Employer Services is committed to ensuring that Manitoba's trucking industry remains safe and is able to recruit qualified international truck drivers*, legally and ethically, when drivers cannot be recruited locally.

*'International' in this context refers to any individual who is not currently a permanent resident or citizen of Canada, regardless of their country of residence.

All Manitoba trucking companies are required to apply to the federal Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) process to recruit international truck drivers as Temporary Foreign Workers if they have not been successful in recruiting drivers from within Canada.

Employer Services may consider requests from Manitoba trucking companies to recruit a specific number of qualified truck drivers under the MPNP Employer Direct Pathway providing that these companies are able to demonstrate, to the satisfaction of Employer Services and the MPNP, that they are able to meet all of the requirements indicated in the guidelines below.

Guidelines for employers

1. The employer has applied for an LMIA and received a positive result within the last 12 months;
2. Recruitment efforts must demonstrate use of the Canada Job Bank as well as reputable job posting and general employment websites and offer positions at prevailing industry wage standards as assessed by Employer Services and the MPNP;
3. Recruitment practices align with the Mandatory Entry-Level Training (MELT) criteria introduced by Manitoba Public Insurance on September 1, 2019;
4. Recruitment efforts are limited to countries where the training, licensing and/or regulation of truck drivers is comparable to North American standards, as determined by Employer Services
5. Recruitment efforts are consistent with Manitoba's Worker Recruitment and Protection Act (WRAPA) regulations and include the full disclosure of all recruiters in Canada and overseas, involved in the recruitment process;
6. The employer can satisfy Employer Services and/or the MPNP that truck drivers have not paid for any part of the recruitment process, including the job offer itself;
7. The employer can demonstrate to the satisfaction of Employer Services and/or the MPNP, a successful track record for past recruitment of truck drivers, including, but not limited to, driver retention rates, safety records, employment standards, prevailing wage standards, legal recruitment practices;
8. All truck drivers recruited must meet all of the requirements described under Guidelines for Truck Drivers below, to the satisfaction of Employer Services and/or the MPNP.

Guidelines for long-haul truck drivers

Long-haul truck drivers, whether recruited through the LMIA process or directly through Employer Services, must meet all of the following eligibility/assessment criteria to be considered:

1. Between the ages of 21-50;
2. Completed secondary school (Canadian equivalency);
3. Minimum 3 years of continuous and verifiable documented work experience as a long-haul truck driver in the past five years in a jurisdiction where the training, licensing and/or regulation of truck drivers is comparable to North American standards, as determined by Employer Services and the MPNP;
4. Can provide reference letters and other verifiable proof of employment, including pay deposits, financial transactions and/or income tax returns to show entire period of declared employment;
5. Valid IELTS, CELPIP or TEF result (within past 2 years) with a minimum CLB 5 language level in all four bands (see CLB Language Grid);
6. Sufficient financial resources to establish in Canada;
7. Have been thoroughly screened by the employer through an in-person or video interview, with previous and current employment references verified by the employer;
8. Have fully disclosed the use of any paid representative involved in the recruitment process including applications for LMIA, temporary work permits, and the MPNP assessment process.

Note: Federal, provincial policy and program changes may affect these guidelines. Please continue to visit this website for updates.