Getting Permanent Residency (PR) will secure your aviation career in Canada. But what’s the best way for a pilot to earn it? See the details below on this guide I wrote after getting my PR in 2022.
THE IMPORTANCE OF PERMANENT RESIDENCY
As a permanent resident you have the right to live in any province or territory in Canada. You also get the same level of government services as Canadians. Not mentioned often, but you get a permanent social insurance number – required for loan or mortgage applications.
As a pilot, becoming a permanent resident will unlock a few benefits:
Fly in the airlines
Most large companies like Air Canada and WestJet require their pilots to be either Canadian citizens or permanent residents.
Become a military pilot
You read that right. The Canadian military is accepting permanent residents due to lack of recruits.
Own an aircraft
Tourists or temporary visa holders cannot own an aircraft in Canada, although there are solutions of that.
Permanent residency is the major advantage Canada has over the United States. America’s higher salaries and lower tax rates do not come in handy if the government makes it almost impossible to immigrate there.
IMMIGRATION STREAMS
A glance at Immigration Refugee and Citizenship Canada will show you there are several pathways to get PR.
Below are the more relevant for the pilot profession. I highly encourage you to read through the IRCC website, the rules and requirements are constantly changing.
Express Entry
This federal program is geared to pilots that already have working experience, in or outside of Canada. This means you have been employed on a flying job – your training or time building does not count.
At time of writing, the Canadian experience class requires 1 year of skilled* work experience in the last 3 years before applying. Your experience must be earned while you were authorized to work in Canada under a temporary visa.
For foreign work experience, the Canadian government wants 1 year of work experience within the last 10 years. You don’t have to convert your pilot license to apply.
The experience requirements to apply are straightforward. Keep in mind, there are other requirements to be aware regarding language skills and proof of funds. Essentially that means taking an approved English test and having enough money to support yourself when moving to Canada.
*By skilled, they mean a qualifying occupation based on the National Occupation Classification (NOC). Pilots have a NOC number of 72600 and TEER category of 2.
Provincial Nominee
A province of Canada can support your immigration via the provincial nominee program. The requirements vary on each jurisdiction, but it’s worth checking as they can be easier to meet compared to the federal programs.
For example, I got my PR via the Manitoba provincial nominee program. They only required general work experience so I qualified for when my job was still cleaning airplanes and not flying them.
One caveat with the provincial nominee, is that you must demonstrate interest in settling in that particular province. But once you achieve PR, there’s nothing stopping you from moving to a different one.
Below is list of each province’s immigration website. There are too many jurisdictions and programs for me to go over in this article:
Post-Graduate Work Permit (PGWP)
The PGWP is a temporary work permit that deserves a special mention. It’s open, meaning you can take any job in Canada, and you can apply for it after completing a study program. It can last up to 3 years and gives you the flexibility to meet the requirements for to apply for PR.
Let’s say you finished your flight training or license conversion under a student visa in Canada. Under the current rules you can apply for the PGWP and then start working as pilot, doing flight instructing or even working on the ramp while waiting for a pilot position.
Based on personal experience, smaller operators do not care if you are on a temporary or permanent status in Canada. As long as you’re legally allowed to work, you’re good. Once you start looking at the main or regional airlines, you will see that they’re hiring only permanent residents or Canadian citizens.
Conclusion
I’ve discussed the two main options for pilots to immigrate to Canada: Express Entry or Provincial Nominee. Are there other ways? Absolutely. They might not be right for you though.
If you already have family in Canada, they can apply to sponsor you. If you marry a Canadian, they can also apply for your PR.
Do you own or are willing to start a business in Canada? The federal government and many provinces have immigration pathways for business owners.
If you speak French, there are specific programs for francophone immigration.
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