If you’re looking to immigrate to Canada as a Pilot you’re in luck! Pilots are in demand right across Canada and you may be able to secure a Canadian Permanent Residency Visa either with or without a job offer. If you are a Pilot and have been working as a Pilot you may qualify to immigrate to Canada.
Every occupation on the Canada NOC List is assigned an immigration code and the code for those looking to emigrate to Canada as a Pilot is 2271. This is also known as the NOC Code for Flying Instructors.
No doubt you will have read online that having a job offer to move to Canada is a prerequisite to accessing the Express Entry process but as a Pilot, you also have other options to secure your Canada Visa from the start.
For starters, Pilots are eligible to apply for Canada Immigration under the Canadian Government’s Immigration program due to the demand for Pilots in Canada being so great they have included the occupation on the targeted occupations list, known as the NOC list (National Occupation Code In Demand List).
The code for Pilots on the NOC is 2271
This is great news for Pilots the world over hoping to live and work in Canada.
Express Entry for Canada is not a visa class at all, it is simply the method (or database) that Canadian Immigration uses to select the right candidates for a permanent residency visa and in that case, as a Pilot looking to immigrate to Canada we’ll be looking at the Federal Skilled Worker visa and Provincial Nominee program.
Pilots from all over the world are eligible to make an Express Entry for Canada Residency providing they have the right skills, experience, and qualifications in their home country.
Pilots looking to move to Canada to work under this NOC category 2271, might be employed under work titles including:
- aerial crop duster
- aerial sprayer
- aerial survey flight supervisor
- aerial survey pilot
- air navigator
- air patrol pilot
- air pilot
- air pilot and Pilot supervisor
- air pilots and navigators supervisor
- airline pilot
- airline pilot instructor
- airline test pilot
- airplane pilot
- bush pilot
- business aircraft pilot
- captain – air transport
- charter pilot
- check pilot
- chief Pilot
- chief pilot
- chief pilot – air transport
- commercial airline pilot
- commercial pilot
- co-pilot
- co-pilot – air transport
- corporate pilot
- crop duster
- engineering test pilot
- executive pilot
- experimental test pilot
- fire patrol pilot
- first officer – air transport
- Pilot
- Pilot – air transport
- flight instructor
- flight simulator instructor
- Pilot
- forest spray pilot
- forestry patrol pilot
- helicopter chief pilot
- helicopter flight instructor
- helicopter pilot
- mapping pilot
- navigator – air transport
- pilot – air transport
- pilot instructor
- pipeline air patrol pilot
- power line air patrol pilot
- relief pilot
- remote sensing pilot
- second officer – air transport
- spray pilot
- survey pilot
- test pilot
- topographic survey pilot
- water bomber pilot
All these roles held by a Pilot are eligible to apply under this specific NOC category of 2271.
Air Pilots
- Conduct pre-flight inspection of aircraft and check passenger and cargo distribution to ensure that weight and balance specifications are met
- Co-ordinate flight activities with ground crews and air-traffic control, inform crew members of flight and test procedures and direct activities of aircraft crew during flights
- Contact control towers for takeoff clearances, arrival instructions and other information
- Conduct in-flight tests and monitor functioning of aircraft equipment and systems during flights, maintain communications with flight dispatchers and weather forecasters and respond to and report in-flight emergencies and malfunctions
- Prepare flight evaluation reports
- Train pilots to use new equipment, or prepare them for examinations to revalidate or upgrade existing licences
- May fly new or experimental planes to examine their flight performance and safety
- May participate in search and rescue operations, forest firefighting, aerial surveying, crop dusting and other services.
Pilots
- Inspect aircraft prior to takeoff according to pre-flight checklist and verify passenger and cargo distribution to ensure that weight and balance specifications are met
- Assist air pilots in monitoring aircraft systems, equipment and functions during flight
- Make in-flight repairs, such as replacing fuses and adjusting instruments, and follow emergency procedures to compensate for equipment malfunction or failure
- Perform post-flight inspections, record equipment malfunctions and corrective actions taken during flight and report required repairs to ground maintenance personnel.
Pilots
- Instruct student pilots in procedures and techniques of flying aircraft and in ground-school subjects such as navigation, radio procedures and flying regulations
- Train licensed pilots for additional certification.
Whilst the above is meant as a general guide do take our free online visa assessment for further information and be sure to list out your skills and qualifications in detail.
Emigrate Canada has a dedicated Flying Industry Workers desk that only represents Flying Industry Workers to immigrate to Canada. They understand your profession and can talk your language when it comes to explaining your immigration pathway and the route to securing a Canada Visa for you (and your family).
Employment Requirements
Pilots and Pilots
- Completion of secondary school and graduation from a certified flying or aviation school are required.
- A university degree or college diploma may be required.
- A commercial pilot’s licence or an air transport pilot’s licence is required.
- Additional licences or endorsements to fly different types of aircraft are required.
- Pilots require a Pilot licence issued by Transport Canada.
- Structured training is provided by employers.
Flight instructors
- Completion of secondary school and graduation from a certified flying or aviation school are required.
- A university degree or college diploma may be required.
- A commercial pilot’s or an air transport pilot’s licence is required.
- Transport Canada ratings and endorsements to provide instructions on different types of aircraft are required.
Additional information
- Pilots may progress to co-pilot and pilot positions with required hours of flying experience and completion of licensing and endorsement requirements.
The first stage in your Canadian immigration process is to calculate your Canada Immigration points for Express Entry using the Canadian Comprehensive Ranking System.
Take our free online visa assessment for an up-to-date report on whether you have enough points to immigrate to Canada as a Pilot from both an Express Entry and Immigration points perspective.
Once you receive an ITA (Invitation to apply) from Canadian Immigration as a result of your Express Entry application you’ll only have 60 days in which to lodge a formal application so under no circumstances should you lodge an Express Entry application ‘claiming’ to have certain points without first having all of your points verified through different testing, education equivalence certificates, and skilled worker assessments.
Once you are invited to apply for your Canada Visa you cannot go back and have these things verified retrospectively, they must be done before you claim any points for them, and given that your express entry profile is only valid for one year it makes sense to present the best possible case right from the start.
