in Nova Scotia with long-term employment prospects rated as good.

The industry counts on immigrants to fill those jobs.

“Demand for truck drivers is strong and is expected to increase further as a large proportion of drivers reach retirement age in the coming years,” the Job Bank website said.

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“The need for drivers is especially acute in long-haul transportation due to the more challenging lifestyle that comes with it. To increase the supply of workers, the trucking industry is appealing to underrepresented demographics and new entrants.”

The vast majority of available trucking jobs in Nova Scotia as of early June, 70.1 percent of them, were in the county seat and largest city of Halifax and in the wine-producing and agricultural country of the Annapolis Valley immediately to the west.

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There were then 36 job openings in Halifax and 11 in the Annapolis Valley. There were 11 trucking job openings in the North Shore region and another six in the scenic highlands of Cape Breton. In southern Nova Scotia, there were only three truck job openings at the beginning of June.

In Nova Scotia, the average hourly wage for trucking jobs is $20.50, but that ranges from a low of $14.50 an hour to $28.85 an hour, Job Bank reveals.

Based on a standard work week of 37.5 hours, that would be $56,257 at the top end of the annual pay scale for truck drivers in Nova Scotia.

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But truck drivers also often receive a mileage allowance, which allows them to earn considerably more.

With transportation companies desperate for truck drivers to supplement and grow their aging workforce, both the federal and provincial governments have helped with immigration policies to work permits And permanent residence to qualified foreign workers seeking these types of jobs in Canada.

Internationally trained truck drivers who are refugees will be able to come to Nova Scotia through the Pilot Economic Mobility Projects (EMPP) from this summer.

AIP, EMPP, and FSW offer foreigners the opportunity to work as truck drivers in Nova Scotia

This pathway will help employers hire skilled workers refugees and other displaced persons, including for freight transport.

“Canada is a world leader in helping skilled refugees connect with employers struggling to find workers in critical areas, giving newcomers the chance to restart their careers and lives here in Canada,” said minister of Immigration Sean Fraser earlier this year.

“Our government will continue to develop and scale up innovative immigration measures to help employers address their critical labor shortages and give refugees the chance to live in safety as they rebuild their lives.”

That was welcome news for the transportation industry, whose vacancy rate has more than tripled since 2015 and doubled since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. With an average age of 47 still rising, the industry has one of the oldest working populations, with a third of drivers over the age of 55, according to the Canadian Trucking Alliance.

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Employers in Nova Scotia are also looking for truck drivers through the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP).

It is a pathway to permanent residency for skilled foreign workers and international graduates from Canadian institutions who wish to work and live in any of Canada’s four Atlantic provinces, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Since mid-November last year, foreigners who want to emigrate to Nova Scotia as truck drivers can also apply under the Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) program.

Truck driver was one of 16 professions added to the FSW’s list of eligible professions when the IRCC adopted the NOC 2021 classification system.