U.S. Immigration Options for Trucking Companies

SCHEDULE A CONSULTATION

Labor shortages have led to a growing demand for international truckers, but the options are limited.

Below we reference variations of established U.S. immigration strategies as applied to teachers by order of anticipated viability. Please refer to the hyperlinked pages for more information about each visa classification.

B-1 Business Visitors as International Truck Drivers. More information about the rights and limitations of this visa category may be found on the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website here.

Essential Employees of E-1 Treaty Trader or E-2 Treaty Investor qualifying companies

H-2B Temporary Non-Agricultural Worker visas, which is not currently available for long haul trucking companies

The common pathway to sponsor international truckers for permanent residency would be through a PERM Labor Certification formal test of the labor market, followed by an immigrant petition and application for an immigrant visa or permanent resident green card. As permanent residency strategies can take 2-3 years in processing times, it’s recommended to consider whether starting both the short-term nonimmigrant and long-term immigrant strategies at the same time may be recommended.

For employment in occupations with a trucking company, other than truck drivers, other U.S. immigration strategies may be more readily available.

The above is informational and not intended to be legal advice. Please consult with an experienced business immigration attorney on your specific facts and circumstances before proceeding with any U.S. immigration strategy.