Canada needs aviation to simply work as a country. With the variety of operations, natural environment and weather, becoming a pilot here can offer many challenges, from operating in very cold conditions to seaplane flying, from passenger and cargo transport to bush operations, agricultural spraying and waterbombing.
We welcome foreign pilots and students at Pacific Rim Aviation Academy.
The key to a good process is proper preparation. All necessary information can be found on the website of Citizenship and Immigration Canada cic.gc.ca/english.
Here are the most relevant points:
- if you intend to stay in Canada for just a few weeks or months, depending on your nationality you might not need a visa – http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/visas.asp
- if you intend to follow training in Canada, we recommend that you apply for a study permit
- to obtain a study permit, among other things you will need a letter of acceptance from us; contact us with the details about your situation so that we can provide you with this document
- your spouse might be eligible for a work permit valid for the duration of your study permit – http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/study/work-spouse.asp
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if you intend to work in Canada after finishing flight training you will need either a work permit or permanent residency, each individual has a different situation in regards to what is available, but here are a few options:
- work holiday permit depending on nationality
- post-graduate work permit, for instance after an instructor rating
- work permit depending on your situation and skills
- permanent residency; many options here :
- nomination by a province or selection by Québec can be the quickest route if you meet the criteria
- skilled worker will be a good option if you meet the requirements and have the time to wait for the application to be processed
- Canadian work experience class might be the most appropriate option if you’ve worked with a work permit
- some processing times are very long, but CIC communicates well on them; learn about the different ones applicable to your situation
We cannot stress enough how important it is to prepare well before departure, especially if one intends to work in Canada. Even though there is a lot of information to digest, it is better to take some extra time ensuring everything is done well and delays are taken into account, than trying to deal with a very tough situation after having emigrated.
One other thing to have in mind when moving to one country for flight training is money. Having more than enough for your training will put your mind at rest on that matter and allow you to spend less, by being more focused on your training.
We are honest and give reasonable estimates that are beyond Transport Canada’s minimum requirements, however the final cost will vary for each individual. Because of all the variables involved we do not guarantee that flight training will be complete in a low amount of time for everyone, but we guarantee that we’ll provide flight students with an excellent training environment, high standards and great value, modern clean facility and aircrafts that are available and meticulously maintained. We do not require money up front and advise students to be extremely cautious with any flight school that would require that.
If you intend to work as a pilot in Canada, the majority of your flight training expenses can be claimed as tuition tax credit. This means that once you start working, the eligible amounts you spent on flight training will minimize or even nullify the amount of income tax you pay, until all of those tuition tax credits are used. This takes an average of 4 years for someone who financed all of a PPL, CPL, Multi-IFR training.
To that effect, your flight school must provide you with either a TL11B or a T2202A form. You will use them when filing your taxes for the first time (for the year you start working). Details on what costs are eligible or not can be found in that Income Tax Interpretation Bulletin (specifically section 29 for flight training).