The six categories chosen for the Express Entry category-based selection are made up of occupations that were selected based on employment sectors where there are significant shortages in the Canadian labor market. As part of this decision-making process, the IRCC also consulted with government partners, provincial and territorial governments, and other national stakeholders.During these consultations, “trades, transportation and related occupations were identified by approximately 16% of respondents as the sector with the greatest need”.

Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)

Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) are administered by local governments in 11 of Canada’s 13 provinces and territories (excluding Quebec and Nunavut). Other opportunities for transportation workers to immigrate to Canada include the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) and the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP). More on the AIP and RNIP will follow. Those programs allow each province or territory that operates these initiatives to select skilled workers that the local government believes would best help fill local labour market gaps. These individuals will then receive an invitation from the local government to immigrate to that province/territory. Accordingly, in the case of transportation occupations, immigration candidates who apply to a program operated in a region with a particularly large labour gap in the transportation occupations industry would put themselves in a good position to be selected for immigration to Canada.